IMPORTANCE OF LETTER-WRITING

          Letter-writing is an indispensable feature of human life. It is one of the great arts of civilized society. We are social beings and, we have to communicate with other beings in the society for mutual exchanges of thoughts. But when our friends and relations stay far away, we cannot speak to them. It is then that we send them messages through letters. So letter plays a very important role in our social life, because, letters then efficiently act as the substitute for talks.
          Letter-writing is an art, perhaps a lost art, as we do not liar now- a-days enough time for writing lengthy literary letters. Horace Walpole, Cowper, Byron. Lamb or Carlyle and many other eminent persons wrote immortal letters. They had time to write such letters through which they could hold up any topic of interest and present themselves through their letters to persons whom they wrote to. But now we race hard against time.
          Yet we have to write letters—may be personal or informal letters. Cowper once told his cousin: ‘When I read your letters, I hear you talk!’ That is the trick or the art one must know about letter-writing. One may have to write all kinds of letters, formal and informal. Personal letters have countless varieties. It must throb with an intense intimacy of that it can make the distance between the two disappear totally and make your presence felt by the reader of your letter. In the same way, official or business correspondence, too, must be agreeable. A certain standard or form, an extent of elegance always tend to lend an extra dimension to even official or business correspondence thereby increasing the importance of such letters.
          The modern way of life compels us to go anywhere in the world in quest of a suitable subsistence. It is only the letter that comes to help us to overcome that distance and hence, the importance of letter is beyond any question.

CENSUS

             The periodic count of the population of a country is called census.

Excepting the occasions of national emergency or a widespread natural calamity in a country census is conducted every ten years. Irrespective of the size of a country or of the form of its government, a census is a regular task undertaken by every country at regular intervals of ten years. Census has a very great national importance as it couples and records very valuable information about a land and its people at a given point of time.

             Certain well-defined purposes govern enforcement of census. It graphically registers the trends in the population of a country—whether the population is increasing or decreasing. It records the detailed number wise proportion of men and women, young and old citizens of a country. It clearly shows the trends in the rates of birth and death and the net increase or decrease in population.

             The objectives of a census are much more than simple covering the traits of a population. An efficient civic administration becomes possible only when the wide ranges of facts revealed by the census are minutely considered and their implications accurately realized. A census is essential for implementation of effective economic planning. A census, for example, discloses the existence of the different types of households in the country.—normal, institutional or houseless. It shows the typical industries,—large-scale or cottage industries. The census also furnishes a classified list of the vocations of the people as well as a similar list of their economic activities. Above all, a census provides accurate information about the employed and the unemployed, the illiterate and the literate of a country. All these records of information are absolutely indispensable for the planners, businessmen and entrepreneurs.

SCIENCE AND WAR

             One thing is certain: if there is a war between two nations these days, both the parties concerned will use science to defeat the other. Gone are the days of primitive fighting with hands, elephants, horses, bows and arrows. At present it is a war of science. And in most cases, the country which has utilized Science more for building their weapons will win. War is a very technical affair these days. It has become extremely expensive and the art of war has become the of warfare science. These days, just by pushing a button, a missile can be directed to land on the intended target. The distance does not matter. And all this has been possible because of science. Thus, one cannot isolate science from war in modern age.

             Surely the fathers of science are not happy with the manner in which science is being misused in the modern world. They had not invented science in all its forms to be utilized in such a destructive manner. They had wanted to better the standard of living. Thus, it is high time that the right thinking people of the work should come together and rise a consensus to decide that this madness should stop. Science should only be utilized in a gainful manner, and never as a diabolical agent.

ADVERTISEMENTS

             Lexically advertisement means ‘public announcement’. Public awareness is what the advertisement aims to create. It is a product of modern civilization. Progress of civilization brought about more and more human needs. This demands increase in production of various types of consumer goods. Along with the increased production came competition among the producers. Every producer wants to capture a ready and big market for his produces. Hence there arose a need for advertisement of the products to attract the consumers. This is the age of publicity. More a product is publicized; more goes up its demands. Now-a day’s goods are not sold for their quality alone.

             Big business houses invest large sums of money towards advertisement, for advertisement is highly remunerative. In order to make their products familiar, manufacturers resort to advertising them and keep the public conscious of them. It is advertisement and advertisement alone that can make or mar the market of a product. One who shouts the loudest logically and pleasantly, draws the greatest attention easily and favorably.

