PUNCTUALITY

           Being punctual in everyday affairs is one of the best habits. To do his work on time is a boon on the individual’s image in the society. By his punctuality one inspires confidence in others. Thus, he benefits a lot.

An important personality nicely develops a sense of being punctual at meetings, social functions, parties, receptions; public gatherings etc., Delays in arrival are resented deeply by hosts and organizers. If done too frequently, his influence over people diminishes. He will be degraded by the society.

            If all citizens of this country realize the importance of punctuality, it would be an added boon to the rapid stride in developing the nation. Being punctual does not mean that one should hurry things up and move about frantically at the last moment.

THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN SOCIETY

           In the past women were confined doing only household work and bringing up children. They were also treated as second-class citizens in society. They had no right to ancestral property and were exploited. Still we have had such women scholars as Aditi, and Maitri; warrior’s queen as Ahalyabai and Lakshmibai; political leaders as Sarojini Naidu and Annie Besant in Indian mythology and history. But such cases were far and few.

        After Independence, however, the status of women has improved in society. Women today enjoy equal opportunities of education and employment. They occupy the highest offices in the country and direct the destiny of the nation. Women’s employment is no longer confined to such traditional professions as tracing, secretarial work and nursing. They have excelled themselves in any vocation that they have entered and that was previously considered to be an exclusive male preserve. They have entered the police force, defense services, civil aviation, financial management, civil services, and other areas, and have reached the top on the basis of merit alone. They are also top models and actresses. Several Indian beauties have won the Miss World and Miss Universe title in the last few years, thus proving that Indians women are second to none in the world when it comes to a combination of beauty and brains.

        With increasing awareness and education available in the twenty-first century, women have realized their duties and responsibilities to society. They are prepared to work at par with the men while, at the same time, managing their home and children. In fact, their contribution to social welfare and well-being in much more than that of men in that they have to discharge a dual responsibility of staying ahead of men in their chosen vocation and managing their household efficiently.

        The status of women in the rural areas, however, still leaves much to the desired age-old beliefs and superstitions like child marriage, female feticide, dowry and such outdated customs as sati stand in the way of women’s progress. Still female literacy is lower than male literacy. The school dropout rate among girls is higher than among the boys. Women’s role in society is still that of doing household chores and bearing children, preferably males. Otherwise, they do not play an active role in society. Efforts must be made to improve the lot of women in the countryside if they are to occupy an honorable place in society and compete with their sisters in the urban areas in respect of education and employment. Only then can we have a society in which women are considered at par with men and enjoy on equal social status.

SCIENCE IS A GOOD SERVANT BUT A BAD MASTER

         Science has made our life better in myriad ways over the past couple of hundred years or so. Our forefathers could not imagine the comforts and amenities it has brought to us today. Man is in a position to control and direct nature, conquer time and space as well as fashion his own destiny to a large extent. Science has completely transformed the face of Earth during the last 200 years. It has changed our outlook and refashioned our hopes, dreams and aspirations.

        On the credit side, Science has made communications easier. Man leads a healthier and happier life today because of the advances made in healthcare, entertainment and general welfare. Travel has become faster and quicker. The printing technology and the electronic media have brought education to the common man. Science has found cures for most diseases, except cancer and AIDS today. Man has landed on the Moon and spacecraft are busy exploring life on other planets. It has helped us face natural calamities and revolution industry and agriculture. We gape in wonder and admiration at the triumphs and achievements of Science, which has proved to be a boon to mankind.

          But there is the reverse side of the coin also. Science has unleashed on us unprecedented weapons of mass destruction. The two atomic explosions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki at the end of World War II in 1945 have made aware of the death and destruction Science can bring about if it is used in war. The tremendous progress in armaments has made this world a dangerous place to live in. All the progress made by human civilization over thousands of years can be brought to naught at the mere touch of a button. No part of the world today is safe because of the hovering satellites that map all our activities even in the remotest parts of Earth and can bring about terror and untold destruction in a matter of seconds. Some of the best scientific talent in the world is engaged in devising and inventing means to destroy this planet at the behest of their political masters. In this sense, Science has proved to be a Frankenstein monster. It controls our existence at every Step.

