Is all Art Useless?

             Men are at times very moody. They speak out very odd things like the saying that we are discussing. If all art were useless Leonardo da Vinci would never have made the portrait of Mona Lisa with a bewitching smile. Leonardo da Vinci would never have drawn a flying machine. More recently Shah Jahan’s Taj Mahal would never have been regarded as the marble marvel. If there were no art much of the charm of life would have been taken away. All men have an aesthetic sense that enables them to behold and appreciate the beauty in nature and in life around. A smiling flower, a green valley, a gorgeous building, a dancing fountain, a singing canary. a flowing river all are artistic creations of the creator. It was because of this beauty that Keats wrote, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy forever.’ Art is beauty and beauty art. Life without art will be useless and not ‘all art is useless.’
             The difference lies in our attitudes. Some are negative in their thinking while others are positive in their thinking. This reminds one of an incident.When two persons looked out of the gate of the Jail. One saw a  pool of mud while the other saw the beautiful bright stars. Beauty lies in our own altitude Art life giving. It is soothing and consoling. These are beautiful depictions In the form of  pictures, architecture, writing, carvings, mouldings and in all variety of life. These beautiful things of artistic concepts are so charming that we are never tired of looking at them. We admire not only the artistic creations hut also the artists who made them.
             Art is the expression of human heart in various phases of the growing civilisation plunging forth Lu unknown goals and targets. It is because of art that man could discriminate between trash and consummate writing. Art inspires life wonderfully and makes it worth living for all its fascination. But for art all life would have become useless. Art is only a means to an end and not an end in itself. Those who say that all art is useless seem to be ignorant and unrefined in their taste and temperament, Art is not useless but it is the most useful aspect of human life.

The Problem of Unemployment in India

             The greatest problem existing in our country today is the problem of unemployment.

The Government has recently announced a major programme for the creation of three million jobs for the educated unemployed in the private sector by 1994-95.

             The proposed plan of action seeks to create three million additional jobs — 0.5 million for graduates and 2.5 million for non-graduates and these employment opportunities will be created outside the Government sector.

In solving the problem of educated unemployed, first it is necessary In train them through vocational education, In acquire skills in trades or professions which will enable them to find employment in the private sector.

             Secondly, it is essential to create inure opportunities for self-employment among the educated, by providing financial aid in terms of modest capital to them.

A massive programme of training computer professions must also he taken up. Repair and maintenance of electric goods would employ a large number of people.

             Lastly, self-employment through public sector is yet another important measure. The public undertakings could reserve some proportion of dealerships. contracts and service agencies for the educated unemployed.

             Thus the Government seeks to tackle the problem of educated unemployed by increasing employment opportunities through vocational training and creation of self-employment opportunities.

Dowry System

             India is the only country in the world where the pernicious dowry system exists. It is the most vicious system that is eating into the vitals of the nation and hampers the growth and development of the Indian womanhood on the right lines.

             The evil of the dowry system. with the ever-increasing demands by greedy parents of well-to-do young boys from the parents of the hapless young girls, has assumed such menacing proportions that the Government has taken a very serious view of the whole matter and has made dowry-giving and dowry- taking a cognizable offence punishable with imprisonment. Still, day in and day out, we are horrified by the news of bride-burning. Young brides are burnt alive by mothers-in-law in connivance with other members of the family sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, even husbands — for not bringing adequate dowry. These human sharks deserve the severest punishment, even extermination from society.

             The evil of dowry system and bridge-burning is a blot upon the Indian civilization and deserves the severest condemnation. Foreigners ridicule our callousness and inhuman cruelty towards women and fail to understand how we can call ourselves civilized when such an atrocious practice prevails in the Indian society.

             How can the menace of dowry system be effectively checked? Social boycott and wide publicity of the offenders will go a long way in reducing the menace of dowry. Women’s organizations staging demonstrations against the guilty people should be made more effective. Lastly every dowry death must be properly probed and the offenders should be awarded exemplary punishment within six months of the occurrence of the death.

Kindness to Animals

             The Bible says. “A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast,” thus making kindness and justice to domestic animals an essential part of human virtue. Animals also claim our love and sympathy. not only because they are dumb and helpless but also because they are so serviceable to us. Cruelty to animals hardens our heart, and produces anus a callous and unfeeling and unsympathetic nature which is a great punishment to a human being.

             Some animals do us great services. The horse, the dog, the mule, the ox, the ass, and the camel arc our faithful and hard-working servants. Even in this age of mechanical civilization we cannot do without them. Yet how often do we come across the ugly sight of a driver whipping the horse hard or a farmer showering blows upon the stolid ox mercilessly, as if the latter were made of stone or wood, and not flesh and blood.

             Cruelty to animals is immoral. How often do we fail to realize that cruelty to these innocent dumb creatures, though it leaves us cold, makes angels weep.