             Advertisement has come to be an art these days. Imaginative and thought-provoking advertisements are in fact pleasant reading. It pleases our eyes also. Of late, mode and media of advertisements have seen a sea of changes. Besides journal-advertisements or wall hoardings TV and Cinema screens have made their positions firm in this realm. TV serials have already been introduced in our country by big commercial houses. Mere trash, however; can never enjoy a prolonged popularity only through publicity. Worthless goods are at time puffed up through big advertisement. But the popularity gained is very much transient. Really good products of quality, backed by publicity will definitely command the confidence of the customers.

IDEAL TEACHER AND AN IDEAL STUDENT

             An independent India, a large number of dedicated idealists took up the tougher job of organizing the human resources of the nation. They were, in my opinion, the ideal teachers.

An ideal teacher is an erudite man of versatility,— equally at home in arts and science. He is a master of psychology. He keenly observes his students reactions to the academic problems and to the strict discipline as well. He knows different ways to treat different types of students and is thoroughly conversant with the various teaching techniques in order to hold their interests. He is a philosopher to help his young pupils to realize the noble tradition of India and a new concept of life. He is their friend on the play-grounds and on the gymnasium floors. He teaches his students that a sound body with a clean mind is the temple of God.

             In these days of decadence and political transition, ideal students are very rarely found. An ideal student is normally curious, imaginative and idealistic and also bears an eager thirst for knowledge. An ideal student must keep his mind and intellect always alert and open to all the social problems facing the country. During his leisure hours and vacations he should, with a dedicated soul, work for the removal of illiteracy but must never forget his duties towards his parents and others also. He values his studies as much as he values his bodybuilding exercises and character building discipline. Thus acquisition of all the good qualities of a good citizen must be the aim of an ideal student.

TOLERANCE

             The word ‘tolerance’ means ‘ability to endure’ or ‘willingness to allow’. Its essence lies in the spirit of coexistence. ‘To err is human and to forgive divine.’ All men are apt to err. At the end of our earthly life everyone of us need the mercy of God for his salvation. We require at every step of our life on earth the forbearance and forgiveness of our fellowmen for the errors we commit. We should do unto others as others do unto us. The whole scheme of the world would breakdown if we were not tolerant of one another. Tolerance is an essential condition for peaceful coexistence. Intolerance causes quarrels, bitterness arid bloodshed. It is tolerance which alone can solve communal disharmony and feud or riot in a peaceful manner. Tolerance is a precondition of world peace and progress. India is a secular Stale. The spirit of tolerance is its heritage. In the present day situation, we must not forget that it is the spirit of tolerance which alone can cement all mankind into one family, and can unify the different countries and continent into one world.

NOISE POLLUTION

             The scientific meaning of pollution is to make an atmosphere poisonous and unhealthy where no being can normally live and grow. With the advent of science, ecological pollution is increasing very rapidly. Noise pollution is a part of this.

             Too much or constant sound or sudden sound of high frequency disturbs a man mentally and this causes has psychological-physiological- effects on the brain and body affecting the power of hearing and health. Sounds mainly come from the vehicles like lorry, bus, tram, aeroplane, loud speaker and factories. We cannot stop using even one of them for they make our life comfortable. But the sounds emitted by these are so terrible that someone may lose his mental balance if constantly plagued with them. Sudden loud sound may even cause heart-failure. As remedies for sound pollution, every vehicle should use good silencer to check high vibration of sound, constant born-blowing or shrill horns must be prohibited and measures should be taken for the operating machines to produce less sound. Factories must be situated far from the residential belt. The factory workers must use good protection for their ears. Constant shifting of a person from a noisy atmosphere to a quiet one is essential. Sound limit and time limit for Loud-speakers should be enforced ruthlessly because they dangerously pollution the air in residential area mostly. In this way we can get rid of noise pollution at least to some extent.

WHY DO WE LOVE BOOKS

             Books really represent the minds of the authors to their readers. Books are virtually the expressions of the inherent thought-processes of their authors. Books are face to face dialogues of two minds—of the writer and of the reader. Books create communion between two souls who have, in all chances, never met but who strangely develop a never-failing friendship. 

