THE POOR COBBLER AND HIS RICH NEIGHBOUR

           Once there lived a poor but contented cobbler in a village. He earned an honest living by the sweat of his brow He worked and sang from morn till night. He was indeed the happiest man in the locality.

           The cobbler’s rich neighbor was always anxious about hi wealth. He knew no peace of mind. So being envious of the cobbler’s carefree life, he wanted to put an end to this by a clever device.

           One day the rich man gave the cobbler a bag of money, saying. “Friend, here is some money for you for improving your lot with it.”

           The cobbler was at first in a fix. Then he accepted the money and hid it in a hole inside his cottage. But his anxiety for the money made him forget his usual joy.

At last one day the poor cobbler felt that the money had matched away all his mirth. So he went to his rich neighbor with the money and said, “Sir, take back your money. My happiness and joy are more valuable than it.” So saying, the cobbler gave out a sigh of great relief and went away.

Moral: Contentment is the root of all happiness.

THE STOMACH AMD OTIIER LIMBS OF THE BODY

           All the organs of the body were very much disgusted with the stomach. They felt that each of them had to labour hard, hut the stomach alone sat idle and enjoyed the fruits of their labour. Once they met in a council and decided that they would not work to feed stomach any longer.

           Accordingly all the organs stopped work to teach the idle stomach a good lesson. The hand did not raise food to the mouth; the teeth did not chew it to feed the voracious belly. The gullet did -not send food to the stomach. But the stomach kept silent. It was starved.

           Very soon the natural result followed. All the organs of the body began to grow thinner and weaker. They could now realize their own folly. They understood that the stomach was not idle. It digested the food which gave them energy and strength. So they made up their quarrel with the stomach and began to cooperate with it for common good. The result was that the organs of the body got back-their usual energy and strength.

Moral: Cooperation is of great importance for success in any work.

THE COUNTRY MOUSE AND THE TOWN MOUSE

        Once upon a time there were two mice, who were intimate friends. One mouse lived in the country and the other in the town. One day the town mouse went to see the country mouse. “Good-day, friend,” said the country mouse, “I am so glad to see you!” He then took his friend to his house in the field and gave him nice things to eat—nuts, fruits and corn. But the town mouse did not like this dinner at all.

        “My friend,” said the town mouse, “why do you live in a hole? Come and live with me in the city where you would have a-nice house to live in, nice food, milk, bread arid cheese to eat.”

        The country mouse wanted to see the life in the city and went to his friend’s house. At night the mice found the remainder of a feast in a rich man’s house. When they fell to eating, the house-dog rushed into the room. Off they ran as fast as they could and went to a hole.

        “My friend,” said the country mouse, “our house and food are not as grand as yours; but we do not rim away leaving our dinner.” So saying he came back to his country again.

THE RECOLLECTIONS OF YOUR SCHOOL DAYS

        The memory of my boyhood is full of happy incidents. I can recollect everything vividly as if it happened yesterday. We lived in a district town on the banks of river Padma now in Bangladesh. My father was the Headmaster of the local school, and was a highly respected man. Our family consisted of six members; parents, my eldest twin sisters, and the elder brother. I was the youngest of them and the lion’s share of affection was bestowed on me. Ours was a very simple happy family. My mother had an inexhaustible store of fairy tales, which she used to open up every night before our going to bed.

        My next recollection is of a small park near our house where the children of the Locality were taken out every afternoon. I become intimate with some I met there and that intimacy continues till now.

        The next experience worth mention was my first day at school. When I was five years old, I was one day taken to the in fact class of my father’s school I was initially very nervous and could hardly feel, free with the other children. But soon the smiling face of my class teacher and the warmth with which my classmates received me dispelled all my fears. As I was promoted to higher class, I could feel a strong bond growing in me for the school. I began to take a keen interest in my lessons and won the admiration of my teacher.

        I was never a goody-goody type of boy. I learnt swimming at a very early age in a big pond near our house. When I grew up a bit more I often accompanied my elder brother and sisters to the Padma to swim for hours in the river. The current was often very strong, but we were good swimmers and we enjoyed swimming against the current. Then there was Bharat Sevasram  Sangha. Where I learnt the tricks of playing with lathi and knife for self-defence. My other friends also joined m often. We also played hide and seek in the nearby abandoned Nil Kuthi.

        What a time the boyhood was! Everything then appeared to b charming and life was as happy as anyone could wish to be.

SELF-HELP

        One of the greatest virtues of man is self-help. He who can do his own work does not need to depend on anyone else. He does not depend on anyone for anything. He does most of his essential works himself. He has the courage to face the various tasks of life boldly. To him, life becomes a great adventure.

        On many occasion, it is found that a man face trying circumstances.  Usually a man who is independent and who does his own work and who is confident about himself is able to get out of these situations bold. Self-help is thus a key to success in life. This is the best quality a man can have and it, in its own turn, develops discipline, courage and efficiency?

        If one goes through the life stories of great people, it can be found that on every occasion they were self-reliant. Both Gandhi and Tagore have always insisted that one should be self-reliant and this virtue should be developed from the student-life which is the formative age of any person.

        Not just individuals, but a nation should also try to be self-reliant. It is indeed a good sign that our country is trying to be self-sufficient. We are dependent o anybody to give us our daily needs of life. Other developing countries should follow our example and try to be self-reliant.