          Science can be beneficial to mankind only when it is used for the general good as a servant. But it becomes our master if we let it overpower us and our natural instincts. Using the discoveries and inventions of science for mankind’s destruction is not its fault. It is the fault of those who misuse it for their own nefarious ends. The worst instance the use of nuclear power which can be successfully employed for the welfare of man, not for his destruction. Nuclear energy is capable of working wonders for human welfare and happiness. In the wrong hands, it is equally capable of annihilating mankind from the face of Earth. The need, therefore, is to use Science as a benefactor, and not a destroyer, of mankind. It should be our servant, and not allowed to become our master.

SCIENCE IN EVERYDAY LIFE

      Science has made tremendous progress during the nineteenth and the twentieth century’s. We have progressed from the primitive stage to a modern lifestyle that was unheard of a couple of years ago. Science has contributed immensely to our everyday life.

      We get up when we want in the morning as the alarm clock rings. Our breakfast is prepared with the help of electronic gadgets. Modern fashion has given us a choice of clothing to dress ourselves to suit the occasion. We travel to our place in a motor vehicle-a scooter or a car or a public transport. Fast trains and aero-planes are there to take us to any destination outside our city in the shortest time possible. A journey that would have taken days and sometimes months in the past is completed in a matter of hours.

      Computers, Internet and Information Technology have made communication with people sitting thousands of miles away almost instantaneous. Letters and telegrams have become a thing of the past in the twenty-first century. We can not only exchange information but can also talk to and see the other party chatting to us, even though he or she is in a remote corner of the world. Science has indeed proved to be a blessing to us all in everyday life. It has enabled us to conquer time and space.

       Medical advances have found cures for almost all diseases, except cancer and AIDS, in the last few years. As a result, people live longer and healthier today. Infant mortality and death of young mothers during and after birth have drastically come down, contributing to human well- being and happiness.

Science has brought us new and advanced means of entertainment through the radio, cinema, television and the internet. It has transformed our everyday life in ways we could not have imagined earlier.

      Science has made valuable difference to the everyday life of a housewife. She makes food on gas cylinders, stoves and preserves it in a refrigerator and can heat it on a microwave at short notice. She can do her washing in a washing machine and iron the clothes with the help of an electric iron, thus getting enough spare time to rest and pursue her hobbies and interests as well as help the children in their homework.

      The everyday life of manual laborers has become more Bearable with the increasing use of implements for digging, boring, laying the roads and agriculture operations. The printing technology has made books, newspapers and magazines accessible at cheap rates to millions of people and contributed to literacy and education of the masses in a big way. Science had, indeed, proved to be a blessing in our everyday life.

      But Science has also produced weapons of mass destruction that threaten the very existence of civilization at the touch of a button. It is therefore, not an unmixed blessing. It lies in our own hands whether we want to destroy hundreds of years of progress and development that Science has brought us or use its blessings for peace, health and prosperity of mankind in the years to come.

NO GAINS WITHOUT PAINS

       It is not easy to gain success in life. One has to work hard and struggle to achieve what one wants in life. It is just not enough setting a goal or target for us in life. We must be prepared to strive hard to realize our dreams in life. If we make only half-hearted attempts, we are bound to fail. It is no use blaming others or factors like poverty, ill- luck and lack of opportunities in life because we have failed to achieve success in life. Rightly, therefore, has it been said that there are no gains without pains.

       In order to be successful in life, we must set a realistic goal before ourselves. This can be done by making an assessment of our past achievements, present situation, educational and family background, interest and aptitudes. In doing so, we may seek the advice and guidance of our elders and work towards the realization of our goal step by step. We must make an impartial and unbiased assessment of our strengths and weaknesses while doing so and are prepared to put in our best at every step. We must be single-minded in our pursuit of our ideals. There should be no distractions and diversions in our path. Once this is done and we are motivated and inspired enough, we have taken the first step in the right direction. Then we must climb the ladder of success like we climb each rung of the ladder towards our goal where a lot of effort is required.