             Books are the storehouses of multifarious knowledge. In one sphere books develop ensemble between the idols and ideals and ideas of two minds whereas, in another sphere, books encourage myriorama between the author and the reader. Thus books fetch precious treasures to the readers to choose and pick at leisure to suit one’s trend of psychology. Thus, the friendship that is born between an author and a reader is everlasting.

             Books in reality are the windows to the world outside. Through these windows we can look into the treasure-chambers of the great minds, of the ideal mentors and of the noble creators of the unvisited world. Through books only we can easily but effectively learn about the trend of literature and art, of ethics and aesthetics, of philosophy and science and politics of the foreigners.

             Books help us to establish contact with the great minds of all ages. If we can comprehend the ideas of the writers held in between the lines, these will definitely ennoble ourselves, open up our mental eyes, strengthen our rationality and fortify our wisdom. Good books make the world a better and ideal place for laughing, loving and living. Great books help the latent possibilities of a day to blossom and bloom into sagacious promises of the next morning. Books create the creators.

LEISURE

             ‘All work and no play remake Jack a dull boy’—thus goes the proverb. Ceaseless work truly begets boredom and fatigue. Leisure relieves and releases one from the drudgery of labour and the worries of duty. But for leisure, our existence in the haste and strain of modern life would have been almost unbearable.
             The thinkers have very aptly described leisure as the mother of culture at and philosophy. Life sans leisure can never create art. Work unites us with the outside world and affords the raw requisites for our existence. Leisure brings repose’ when we can shift these materials and select the ingredients to build something beautiful. Living in constant strain is not conductive to clear thinking. Relaxation from high tension grants the mind time and freedom for meditation. Art is. Thus, a fruit of leisure because creation of art is only possible when the mind is fully detached from other preoccupations and is unperturbed in a relaxed state of mental peace provided by leisure. Leisure is absolutely indispensable to culture and all sorts of creative urges. Men and women with profound leisure for the pursuits of art, culture and literature have succeeded in enriching human civilization.
             Leisure, however, must be properly utilized. Instead of wasting it in extravagent activities, it should be enjoyed nicely and purposely to make life worthwhile. Solitary amblings expeditions, outdoor games and various pleasant hobbies can make leisure interestingly enjoyable. They take pure attention off our strenuous duties. But, one must learn to discipline himself to turn one’s leisure into something really useful. Earning leisure is a way to the realization of the real value of life which is happiness. A happy man is always better than a successful man.

SOCIAL AWARENESS

             Social awareness is not merely an occasional feeling or a high- bounding jargon. It is a benevolent philosophy. No country can really prosper if her people do not cultivate social awareness. It is a pragmatist philosophy that instills in one fellow-felling, co-operation and a feeling of warm mutual indebtedness.
             We live in. society, society sustains us. Society is a big family. As we are indebted to our family for bringing us up tenderly and careful we must owe our indebtedness to society. From our formative years, we must train ourselves to recognize the unrestricted contribution of the society for molding our lives effectively and meaningfully. It is through social awareness that we can detect the realms of social incompleteness and then proceed to fulfill that void. Society needs healthy citizens. So, we must, from our seeding period, acquire health and keep maintain a sound body. Society needs educated people. So, we must, from our early student life, acquire sound education. We should always keep the adage in mind: means sane in corpore sano meaning ‘Sound mind in sound body’. Society needs obedience and ideals. So we must be obedient and persevering and open-minded and idealists.
             Besides these, we must, as socially aware, dedicate ourselves for the general upliftment of our countrymen. We must put all our endeavors to eradicate mass-illiteracy and diehard superstitions. We must educate our neighbours to maintain sanitation of the locality. We must learn to uphold the honour of our country. We must reform ourselves for from infringing the democratic rights of other persons. Sound awareness, thus gives us perfection as a man or a unit of the Society.

