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.

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.