“A Robin Redbreast in a cage,

Sets all Heaven in a rage;”

Kindness to animals is rewarded by God. Coleridge says ——

“He prayeth best who loveth best

Both man and bird and beast;

For the dear God who loveth us

Made and loveth these.”

In India the doctrine of Ahimsa or non-violence, though often preached, is not always practised, especially by the young.

             We must practice kindness to animals. We can show our kindness of them by providing proper food, water and shelter to domestic and agricultural animals, by allowing them complete rest one day in a week, by sending them to veterinary hospitals when they’ are ill, by making them carry only so much load as they can carry with ease, by avoiding the use of sharp goads or heavy wooden cudgels, or leather whips to exact speedier work from them, by supporting public institutions like pinjrapoles and societies of prevention of cruelty to animals, by reporting the cases of cruelty to animals to the nearest police station and thus bringing the offenders to book, by discouraging wanton slaughter of animals for food, and by discouraging hunting for mere sport.

             It is our moral duty to treat dumb animals with kindness and sympathy, especially when they are helpless and wholly dependent on our care and protection.

The Use and Abuse of Examinations

              Examinations are often denounced as a totally bad institution. But they have their uses. No better system has yet been devised that can suitably take their place.

              In schools and colleges and government departments, examinations are necessary as tests of efficiency. There must be some proof that a boy is fit to be promoted to the next higher class, that a young man leaving a Medical college can cure diseases. Examinations encourage us to work hard. If a student at a college knows that there is no examination ahead of him, he will neglect his studies, unless he has the love of acquiring knowledge for its own sake.

              Examinations encourage the habit of Cramming his quite possible to pass an examination by ‘ramming without acquiring a sound knowledge of the subject. They are imperfect tests of efficiency for the man who passes may not really be as good as the man who fail. And examinations are no tests of moral qualities, which arc the most important of all. Acquisition of mere knowledge without the formation of one’s character is useless.

Your Ambition in Life

              Different people have different ambitions in life. One wants to enter Parliament and make his mark as a Parliamentarian. Another wants to be elected as the President of the local Bar. And there is still another who wants to become an Ambassador and thus carry the message of his country to the farthest corner of the world. Every one of us has some ambition or other in his life. Life without ambition is a dull, soul-less affair.
              My ambition is a very humble one. I want to live and die as a social reformer. My country is steeped in ignorance, poverty and superstition. My countrymen are dwarfed by disease, famine and pestilence and life sunk in poverty. They have no pleasure in their lives. I shall give (hem education and teach them self-respect. I shall go from village to village and banish all darkness and ignorance front their midst. I shall try to better their social status and remove all superstitions from their midst. I shall teach them the laws of health, sanitation and hygiene and the value of corporate life. In this way I shall uplift them socially and intellectually and make their lives happy and cheerful.
              In order to realize this ambition in life, I shall embrace the profession of a “missionary’ and dedicate my life to Sarvodaya Samaj.
              My motto in life is service above self’. Let my whole life he spent in the service of suffering humanity. This is the noblest thing one can do in life and let me fulfill this noble mission in life
              I possess peace of mind and contentment, patience and fortitude and am inspired with love of service to humanity and a missionary zeal which will enable me to achieve the goal of my heart’s desire.

Keep your City Clean

Points: A nice adage – Everything is unclean everywhere – remedies suggested – conclusion. 

             ‘Cleanliness is next to godliness’ is a nice adage. We quote it when we write an essay. The leaders quote it when they rain platitudes from milk. The Health Department uses it on posters. But it is sooner uttered than forgotten.
             We talk of progress, and blame poverty for all evils. Poverty is no doubt responsible for the hovels and ugly slums, for the tatters worn by the beggars. But there is another poverty which we don’t discuss, the poverty of our outlook. We don’t see dirt, we don’t smell filth and we are not disturbed by the roadside garbage and the stinking footpaths. The parks, the bus-stops, the railway stations stare glaringly’ a us with their haphazard arrangements and stark disorders. Epidemics break out easily from such infected places.
             First we should make our city or living area clean before we can think of making it beautiful, too. The municipalities and panchayets must introduce definite measures to ensure clean road and clean house-fronts. In the western countries heavy fines are imposed if even the dry leaves of trees lie strewn on the ground before a house, and people are not allowed to burn anything emitting smoke. They use litter cans and litter boxes and never soil the road. 
They never put garbage’s except at a fixed place and always in cellophane bags which are promptly carried away. There is no reason why we cannot enforce such rules and encourage such practices.
             Without waiting for the Govt. to take steps, voluntary youth organizations should come forward and in every locality introduce a  weekly service called ‘Clean your own area’. It should develop into a movement involving men, women, specially youths. Let us live clean and make clean, let everybody keep his where about clean.