Paediatrician wins global breastfeeding photography contest

Dr Rajinder Gulati,a paediatrician at Civil Hospital,Raikot,has won a global breastfeeding photography contest organised as part of the World Breastfeeding Week (WBW) 2010.

A recipient of 16 national and one international award for professional recognition,Dr Gulati’s two entries have been selected as the winning photos. Ten selected photos will feature in WBW folders and posters and will be awarded US$100 for each published photo. The contest was organised by the World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA). This was notified by the Julianna Lim Abdullah,International WBW Coordinator,WABA. WABA is incorporated in Malaysia and is in consultative status with UNICEF and an NGO in special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC). Dr Gulati said: “I am fortunate enough to have my two entries selected by WABA.” He is also a national trainer for Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF). Dr Gulati was the only participant from India from among the contributors of the winning photos. These photos will be published in and distributed among over 170 countries worldwide through the WBW 2010 Action Folder. The folder is a global advocacy tool for breastfeeding advocates to highlight the related issues.

Dr Gulati said the photos were supposed to tell a story of breastfeeding and the 10 steps to successful breastfeeding. The photos needed to think globally and represent locally that reflected different ethnicity and preferably included breastfeeding children,from a newborn to two-year-olds or more. Dr Gulati,who is also an executive board member of the Central Indian Academy of Paediatrics,has been instrumental in imparting training to doctors,staff nurses and grassroot level health workers within the state and outside. The photos submitted for the contest were a part of these trainings.