Mass Literacy Campaign

             Illiteracy is the worst problem of a country. The illiterate people are the heaviest burden of the nations. No population with its major bulk of illiterate people can substantially help a country in its march ahead — however big the population may be. Illiteracy makes the people superstitious and back-dated in thoughts and beliefs. Illiterate persons cannot ably participate in the glorious task of nation-building. They alway tend to cause the socio-economic retardation of a country. It is, therefore, one of the most formidable problems a country can suffer from. 
             Illiteracy always stem from stark poverty, negligence of the rulers and also from lack of consciousness, both of the government and of the people. The government may at times will fully design to keep the major portion of the population in the darkness of illiteracy so that labour can be obtained at a cheap rate, and also for the reason that the people will not dare rise in anti-government movements. Sometimes, the policy of the government is such that the rules only safeguard the interests of the privileged classes throwing the backward classes to the wolves, illiteracy is a sure outcome of such governmental indifference and partiality.
             Spread of free education and foundation of schools in the countryside is one of the sure solutions to this problem. Of all the Indian states, our state government has been regularly allotting the biggest chunk of the annual budget for the propagation of education, especially, at the primary stage. They are already being conducted on the governmental level. Furthermore, a school for a village is the avowed policy of our government. The teacher, have been granted handsome salary so that they can fully dedicate themselves to the cause of propagating mass-education. The public charitable and the social welfare organizations have come forward with the free adult education schemes. The students also have come forward with their fullest cooperation in this realm of spreading literacy amongst the poor villagers and slum-dwellers.

Importance of Vernacular in Education

            Introduction of English as the most important medium of education in India came as a blessing as it promoted a nationalistic outlook of unity amongst the millions of Indians who were hitherto divided by diverse languages, religions and creeds. But, it was also a curse in disguise. It made people with English education look down upon their own folk who had not schooling in English. Education in vernacular was neglected. Western culture and thoughts predominated, in every phase of life. Sheer imitation of European way of life prevailed in Indian society.

            Knowledge of English was, and is, no doubt, still essential for the Indians. But its retention as the medium of instruction in post-Independence India has no meaning actually. Most countries of the world proudly and efficiently use vernacular as the medium of education. But in India, owing to its multilingualism and colonial past, a strong controversy still lingers over the rightful status of vernaculars as the medium of instruction. Even today, after sixty-six years of independence, English medium schools are mushrooming and a big section of our affluent people feels proud that their children study in English medium institutions.

            English, by history and tradition, occupies a very important and prestigious position in our social life. Yet, it should not and must not be the medium of education. The soul of a nation can never attain its highest development and brightest expression through an alien medium. It is essentially the mother tongue that our poets and literatures shall speak in while they invoke the new age. Our scientists shall explain new inventions in our mother tongue while it is in our vernacular that our thinkers shall pour out their precious knowledge. This alone can intake our study truly fruitful. Tender-aged students cannot study and learn easily through a foreign medium. Use of vernacular will infallibly grow greater hope and confidence in our people. And then, the age-old tumbling blocks of illiteracy ignorance, superstition and orthodoxy will automatically vanish forever.

Reading of Biographies

            A biography is a book on a celebrity written by a competent writer who knows his subject intimately and authoritatively. It is the written record of man. Hence a biography is always a memoir, a precious legacy handed down to the people. It is a valuable popular document to be investigated into. There is another type of biography, an autobiography. It is written by one about oneself. But both the types lead to the identical goal to furnish the readers with the authentic exposition of the self in the truest perspective of the contemporary society. So, the study of a biography or of an autobiography has twofold contributions — a thorough study of an entity, as well as, a vivid presentation of a contemporary society with its values, ethics and aesthetics.
            Biographies of all sorts are no mere diaries or chronicles. They possess intrinsic values — they interpret cultural norms of their societies in the light of the historical relevance of their own time-Spans. Biographies are not merely euphonic eulogies pronounced on their master-character, they practically embody the comprehensive explanations of the ‘self’ in relation to his pertinent phase of time. Hence, such records have epochal and epical contributions of forming the norms of perennial values. Such books contain connotative as well as denotative meanings. They always tend to possess the strength of ‘soul’ or ‘clean vital’ to ennoble the morality of the readers, to, imbue them with the spirit of deeper dedication and greater sacrifice for all.
            Biographies and autobiographies are integral part of literature. They are the real introductions of ‘selves’ to their readers. Autobiographies like ‘My Experiment with Truth’ (M. K. Gandhi), ‘Chhelebela’ (Rabindraiiath Tagore), ‘My Struggle’ (Hitler), or of Isadora Duncan, Pandit Ravi Sankar and of many other celebrities as well as Biographies of Ramkrishna Paramahansa (by Romain Holland or Achinta Kumar Sengupta), of P. B. Shelley (named Aerial), of Machiavelli (by many writers), ‘Memories’ (Lenin’s life by his wife), of Julias Fuchik (by many authors), of Ramkinkar Baij (by Samaresh Basu) and of many other personalities written by competent writers offer as happy reading as ennobling values and ideals. 
            The grown-ups as well as the young should cultivate the habit of reading biography and auto-biography. The readers will positively find in these books some ideologies to guide them, some vision to lead them and some morals to become their props and pivots to rely and rest upon in the moments of stress and struggle.

A Vision of India's Future and your Roll in it.

Points: Independence in 1947 — collective efforts needed — future India — Individual contribution.