INDIA, MY MOTHERLAND

           India, a name that represents a vast country is my motherland. Nature gave all her beautiful gifts to this country. The Himalayan range stands on her north as her crown and the Indian Ocean washes her feet at south while Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea kiss her east and west coasts, respectively. Throughout the country there are vast expanses of green fields which supply food for more than 120 crores people of India. For her very rich and ancient civilization India is renowned in the world as a mystic country. There is mystery in her natural beauty; mystery is there in her life-style. I love India not only because I was born here but also because of her beautiful landscape and simple and quiet life. There are many regional peculiarities in our country. We have diverse languages and religions, many types of dresses and habits. But we all are the same Indian in spite of the diversities. Historically, geographically, politically and culturally, India is one nation and we have some common national characteristics the most important of which is our love for peace. For hundreds of years we have lived in this vast land with millions of people, many of whom came from abroad and we lived in amity. We have lived through foreign invasions and foreign rules with some kind of acceptance. The peoples of India are not very hard working and that may be due to our tropical climate. But our intelligence is renowned all over the world. The Indian scientists have already started their work to take the country into 20th century.

           Above all, the national characteristics of Indian people have been gloriously translated into her ceaseless attempts at spreading the messages of Ahimsa, Equality and Peace.

TRAVELLING AS A PART OF EDUCATION

           Man is essentially a nomad in his life. His desire for travelling is perennial. The next horizon always invites him and he yields to the call of the Distant. Next and next station is his goal. Modern man’s desire for travelling is an inheritance from his forefathers who led nomadic lives in the primitive age. Everyman, mentally, is a ‘Sindbad the Sailor’ who warns to go out to meet the Indefinite at every chance.

           Travelling satisfies man’s craving for meeting the unseen and knowing the unknown. It instructs and educates the man who undertakes travelling. Modern concept of education has come to lay, therefore, much stress on travelling.

Lesson on history and geography become practical, attractive and wholesome through travelling. The monuments and historical relics, when visited by the modern man, take him back to the very ages when those were built and then came to be dilapidated. Again, a visit to an unknown land lay, before us the topographical details of the land, The food habits, the clothes, the social culture and the religious legacy of the inhabitants of that land and its climatic peculiarities become to the traveller vivid, direct and- apparent.

           Travelling has so many beneficial contributions to our education. First of all, it serves the highest purpose of education as it broadens our outlook and instills understanding in our heart. It drives away one’s superstition, selfishness and shyness. By coming in close contact with the peoples of diverse religions and cultures a traveller gradually develops an aptitude that makes him a member of the greater world community, and thus, he becomes a true cosmopolitan. The hardships of travelling and its experiences make a man painstaking6, patient arid learned.

           Ours is a very poor country while educational travelling is an expensive undertaking. So, such tours should be conducted wisely and systematically with the governmental help. Our schools and colleges must send out their students at least once in a year in a package tour.

MODERNISM

           The word ‘modernism’ comes from the L.L. ‘modernus’‘modo’ meaning ‘just now’, The term ‘just now’ does not denote’ any specific time: it connotes 'relating to any period of time.’ Hence. ‘modernism’ means with any period of time referred to.’ It is virtually a concept. The word Modernism may relate to any time or age. It actually means advancement of ideas and thoughts manifested through any norm or form of contemporary Life. It does not mean going ahead of time, it is always ‘within the time’ judged in the perspective of that time.

           Modernism refers of values - ethical and aesthetical, social and economical. The so-called moderns in the history of man could not leave any perennial legacy for the posterity. They simply brought in a transitory agitation in their contemporary ages. Modernism in culture always tends to accelerate the pace of the society. It takes its followers in the fore-front Modern men are the elite of the society and they are midways the leaders in a fraternity.

           Modernism has its inherent hazards too. Many in a society may not like it or may not be able to live up to the modern norms. A conflict may crop up in between the die-hards and the moderns. Even then, modernism is welcome because it lends speed to a life-style. 

ACHIEVEMENTS OF SCIENCE

          Modern age is an age of science. Scientific discoveries have given us both comforts and opportunities. They have been useful to us and at the same time delightful. We use the various scientific instruments for relieving our troubles. We can quickly finish our cooking and can quickly go from one place to another. Television, satellite, wireless have brought the whole world closer to us. Moreover, the discoveries of medicine and other surgical instruments have relieved Lies from our sufferings of deadly diseases. The modern discovery of electronics has solved many problems and helps us to do many things quickly. So science has become a blessing to us.

          But science is used for destructive purpose also. Atom bomb once destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More deadly weapons are being evolved by the super powers. If another World War comes about human civilization may be completely destroyed. Mankind is now threatened with the danger of total destruction.

          Scientific discoveries may be a blessing of man if man can make a proper use of them. Mere knowledge is not enough. Man must have the good sense and wisdom to use them for the welfare of mankind. Science cannot make man happy if man mad with the power of deadly instrument uses it for destructive purpose. So it is only on us how science can made human life happier.

A HOPELESS FEELING OF GENERATION GAP

          Generation Gap is a strange phenomenon. I am not at all ripe in age, but strange that I do not exactly under-stand the school and college students these day. I cannot stand them in their good-for shaken clothes and with their peculiar mode of speech. Discipline and decency are two words which are alien to then. Peculiarly they pride in being rude to others and even to their betters. These so-called sophisticated Romeos and Juliet’s hobnob with each other and sometimes their intimacy, temporary and skin-deep though, is reckless. I despise all these. But, my irritation probably has its origin in generation gap, the gap between myself and my elders as well as the gap between myself and my younger’s. I have practically become an introvert and have, under duress started to live by myself,—probably being biased and fixed in my emotions and views. My concepts of ethical and aesthetical values, to my utter dismay I find, sharply differ with those of the previous Generations as with the younger generations. The orthodox views of my parents in the matters of free-mixing of boys and girls pinches me equally as the lousy attitude in the name of wooden-lib shocks inc. The world, it seems to me, has gone crazy and we have been uprooted today from the soil of our belief.