A NATION WITH NO EDUCATION

             India is the biggest democracy in the world and she has the second biggest population in the world also, next to China only. But the UNO’s statistics reveal two very dismal points. Before the 21st century India is going to be the biggest populous country of the world and, long before that, India is going to turn over the biggest illiterate population.
             But at the juncture even, India cannot be a nation with no education. The idea of a nation with no education denies our wildest conception today. It cannot be simply imagined. Today’s technology has, so to say, destroyed distance. The updated news-mediums dot the barriers and borders of the sovereign countries. Books and literatures of any country find inlets into other countries hoodwinking restrictions and censorship of all sorts. Inter-exchange of thoughts and cultures take place in spite of hydra-beaded differences in norms and forms of nationalism. These are the days of internationalism, and as such, a community, however backward, and a community however advanced, has to depend on other on many issues. People have thus come to realize, at the instance of others, the role of education. Only education can build up a nation.
             Great educators throughout the world have tried their best during their life-time to propagate education amongst their people. They formed or helped to form the conceptions of values, of ethics, of aesthetics, of culture and of the need of education. Many of these great heroes have scarified their lives for the eradication of illiteracy or fallacious education. But for them we have realized that true education and only true education, can bring about human emancipation.

PROCRASTINATION

             Procrastination in interpretation is just opposite to punctuality. While punctuality is great virtue procrastination is a debasing vice. It kills ones precious time, spoils one’s ready broth, and ruins one’s other qualities.
             But procrastination like a dangerous virus lives unseen in our habit and, so to say — work-culture. It is never inherent in man. Man carelessly acquires this sickness of habit. One who is not properly trained to perform one’s work within the scheduled hour, one who loves to be engaged in absurd brown-studies, one who is wonton enough to indulge in nurturing the illusion of unlimited time in the future to execute one’s tasks leisurely and unobtrusively, is foolish enough to bring about one’s own execution through failures and failures all through life. Procrastination is truely an offshoot of laziness — the worst foe of man. It hinders the easy flow of rhythmic performance of tasks and duties and social commitments.
             To ward off this dangerous enemy we must cultivate the habit of punctuality. A well-regulated work-culture perked up with resolution only can vanquish this perversion of character. It’s a drug, its addiction dies hard. Regularization of delaying liability and of strict routines can only eradicate this curse.

THE GROWING UNREST AMONG STUDENTS

             One of the most common discussions annoying the elders is about the growing unrest among the students. There is a common complain that at the present age the students are more indisciplined than ever before. One should not forget that the students from the youngest section of our society and if they do not have an avenue to give vent to their feelings, they create unrest.
             But what must be accepted is that in the present age, there is comparatively worse unrest and indiscipline in every sphere of life. The students are very much an important part of the society and if there is unrest in society, there is bound to be a reflections of the same on the students. Corruption, injustice, poverty, unemployment, strike, disease, dirty politics — all have bad reactions on the minds of the students. And since these have become a part of our daily life, these affect the students all the more. The students olden lose their patience and menial balance and thus it can be said that the glowing disorder in the society is one of the main reasons for the growing unrest among students.
             The role of the teachers in this sphere is also vows important. They should set examples for .the students with their disciplined conduct. They should also inform the students about the various ill-effects which may come upon the students if they become too untruly. The most important thing is that they should teach the students to become ideal citizens. If these measures are taken by the teachers and the problems of the students are probed into with loving consideration and due importance. One hopes that the unrest among the students will surely conic down.

RIGHTS AND DUTIES OF A CITIZEN

             It is the duty of the government of any country that it should protect its citizen by providing the necessary. But at the same time every citizen should act in such a manner as they help the government to do its duties. It has to be a mutual effort because rights and duties go hand in hand and we owe to the society as much as the society owes us.
             While it is the duty of the government, through the police, to see that thieves, robbers and people in that category are strongly condemned, it is also the duty of the citizens to help the police to go about with their duties. He should be a champion of law and order He should be the first to come and help his neighbors when they are in trouble, like a fire in the house. He should inform the fire brigade. He should also do his best to keep his locality as clean as possible. He should play apart in seeing that the lawless elements of the society do not get a chance to do their misdeeds. It is absolutely essential that everyone should love his country and be proud to be a part of the great nation. And when this feeling comes to an individual, it is seen that h is willing to take a part in building the country. He should ensure that various public assets like parks, buses, trains should not be damaged. He should ensure that roads are kept clean and that the law of the road is obeyed. It is the duty of every individual to see that nobody takes the law into his own hand. Individual freedom is a precious asset and everyone should see that it is not encroached upon by someone else.