      We may falter and fail on our way. But this should not dishearten us, for we must keep in mind the saying that failures are the pillars of success. They should encourage us to work harder. We must always remember that there is nothing like overnight success. There is no short-cut way in life. Very few of us are born with a golden spoon in their mouths. The rest of us have to work our way up.

       In this connection, reading the biographies of great men is of great help. For example, an ordinary lawyer like Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi who found no work in India had to go to South Africa to work for a client there. The difficulties and hardships he faced were numerous. He protested and demonstrated against the discrimination practiced by the whites against the non-whites, and his initial successes made him leader of the community there. He later put his methods of satyagraha and passive resistance to win freedom for Indian from the British rule. Note that he was always successful. He, too, faltered and failed in achieving his mission in life. His career can be inspiring and motivating to us all because we learn from his biography how to overcome our weaknesses and shortcomings to achieve our goal in life.

        In sum, there are no gains without pains in life. If we wish to achieve our goal, we must be prepared to make sacrifices and struggle hard, overcome all odds and obstacles in our way in order to be successful.

NOTHING SUCCEEDS LIKE SUCCESS

        Everyone looks up to a successful person. People do not generally question the means that he or she has adopted to attain success in a particular field. They only want to learn a few tips from him so that they can follow them and become as success, if not more. Nothing, indeed, succeeds like success in life.

        In trying to emulate the example of a successful person, we often overlook the factors that led to his success. For example, if a person rises above the social strata he was born into, we forget the factors that motivated and inspired him to do, the handicaps be faced on his path to success and the efforts he made to overcome his weaknesses and shortcomings in order to emerge on the top of his chosen vocation in life. What is more, we do not wish to learn of the efforts he is still making in order to retain his present successful position in life. We follow him blindly in whatever he does. In the process, we flatter him and seek favors from him so that his success rules on to us also.

       A successful person may be rude, hypocritical and unscrupulous in his day today dealings. He may lack the basic moral and ethical values. But we hero worship such a person without going into the flaws in his character and his weaknesses, for he is the epitome of success to us. He may be a scholar, a scientist, an engineer, a doctor or a management expert. Nothing else matters to us as his success. We forget that he is an individual with his own limitation, he is not a superman. He is an ordinary mortal like us who has made good in life because of some sterling qualities. He must have struggled and failed while climbing the ladder of success. He must have faltered and fallen in his efforts to be successful. Most of us are not concerned with all these things, but what impresses us is his present success. Such a person can do no wrong in our eyes simply because he is successful.

BRAIN DRAIN

          Brain drain was a serious problem that India faced till a few years ago. Thousands of trained engineers, doctors and technicians left the country every year for better jobs and facilities abroad. The huge amount of money spent on their education and training went down the drain and the country lost valuable manpower that could be of immense use to its people. There is still a problem of brain drain faced by India with highly trained and qualified people in information technology go abroad every year for better prospects.

         By and large, the problem of brain drain has been minimized now with the availability of better facilities, salaries and career prospects for the trained personnel available within the country itself. Very few people go abroad in search of greener pastures as their requirements are met in India itself. In fact, a sort of reverse brain drain has started. Many foreign experts in various fields come to seek employment in India. Moreover, many Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) who left India years ago to earn money in foreign countries are coming back to their motherland. They are setting up new enterprises through which their expertise is available to us.

         Added to this phenomenon is the process of outsourcing of business by advanced nations such as the United States and England to India. They find the personnel here better qualified and, of course, cheaper than the ones available at home to meet their business requirements. That explains the setting up of call centre’s in our metropolitan cities where foreign clients have an easy access to whatever information they require from the local railway and air timetable to medical expertise as well as information of a highly specialized nature-just a telephone call away. Such call centres are doing an invaluable service to the business organizations as well as their clients and to the country at large by bringing in valuable foreign exchange. In fact, it has now become brain drain in reverse. And there are loud protests in advanced countries about such a reversal.

