The call center of the world; the country of Cyber Wiz Kids; The Software Superpower; all this we are called because of the superb performance of Indian information technology professionals. But the break neck speed with which we're expanding, has taken heavy toll on the health of IT & ITES professionals. A sizeable number of this one million big workforce is suffering from profession generated health hazards. To discuss all this Rai Foundation's College of Healthcare & Philanthropy in association with Ergo Heal Solutions, an ergonomic consulting firm, organized the seminar "Ergonomy: Emerging Trends in Rehabilitation Sciences & Industry-Interface" on February 18, 2007 at Indian Institute of Public Administration, Delhi. More than two hundred doctors, physiotherapists, architects and other professionals attended the event. The multidisciplinary seminar explored various aspects of professionals' well being: psychological, psychosocial, physiological, office environment, furniture & building architecture, and management.

Welcoming the guests and students, Regional director Rai Foundation Maj. Gen. Subroto Ghosh said that work environment is very critical and it requires timely intervention. The chief guest for the seminar Mr. Anurag Bhatia, Vice President - Nucleus Software, said that the growth of the industry is highly dependent on the wellness and productivity of the professionals. He said that to remain competitive we have to raise the level of productivity of professionals.

Prof. Dr. U. Nandkumaran Nair, Chairman Ergo Heal Solutions, said that job related stress has various manifestations such as mood swings, sleep disorder, nightmares, hypertension, backache, headache, stomach disorder, etc. He said that the stress spills from professional life to personal life and damages the productivity of the professional to a large extent. Dr. Nair further added that the ergonomic intervention within time could bring wellness into the life of the professionals. Professor J.S. Bedi - Dean Institute of Design Engineering and Architecture, said that man-machine interaction produces optimum results when the ambience and furniture of the building is carefully designed. He said that medical architecture is the need of the hour and IT & ITES industries require it the most. Dr. Purnima Singh, professor - Psychology - IIT Delhi, dealt with psychological problems that new age professional face and suggested some ways to cope with stress.

Ms. Garima Sehgal from Operations Energy Institute talked about how ergonomy is good economy as well. She said ergonomic intervention is fast becoming a solution to many problems faced by the management of the big companies. She added that it cuts costs, increases productivity and above all raises the level of wellness. Dr. Mohd. Miraj, Dean - College of Healthcare and Philanthropy, in his lecture explored the fast expanding demand of the ergonomists in the country. He apprised of the international trends in the field of ergonomy. In his lecture he explored various facets of this new sector in the wellness industry.