A DRAMATIC PERFORMANCE I HAVE SEEN

             The other day I went with my friend to see a play named Macbeth. This was the Bengali version of Shakespeare’s famous play of the same title in English. Our English teacher once recited in the class the famous lines from Shakespeare’s Macbeth —‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow’. He also told us the story of the play. When he was vividly enacting the sleep-walking scene of Lady Macbeth, we were charmed. Now, for the first time, the whole play was seen by me.
             Although in Bengali, It was quite enjoyable. The person who played Macbeth had a very good voice. The parts of the witches were a little overdone. I am not sure if they should be made so comical. Lady Macbeth was very effective in the Banquet Scene, and I liked her part. I enjoyed the play as a whole.
             My friend asked me on our way back whether I considered Macbeth a criminal. My answer was, and still is, both ‘yes’ and ‘no’. ‘Yes’ because Macbeth committed a very heinous crime. ‘No’ because he suffered a lot for this and was at war with himself. I feel pity for Macbeth, I also feel pity for Lady Macbeth. For she also suffered for the sake of her husband and could not bear the terrible tension.

THE STUDENT OF TODAY

             It is not unnatural that ideologies and ideals change from generate of to generation. The students in olden days mainly followed an oft-quoted maxim, ‘Reading is a meditation for the students’. The main objective of an ideal student at that time, was reading, reading and reading to learn his coveted subjects. The students were diligent and dutiful in those days. They were also very much obedient to their teachers and betters.
             But the image of the students today is somewhat different. The calm of the earliest days is absent now. Today’s students face more competition. Pressures in various forms plague them today. The total degeneration of the society, cultural decadence and multifarious activities which are the essential features of present day’s hectic life have given the students somewhat different face. The present age demands not only study, but also some other achievements to suit the need of the day.
             Actually in these days, full of variegated problems a student faces some practical problems which were absent in olden days. Now, a student is called upon to show courage and determination o hold up his ideals.

STORY OF TWO CRABS

             Two crabs lived on the beach of a beautiful ocean. They were of the same age. But their sizes were different. One was big and fatty while the other was small. They were good friends. But the bigger crab had the habit of teasing the smaller crab for his size and shape. He often laughed at smaller one and treated him badly.
The smaller crab felt sorry for such behaviour of his friend. Gradually, he began to hate the bigger one and was waiting for a chance to teach his friend a lesson.
One day, the two friends saw some humans on their beach. They were very far away from the sea. So it was impossible for them to run and jump into the sea quickly. They decided to hide somewhere before they caught.
“My friend”, said the smaller crab, “it is better to hide in this crevice until the humans go away. Then we swim back into the sea.” The bigger agreed. But the crevice was not so big. The smaller crab went inside and easily slipped into a little corner safely.
“Oh, I am stuck!” cried the bigger crab, “only my front pincers have entered the rock. Please help me!” The smaller crab remained silent. So the humans spotted the bigger crab and pulled him out and enjoyed a delicious meal made from him.
The smaller crab was very happy to punish his enemy. He returned, to the sea after the humans left.
Moral: Cruelty never yields good result.

DISCOVERY: SUCCESSFUL SPACE-TRAVELOGUE

Mission: Launching of ‘Discovery’, NASA’s space-ship.

Cause: Repairing the defects detected in the International Space Research Centre placed in USA space-ship buoyed there.

Site: Cape Canaveral Rocket Launching Pad of NASA, USA.

Team of astronauts: Six mechanics under the leadership of Elean colins .

Time & Date: 10.39 am (local time), 26th July, 2005. Zoomed Discovery.