            A gulf yawns between the India of today and the India of my dream. India was under the British rule for nearly two centuries and her growth as a nation was crippled by the subjugation. The political freedom achieved in 1947 opened the floodgates of progress and new possibilities. We began our journey then towards economic self-sufficiency and social justice. The march is still on and the goal still enticing. 
We are all creatures of history. But history is no accident, it is created by man — not by a single man but men taken collectively and every man has something to contribute to the common destiny. The individual effort contributes to the collective pool and the individual’s dream to the collective dream.
            I would like to see in near future my country make rapid progress and catch up with the advanced countries like USA, USSR and Japan. The India of my dream will be free from poverty, disease and superstition. It will ensure an egalitarian society of peace and amity. Its people will enjoy the latest benefits of modern science anti will also have a scientific attitude to everything. The dreams of Swami Vivekananda and Rabindranath will become a reality. India will be free from poor imitation of the West and free from false dogmas. The differences between towns and villages will go and men and women will become equal partners in all fields of life. Literacy will be universal and the country’s air and water will be pollutant-free. Solar energy will be, widely used like computer, and India will be a leading country in space researches. Science and culture will flourish equally in the India of my dream.
            My role in achieving the dream will be doing my best at whatever post I happen to be. I will contribute my mite and will expect others to do theirs. Just as drops of water make an ocean, so each individual effort, each act of honesty, integrity and patriotism will, I believe, bring my dream of a bright, happy and modern India to a living reality.

Student Unrest

Points: Unrest among students is symptomatic — The mayor causes — Teachers’ role to remove unrest.

            People talk about unrest among students. They complain that there is more indiscipline among students now than before. Students form the youngest section of our population. By nature, youths are full of vitality and activity. If that energy finds no normal outlet, they become restive.
            Students are not independent of the society they live in. If the society is full of anomalies, the students cannot but he affected by them. Poverty, injustice, corruption, unemployment, strike, immorality, opportunist politics, illiteracy, diseases — these have their evil effects on the young minds. They become attracted to violence and anarchy. They suffer from tension and often lose mental balance. The growing unrest among students is only a reflection of the growing disorder in the society itself. It has to be remedied there.
            The educational institutions should have their independence. Otherwise they will be overshadowed by politics and will become the hotbed of all the evils of politics. We need bold and upright teachers who alone can turn the tide and give a new leadership. The students need living examples before them. They need hope and encouragement and also some idealism. If they have these, there will be no unrest among students any longer.

Students and Politics

            In a democratic country like ours, it is the privilege of every citizen inlet he or she can do anything, can join any political party, is free to exercise his own opinion, has the right to cast his vote after he becomes an adult. These are our constitutional rights.

            Student-life is the proper time for developing one’s reasoning faculty. There is nothing wrong in being interested in politics when one is a student. A student should be aware of his rights and accordingly decide what he will do. Though a student must give his studies the foremost place, he may develop the political ideas in his student-life.

            But it is set off on the part of the political parties in our country to catch the students and enroll them as members, because in doing so, they are not helping the students in any way. In colleges it is generally found that students are literally coaxed or forced to join parties. This is not right. The students must not be led into active politics. On the other hand, it would be a healthy atmosphere if the students are allowed to develop their own outlook as well as to take part in any kind of social activities after their choice. The student-life is meant for acquiring knowledge through education. Education makes the personal outlook broader and it helps us to develop our concepts of values and integrity. But, for these achievements, discipline and character are two important things. Politics tends of pollute the immature reasoning of a student and thus ultimately spoil his education. Hence a student must never indulge in active politics. His primary duty is to devote himself to his studies. In his later life, he will have to take part in the formation of the government by exercising his voting rights according to his political views. The student-life being the formative stage of a civilized man’s life, a student can best learn the political theories of different poles, but should not participate in active politics.

Solitude

            For a city-bred man of the twenty-first century who is a prisoner of the mechanized life-style of hectic speed solitude may seem to be a blessing of peace that grants blissful relief, release and relaxation. But, at times solitude may pose to be a curse that burdens. One’s mind and heart with desolation, despair and dejection. Under its spell, to quote Robert Browning, ‘an instant made eternity’ deprives one of hope, fancy and fight. Solitude then appears to be hanging from one’s shoulder, like a twin of despondency.

            But, solitude is mostly blessing in disguise. Like William Wordsworth, the Nature-prophet or like John Keats, a prey to the doldrums of the ‘city pent’ like London, we flee away from the rigorous routines of daily life into the blissful cavern of solitude in Nature to enjoy the eye-feasting scenes and sights, to smile at the open sunny firmament overhead, to marvel at the freedom of the twittering birds in whimsical flight, to relish the maiden verdure all around and to wonder at the motherly kiss of the fragrant breezily on our cheeks. There, fully relishing the flavor of the ‘dolce for ninete’, as the Italians say to mean ‘pleasant idleness’, we, somehow, enter the world of mind and, unknown to ourselves, we start exploring the labyrinth of our mind in an unconscious endeavour to discover our inner-selves. Blissfully we lapse into reminiscing the past, how and why had something saddened us as well as how and why had something gladdened us!

            Solitude causes loneliness that offers us the chance of being with only ourselves. And those are the opportune moments for self-analysis, very rare moments at that. We lapse into introspection. We face ourselves, and through penetrative self-analysis, we can explain the myths of self and Soul. Then we can realize what is the spirit of solitude. And, then and then only, we come to identify ourselves with strange solitude and know our solitary entity even when we are surrounded by tile multitude.