         India has the second largest trained manpower in the world in China and has today become a global destination for business outsourcing. This is a tribute to the facilities and training available here. If the present trend continues, the emigration of highly qualified and trained people from India to other countries will soon become a thing of the past.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

          In the present age of information technology, power does not flow through the barrel of a gun. It is knowledge that is real power. In fact, it is through the power that knowledge has given us that man has reached the present stage of civilization, development and progress. Without the power of knowledge man would still be in the primitive stage that he was thousands of years ago. Knowledge and its right use have enabled us to reach space and explore it today. Knowledge has been instrumental in man’s landing on the moon apart from other advances in science and technology.

       Knowledge is an invaluable weapon in the hands of the man. It distinguishes him from other animals that inhabit this Planet. Knowledge is an asset peculiar to homo sapiens only.

       But an indiscriminate use of this knowledge has also led to several wars because we have not been able to use the knowledge that we have acquired judiciously. In some cases, this knowledge has done more harm than good to mankind. What is, therefore, required is the use of knowledge for the betterment of our lives and improving the lot of human beings on Earth, for knowledge in itself is neutral. It is the use to which it is put that is more important. It should not be merely information. It should enable us to distinguish between what is good and what is bad. Knowledge should not be used merely to attain our selfish ends; it should enable us to work for the general good. In the right hands, knowledge can do wonders and make this world a happier and healthier place for mankind to live in.

      It is the foremost duty and responsibility of the teachers and the elders in society to impart the right kind of knowledge to students during school days so that knowledge is not employed towards destructive ends later. With the treasure house of knowledge in various fields at our disposal today, it should be easy to train and guide the students in the right and proper use of knowledge for their own good as well as in the larger interests of the society and the country. When this is done, knowledge will really become power in our hands.

UNWELCOME GUESTS

          Guests are always welcome in an Indian household. We believe in the ancient dictum of atithi devo bhava, a guest is god. We, therefore, try to make our guests welcome whenever they visit us. We look after their needs and entertain them lavishly if they visit us after prior information. But there are times when guests visit us without notice and thrust their presence on us for longer than is unnecessary. Such uninvited guests are always unwelcome.

          We had a similar experience last weekend when we are all set to leave town. We had decided to spend the day at a picnic spot and had made all the preparations. Suddenly, the door-bell rang and I saw half-a-dozen grinning faces forcing their way into the lobby. Since I did not recognize them, I was surprised to see them carrying their heavy baggage. The oldest of them asked me to call my father.

          My father could not recognize them also. He was told that they had come from his ancestral village to visit Delhi and that it was my father’s duty to take them round during the weekend. All our plans for an enjoyable weekend turned to dust.

          The unwelcome and uninvited guests soon made themselves comfortable in the house. They handed over to my mother an elaborate menu of what they would like to eat and drink during their stay with us. Forced to cancel our plans, we took around Delhi during the weekend cursing them in our heart all the time. But somehow they stretched their stay and were all over for the next week. Politely but firmly, my father asked them to make their own arrangements for visiting Agra and Jaipur as he would not get any leave from his leave from his office.

         These guests proved to be a great inconvenience to the entire family and our schedule went haywire. They would occupy the bathroom and the toilet for a long time in the morning. As a result, we were late for school. We could not do our homework in time as they insisted on watching all the television programs till late in the night. My mother could not cope with their unreasonable and untimely demands for food at odd hours.

         We were all happy and relieved when they announced at the end of their prolonged stay with us that they wanted to leave by the night train the next day. My mother prepared dinner and snacks to last them their six-hour train journey and we went to the railway station to bid them goodbye. Even though they did not appear very happy or satisfied with our hospitality, they said they would visit us again at the next available opportunity. That opportunity has not, thankfully, arisen so far.

POVERTY IS A CURSE

         Poverty is commonly believed to be a curse because of the traditional Indian faith in fate and karma. Most people believe that it is written in their destiny that they are poor. Others accept poverty as a punishment for the deeds in some past life and they have to undergo suffering. Such people do not do anything to better their lot. They accept poverty as a fact of their lives and consider it a curse to be born poor. They are jealous of the rich and those who better placed in life as a matter of fate or karma.

         With nearly one-third of India’s population living below the poverty line with hardly any basic amenities of life available to them, the situation is alarming. If people accept their poverty as a fact of life and do not make any efforts to improve their standards of living, their number will keep on increasing and India will continue to be a land of the poor. The percentage of people living below the poverty line increases as the population increases.