           The mission, from the very start, was not at all a bed of roses. NASA had to postpone the timely despatch of Discovery as some technical defect was detected in the fuel -tank of the vessel. Then again a foam measuring 33’ inch in length fell off the fuel tank. Besides these, two pieces from the man body of the air-ship came off at the time of launching. These apart, the astronauts had to repair a number of mechanical defects in the main body of the vehicle. During the flight through the space they had to carry on repairing jobs for long five hours on the 3rd August. When the mechanics stopped their work, quite satisfied, a 20 inch wide heat-resistant sheet just below the cockpit came off the main-body. A hole suddenly appeared. Which had to be sealed up with ceramic tiles. Two member-mechanics, Soichi Noguchi and Steve Robinson went on repairing defects after defects developing one by one. The date for descent was postponed due to the inclement weather. Where the Discovery would come down—in Florida or in California?—This could not be finally decided the timing of descent of the Discovery was postponed for twenty four hours in order to set off any risk.
           It was 5.10 p.m. Indian time, 9th Aug, 2005. The Discovery entered the earth’s stratosphere at a speed of twenty-six thousand km/p.h. Then she slowly landed on the Airstrip of California at 5.42. p.m.
After the successful voyage in the space, the leader of the astronaut team, Elean Colins, told the News, I have no word to express my joy after successfully coming back to home—the earth. This is the most glorious moment
           The entire world felt elated to partake of this happiness with her.
With the experience of Discovery in store, the ‘Atlast-5’ rocket of NASA started her journey to the Mars.

GOD IS ALWAYS GOOD

           One day a rich merchant was riding through a forest. He had with him a bag containing a large sum of money. It was evening. The weather was foul. The sky was cloudy: So he was in a hurry to go out of the forest. But as a heavy shower of rain came down, he had to halt for some time. He was drenched to the skin and began t grumble at the wet weather which had detained him on the way. Just then a robber appeared before the merchant with a gun or his shoulder. In a thunderous voice be ordered the merchant to give him the bag. But the merchant refused to part with it. The robber turned the trigger of his gun. But fortunately for the merchant, the jobber’s ‘gun did not go off, for the powder inside the gun had got wet in the rain.
“How lucky you are !” exclaimed the robber, “Rain has saved you today.” So saying he went into the woods.
The merchant then realized that God does everything for man’s welfare.

THE WOODEN HORSE OF TROY

Manclaus, the King of Sparta had a very beautiful queen named Helen. Once Paris, the prince of Troy, carried her off to his land.
          This was a great insult to the Greeks. They all responded to the call of Manelaus and sailed for Tray to rescue Helen?
          The Greeks laid siege to the city of Troy for ten tong years. Yet they could neither siege Troy nor recover Helen. At last Odysseus, a famous Greek hero hit upon a very clever plan and built a huge wooden horse. Some of the bravest Greek warriors remained concealed in it at night.
          The joy of the Trojans knew no bounds when they saw the Greeks burn their camps and sail away. The wooden horse was of course left behind.
          In the morning the Trojans broke the parts of the walls of the city and dragged the wooden horse inside it.
          At dead of night the Greek warriors came out of the wooden horse. They gave a signal to the Greek heroes who had only sailed a short distance away. They attacked the sleeping Trojans, and the city was burnt to the ground. Helen was thus rescued and Manelaus, King of Sparta sailed back to his home in triumph.

LIFE IS WORK

        A man is known to the world by what he does not by how long he lives. A man may die young, yet in his short span of life he may do such noble deeds which may make him immortal. A lily lives only for a day and yet in its short span of life it delights the people with its beauty and fragrance. Similarly, if a man lives a long but otherwise a barren life, it will not be considered worthy. But if it can show some good deeds or achievements to it credit it will be considered worthy. Swami Vivekananda died before he was forty and Keats died at the age of twenty six. But who can forget the tremendous and magnificent work done by Swami and the finest poetry written by Keats? It is men like them who drive the wheel of progress forward and form history. It is not given to every man to over himself with glory, or to be on the list of the great. But each man can live his life worthily in his own little sphere. Kind neighborly acts, good and honest living, truthfulness and snail acts of generosity are not beyond us. Among warriors, statesmen, poets and prophets there have been many whose lives have been brief but full of noble achievements. Their deeds kept their memory shining and undimmed through ages. They live on in our hearts for their great activities. They never die. Even though their deeds become the tales of the past, they easily outlive their deeds. They translate their lives into deeds. They are virtually the workmen of human civilization.

