DO NOT TRUST A FALSE FRIEND

           There were two friends. One day they were passing through a forest. By chance a bear came up there. The friends got frightened. One of them climbed up a tree. He did not think for a moment what would happen to his friend. The second friend did not know how to climb up a tree. He had presence of mind. He lay on the ground as if he were dead. He knew that a bear does not touch a dead man. T he bear came to him and sniffed at his mouth, nose and ears. It took him for a dead man and went away. Then the other friend got down from the tree. He came to his friend and said, “What did the bear say to you? It had put its mouth beside your ears.” His friend said, “The bear whispered into my ears not to keep company with a friend who runs away at the time of danger.”

THE GREAT MAN I LIKE THE MOST

          We all adore great man because they always help us to improve our life. They inspire us with their selfless devotion of duty, kindness, justice and morality. Many great men were born in this world, but the great man I like most is Ishwarchandra Vidyasagar.
Iswarchandra was one of the most prominent persons of Bengal. Born in 1820 A.D., he had his early education in the village pathsala. He then came to Calcutta and got himself admitted to the Sanskrit College. Although he was the son of a poor man, he became a great Sanskrit Scholar by dint of his merit and hard labour. He also learnt English, Hindi and Parsi. It was his great scholarship that earned him the great fame of Vidyasagar.
As a man he was versatile genius. He fought against the evils of the society, against the child-marriage and for the favor of re-marriage of child-widow. In this sense, he was a great social reformer.
He was also a famous writer. He translated books in Bengali from Hindi and English, and also wrote original books for the students. His primer for lessons in Bengali and the Sanskrit Grammar was much appreciated. He is rightly called the father of Bengali Literature.
But above all, he had a heart of gold. He used to spend much of his income for the poor and the wretched. That is why he is called “Karunasagar”. He himself lived a very simple life of Brahmin pundit though he used to earn a lot. Plain living and high thinking was his motto in life. He had a very high spirit, and nobody could make him do anything which he thought to be wrong. Lastly, he had high respect for his mother. Such a strong and charming personality is seldom found in any countr4y. Bengal is proud of Iswarchandra.

PULSE POLIO IMMUNIZATION

       Poliomyelitis, known popularly as Polio is a various carried disease. Children are mostly prone to be infected by it. The disease causes inflammation of the grey matter in the spinal cord. Physical disablement is the dreadful effect of the disease. The limbs of the children falling victims to this serious disease become thin and crooked. Such unfortunate children become permanently disable. To free the world from this disease the World Health Organization has issued certain instructions to be strictly followed by the parents of children all over the world. In our country since 1995-96 two days in December and January with an interval of six weeks, children below five years are given two doses of this vaccine. It is a sad thing to note that almost 66% of the total numbers of Polio victims all over the world are Indians. It is obvious that the reason for this is the negligence of parents or guardians in getting the children vaccinated for the required number of times at proper intervals.

Plastic Bags

         In the past paper bags were commonly used by sellers when handing goods to the customers. These bags were generally made by old newspapers and other kinds of used books, khatas and magazines. These paper bags could be used only once and new paper bags were needed whenever something was sold and bought. But when modern technology discovered plastic and polythene, a single bag made of these synthetic materials could be used again and again. They are durable, waterproof and preservable. But plastic bags have a dangerous side also. They are not nature-friendly, not being absorbable in the soil. If burnt, the gas produced by it pollutes the air. If thrown away into drains they choke them because they are soluble in water and do not decompose. Fields strewn with plastic bags lose their arable quality. There may come a time when plastic bags thrown into rivers may choke them and destroy their flow.

Experience Of a Ghastly Storm

         On June 10, 1995 there was a terrible all over the Southern Districts of West Bengal. The storm blew from South-West and assumed the vehemence of a cyclone just after sundown. The sky had been cloudy since morning. The weather was gloomy and sultry. Towards the evening the wind gathered force and it became violently strong after sunset. There was a terrifying roar all around. Showers of rain and flashes and lightning accompanied the storm and added to it vehemence. Many mud-houses caused havoc to life and property. As I was walking across a meadow when the storm broke out, I escaped its fury unhurt. But I was aghast at the extent of destruction that was caused by the storm within such a short period of time. I thanked my stars for having escaped its fury!

Your Idea of an Ideal Teacher

            The character and personality of a young boy or girl is moulded not only by the influence of his or her parents or guardian at home, but also by the example set by the teachers with whom he or she comes daily into close contact at school. An ideal teacher not only imparts to his pupils knowledge for which he must have deep scholarship, he should also be a humble and unassuming person that true knowledge gives person humility. No teacher can deserve that name unless he has true love for his students. It is this love more than knowledge that forms the vital bond between the teacher and the taught. I may say without the least hesitation that our headmaster embodies all these features essential to the constitution of an ideal teacher. All the students of our school look up to him as their friend, philosopher and guide. They approach him not only for enlightenment on academic points; they also seek his wise and well-considered advice when faced with personal or domestic problems. It is sad to note that the breed of such noble teachers is fast becoming a thing of the past. Teaching is becoming just another profession, nothing more than a livelihood. Let us only hope that before it is too late, our teachers would become once more aware of their scared responsibility to the society and the society also accords to the teachers the respect and material security that they need and deserve to carry on with their task of turning out ideal citizens on whom the country would have to rely in future. 

Why should We Study Literature

             It is not easy to give any fixed definition of literature. But it may be suggested that any writing of fictional or non-fictional nature that deals with human life and has the power to engage the interest of all kinds of human beings can be called literature. Generally, books meant for specific subjects like chemistry, geography, political science or astronomy cannot be called literature because they do not have any universal appeal. But a novel by Bibhutibhusan, a poem by Tagore or an easy by Lamb is certainly a work of literature because it can arouse feelings that are universal. Literature can take many forms. It can be an epic like the Mahabharata, a novel like Pather Panchali, a poem like the ones in Rabindranath’s Geetanjali or a short story like O. Henry’s Gift of the Magi. Study of literature is both pleasurable and profitable, provided one reads selectively. Literature helps us pass time pleasurably with its good story, interesting characters and pictures of various places and cultures past and present. From great literary works we can gain profound insight into human nature as well as vital truths about different aspects of life. It is a pity that the habit of reading literature is on the decline among today’s youth. They spend more time watching TV and films than reading the classics of literature. They would rather see a film of Shakespeare’s Hamlet than read the play itself. But a film version of a literary classic, however well-made, cannot give the viewer the same depth of impression as the book itself can. But it appears that the young people today are more interested in building up a successful career than in enjoying literature or gathering wisdom from it.