         The first step towards removing this curse of poverty should be to control the growth of population. A large population eats into the meager resources that are available and negates the fruits of development and progress. If the growth of population is controlled, the people will have a better access to the basic amenities of life like education, health and sanitation, employment. Soon, poverty will become a thing of the past.

         Those who are poor should not be merely content to remain poor because they are born so. They must make concerted efforts to rise above their present circumstances and make a determined effort to do so. This can be done through education or learning other skills so that they can earn more and improve their standard of living. This requires a strong willpower to spend their time gainfully and not idle it away in cursing their lot. Volunteers from educational and vocational institutions can contribute a lot in this direction by encouraging people in improving there existing lot. This can be supplemented by making people living in poor localities aware of the benefits of cleanliness, health, sanitation and hygiene. This will go a long way in eradicating poverty, which will no longer be considered a curse.

         Poverty is external as well as internal. While outward poverty can be minimized by effort, it is the inborn feeling of poverty being a curse that must be tackled. The mindset of the poor towards poverty must be changed through education and awareness. They must be told that they can rise above their present deplorable state not by pitying and accepting it as an act of God but as something that can be removed by their own effort. If this is done, they will find the world a better place to live and work in.

THE FORCE OF HABIT

         A habit once formed in hard to give up. It becomes a part of our personality and makeup. For example, a person who has the habit of smoking or drinking or gambling finds it almost impossible to give it up. It also applies to such undesirable habits as chewing our nails, picking the nose or be for ever fidgeting while talking or backbiting. They are a lot on our character. We should try to keep away from them if we wish to impress others in our day-to-day life. We should try to develop good habits right from our childhood so that we can keep them with us for the rest of our lives.

         One of the habits we should develop is that cleanliness and hygiene. A neat and tidy appearance is an asset. It will stand us in good stead for the rest of our life. One need not be rich or well-to-do to appear clean and wholesome. It is just a matter of habit that can be learnt from one’s elders, teachers and parents.        

         We must develop such habits as conform with accepted social norms as appearing cheerful and confident when we interact with others. We should not discuss our problems before outsiders when we meet them for the first time as they are likely to make fun of us and from a poor impression. On our part, we should not look down upon others who have developed this habit.

         Tolerance of others’ viewpoint is another desirable habit. Just as a coin has two sides, every issue has its pros and cons. We should not appear to be irritated when others say or do something that is not our liking. If we develop the habit of tolerance, it will stay with us.

          If we are ever willing to help others and cooperate with them from the early stages of our life, it becomes a habit with us. We are forced to help people whenever they are in trouble or are passing through difficult times. And this force of habit pays us rich dividends in life.

         It is, therefore, essential that we develop good habits so that we follow them unconsciously all through our life. The force of habit will compel us to act in ways that will be beneficial to us and be a source of pleasure and comfort to others.

THE PROBLEM OF UNEMPLOYMENT

        Among the problems facing India today unemployment is a major problem. There are millions on the live registers of employment exchanges throughout the country. And every year, lakhs of highly qualified and trained people join them with no hope of finding jobs suiting their skills and talents. The situation is equally grim in the rural areas where there is under-employment as well.

         One of the reasons of growing unemployment is that opportunities for higher education are available to one and all. Most students follow the herd mentality in choosing their careers. After medicine and engineering, the present trend is towards management and information technology. This will soon reach a saturation point with lakhs of similarly educated young men and women without jobs. This can be prevented when students are given options suiting their skills and aptitude after the plus-two examination. Fortunately, a beginning has been made in this direction recently and now a wide variety of career options are available to the school- leavers.

         Population is another cause for growing unemployment in the country. The available resources and employment opportunities have not been able to keep pace with the growing numbers. As a result, population control is essential to tackle the problem of unemployment.