A LITTLE LEARNING IS A DANGEROUS THING

        A Learned man is held in high esteem in all societies. It is through learning that man has progressed in civilization. Science and technology are the products of learning. No modern research is possible without learning. One has to learn systematically even music or dance or dramaturgy. Learning is a discipline, and if it is undertaken halfheartedly or haphazardly, if it is abandoned half way, we do not expect to achieve anything.
        A little or incomplete learning often becomes a liability rather than an asset. Very often it proves quite dangerous. A medico is a saviour to the sick. But a quack, who is a half-doctor, is a dangerous person. To consult a quack is to take a great risk. It is far safer to be in the hands of an ignorant person. At least he has no vanity or pretension, he will not mislead anybody. A little or half-learned man, on the other hand, always tries to hide his ignorance. The result is disastrous.
        Think of a car-driver whose knowledge of driving is very little. Is he not dangerous as a driver? Will he not cause road accidents? In all trades, professions and fields of specialization, therefore, a little learning is really a dangerous thing.

POLLUTION IN KOLKATA

        Pollution has of late become an international problem in the industrial cities all over the world. As new townships are growing up, population explosion is also increasing in a threatening ratio, as a result of which, new pollution-problems are becoming rampant. There are various types of pollution like air pollution, water pollution, environmental pollution, etc. Pollution is gradually becoming a challenge to the very existence of human life. Kolkata is not an exception. Smoke out of chimneys of big factories in the city makes the air heavy and suffocating, particularly, in winter days. Kolkattans are constantly inhaling that and consequently they become prey to many fell diseases. Buses and trucks are always emitting petrol and diesel gas which is very harmful. Moreover, there are many factories on both the sides of the river Hooghly. They throw their refuge into the river polluting its water. The river Hooghly is regarded holy by the Hindus. But they do not know how much polluted its water I People living in Kolkata do not have the least sense of hygiene. They attend to their nature’s call on public thoroughfares. It also causes pollution in the city in many ways. In developed countries Scientists have devised various means to check pollution and their governments have already enacted laws against pollution. Persons violating them are severely punished. In our country, too, the government has recently become aware of this bane of pollution and has taken legislative measures against pollution. But the government only cannot eradicate the roots of this curse by making laws. It is the people’s awareness of this danger and mass-education that can help the governments to successfully fight out the threat of pollution. If Kolkata Luis to be saves from pollution, similar laws should be enacted and strictly adhered to.

PROBLEMS OF STUDENT LIFE

        The natural inclination of a student is to look forward to the day when he will start earning money as a grown up man. But soon after he enters the hard, competitive market of earning money, he tends to lapse into reminiscences and think that the best years of his life is the student-life that he has left behind. The years one spends in schools or colleges are the formative years of one’s life and, as such, it is exceedingly vital. In olden days a student was asked to devote nearly all his time to studies. But this theory does not work today. Too runic of studying neglecting other working habits makes him a book-worm and soon he proves himself a lackluster in life.
        Today’s students are required to participate in the various activities of the school: sports debates, social functions and politics, etc. As a result inspire of very heavy pressure of studies, he is hard-pressed due to his lack of time. There are competitions which tend to put a student in tension. Slowly he loses discipline and obedience, his sense of propriety. Somehow, instead of blossoming out be withers away. Moreover, to add to his problems, there are manifold lures of the sophisticated civilization. There are pecuniary hazards in a student’s life. Internal and external impediments there are many that tend to spoil a student’s life.
        A modem student is required to put in more efforts. He must acquire extra tenacity to fulfill his duties and ambition. At any cost, he must gain education because education ultimately helps a student to develop his concepts of values and integrity.

STICK NO BILLS

        ‘Stick no bills’ is a notice which is often displayed on roadside walls. In any city, even in villages, posters are now a common sight. The walls and lamp-posts are simply buried under them.
We have no quarrel with posters as such. But why should clean walls be chosen as display boards? Slogans may be good, bad or indifferent; but why plant them on my boundary wall without permission? Just imagine, one fine morning I discover that a host of slogans have suddenly bloomed right over my front gate. How nasty!
        The purpose of the notice ‘Stick no bills’ is, of course, to check such vandalism. But it most cases, the notice goes unheeded. Bills are often stuck rampantly over the very notice — ‘Stick no bills’. During an election the candidates and their parties start a battle of posters against one another, and the innocent walls become the worst sufferers. The notice forbidding the placarding of walls — ‘Stick no bills’ — is grossly violated, and nobody is sorry for that.
        Some public places may surely be kept reserved for displaying posters and bills. But in other places, the notice forbidding their display should be strictly enforced. What is more important is that all citizens should be taught to love their own city. It is not the fear of law but the love of one’s own town or village which alone can solve the problem.