        The youth in the countryside are under-employed because of the seasonal nature of jobs in agriculture. Another reason is their liking for white-collar jobs. They do not like to do any manual work. For this, they must be taught the dignity of labor and they must learn that no job is below them. The rural youth must learn the traditional handicrafts and take pride in cottage industries to keep themselves gainfully employed throughout the year. If small-scale industries are set up in the countryside, the youth will have no reason to migrate in large numbers to the cities in search of white- collar or other jobs. They would like to remain close to their native place if they are suitably employed there.

        The problem of unemployment gives rise to social unrest and violence. When the youth fail to get employment, they take to the streets and hold protests and demonstrations. Such protests and demonstrations often turn violent and disturb the normal life of other citizens. This can be avoided by imparting vocational education to our students in schools and colleges so that they act as responsible citizens when they pass out. Vocational education will go a long way in solving the problem of unemployment in the country.

THE PROBLEM OF DOWRY

        Even after nearly six decades of independence, India is faced with such serious problems as population explosion, poverty, illiteracy, ill-health and unemployment as well as the social evil of dowry. The problem of dowry has assumed menacing proportions in recent times with the result that it claims hundreds of innocent lives each year. It has also given rise to the rampant female feticide and prostitution because the girl child is looked up by parents as a burden and curse from God because most parents cannot afford to give dowry in marriage. They are unable to meet the ever- rising demands of the bridegroom and his parents.

         As a social custom, dowry has existed in India from time immemorial. But in the past it used to be given on voluntary basis as the share of the daughter in ancestral property. But over the years, it has been demanded as a right by the bridegroom and his parents as the price for bringing the bride into their family. The parents of the bride are forced to give into the exorbitant demands of dowry at the time of marriage and thereafter. If their unreasonable demands are not met, the bride is often subjected to harassment and torture. Many young women commit suicide while others return to their parents because of this rampant social evil.

         The government has enacted laws to prevent the demanding and giving of dowry. But such laws are often ignored at the time of solemnizing a marriage because the girl’s parents are anxious to get a bridegroom of their choice and have to pay heavily for it. They have to beg or borrow or even sell off their assets to meet the demands of the bridegroom and his parents. Many social and welfare organizations have also been working for the eradication of this social evil, but with little success. Many educated young men and women have vowed not to accept or give dowry in marriage. But this social evil persists on a large scale among all communities in the country. This has led to the unethical and immoral practice of determining the sex of the unborn child and female feticide in many parts of the country, thus disturbing the male-female ratio which stands at 930 females per1000 males in the country at present. This has also led to prostitution among young women whose poor parents cannot afford to give them dowry in marriage. The problem of dowry has thus led to many other social evils in the country.  

       Such deep-rooted socials evils are not easy to eradicate. Only proper education and awareness among the youth can help us minimize the problem of dowry in the years to come as all the order measures to stamp it out have failed so far.

RELIGION

        Religion is as old as man. It is based on the instincts of man. It gives him solace and contentment. It is a food for his soul. Every religion has a set of beliefs and a code of customs, rituals and ceremonies. The followers do not question the veracity of these beliefs. In fact, they develop a blind faith in these beliefs. Though the progress of science has made people doubt the relevance of religion in today’s world, yet the protagonists of religion are not prepared to give it up. They cling to it more firmly. Thus, religion continues to survive in the world side by side with science.

UNION IS STRENGTH

      Once there was a rich farmer had five grown-up sons. As he was getting old, he wanted them to help him in his work. But the sons were always quarreling among themselves over who would do what to help the old father in his work.

      As the old farmer lay dying, he called all his sons at his bedside. When they had collected, he asked them to take a bundle of sticks from under his bed. He untied the bundle and asked them to break the sticks one by one. This was an easy work to do. The sons picked up the sticks one by one and broke them into pieces. They were happy and pleased with themselves.

       The old farmer then asked them to take out another bundle of sticks from under his bed and asked them to break it. The sons tried by turns. But they couldn’t break the bundle. At last, they gave up and looked at their father.

       The old farmer explained to them how it was easy to break the individual sticks but very difficult to break the bundle as a whole. If they went their separate ways after his death, it would be easier to defeat them one by one. But if they stayed together as one single unit and worked together, they would be able to overcome all opposition.

        In this way, he taught them the value of staying together and the lesson: Union is Strength.