Kolkata's Metro Rail

Points: The metro makes its start — The section already under operation — Future hope.

             Kolkata’s Metro is now the talk of the town. It is the first of its kind in India. It has made its start and has already become a focal point of attraction.
             The Metro railway is being constructed in several sectors. The work of the sector from Dum-Dum to  Tollygunge  is completed. The work in the Tollygunge sector has at last been completed and regular operations have started between  Dum-Dum  and Tollygunge. The stations on this route are Dumdum, Belgachia, Shyama Bazar, Shova Bazar, Girish Park, Mahatma Gandhi Road, Central, Chandni Chowk, Esplanade, Park Street, Maidan, Rabindra Sadan, Netaji Bhawan, Jatin Das Park, Kalighat, Rabindra Sarovar, Tollygunge. 
             Later on further constructions started from Tollygunge Metro station and extended to Kavi Subhas.
The stations between this route are Netaji, Masterda Surya Sen, Gitanjali, Kavi Nazrul, Shahid Khudhiram, and Kavi Subhas. Nowadays, construction is going on to extend  the Northern end beyond Dum-Dum to Noapara.
             The underground stations are very neat and clean and the platforms are well lighted. The arrangements in the compartments are also excellent. When we get down to a Metro station we feel like being in a western country. Kolkata’s Metro compares well with the Metros of London, Paris, New York, Tokyo and even Moscow and Kiev.
             The most challenging sector of the Metro, however, is the Shyambazar-Esplanade sector. The work here was very slow but has gained speed in recent month. For the success of the Metro Railway it is essential that the total work is complete within a reasonable time. Of course, even after the completion, there will remain the problem of maintenance. The habits of the citizens need adjustment to the new traffic systems.
             There are, and will be, sceptics and critics. But we hope that Kolkata’s Metro, will he Kolkata’s pride and best show-piece.

Value of Sports

Points: The virtues of a sportsman — Importance in Individual and collective — Significance in the civilized work.

             A nation is often known by her sports. For example, the Englishmen are great lovers of sports. Some of the common English expressions show the English attitude towards sports. “To play the game” means for English “to act honourably.” “That’s not cricket” means “that is not fair.” When we say of a man, “He is a sports man, all that we mean is, he is “frank, generous and free from petty spite.” These are sportsman like qualities.

             Sports, which include both games and athletics, have a tremendous importance in our individual as well as collective life. It is through games and athletics that the individual attains the highest standards in body-building. Besides, he acquires stamina and skill. His morale reaches a high standard and he discovers the value of discipline and team work. A genuine sportsman is bold, frank, generous and outspoken.

             Sports and games are joyful activities. When a goal-keeper saves a goal or when a tennis player smashes a ball or a batsman scores a boundary, he feels elated. Sports may, in fact, be an effective substitute for war. There is something essentially combative in human nature. Sports and games are a civilized outlet of those instincts. The Olympic Games, in which sportsmen of all lands participate, stand thus for human unity and brotherhood.

Rights and Duties of a Citizen

Points: The realty between the citizen and the society — The duties of the State and the duties of the citizen — Rights and duties go together.

             Rights go with duties. We owe as much to the society as the society owes to us. The government of the country should ensure the safety and security of all citizens. Every citizen also should uphold the peace and stability of the State. The citizens should be duly protected against thieves, robbers and blackmailers. These lawless elements of society should be strongly put down so that Life may be safe for everybody.
             What does the citizen owe to the government in return? Besides the police, he himself should be a champion of law and order. His morale should be high. If his neighbor’s house is on fire, he should be the first man to ring for the fire-brigade. He should do his part in keeping the streets and parks of his locality clean.
             It is the duty of every citizen to love his or her country. A person who is not proud of his country is a bad citizen, it is our duty to see that public property is not stolen, the buses and trains are not damaged, the road rules are followed and the law is not taken by anybody into his own hands. Individual freedom is a precious thing. It is our duty not to encroach upon others freedom.

Seasons in India

Points: The six seasons — Brief descriptions of the seasons — Seasonal festivals and functions.

             India is a big country and her seasons are nowhere the same. Still the cycle of Indian seasons follows a certain broad pattern. It has six well-marked divisions: summer, rains, early autumn (called Sarat), late autumn (called Hemanta), winter and spring.
             Summer is the most uncomfortable of seasons, when people gasp and faint in the heat. They sigh with relief when the monsoon clouds gather in the sky and the rains come. It there is too much rain, there are chances of floods. Floods will mean untold sufferings to the poor people. But if there is cool little rain, there will be failure of crops and great scarcity of food. It is, therefore, a critical season. Autumn, both early and late, is a very fine season. In Sarat, the sky becomes blue. The fields look gay and bright with gold-green crops. The greatest festival of the Hindus— Durgotsav— falls in Autumn. People celebrate it with feast, fun and cultural functions. The season is neither hot nor cold and the sky is blue but not wholly free from clouds. Hemanta is practically a continuation of Autumn. Hemanta is also the harvesting season. Winter is rather hard on the poor. But food-stuffs become cheaper and the market is full of cabbages, peas, tomatoes etc. Then comes the spring which is the loveliest of seasons.
             Our festivals are bound up with the seasons, like Durga Puja or Dussera or Ramjan in Autumn, Holi in Spring. Rathajatra in the rains, and so on. It is good to welcome each season with a festival.

A Picnic I Enjoyed

Points: The occasion — How it began — Happy ending.

             It was early December. The day was bright and clear. We went to a lovely picnic spot in the heart of a big Sal forest. It stretches for more than a mile not tar from our place. We planned to cook on the spot by ourselves.
             Our baskets were bursting with all the nice things that our loving mothers had given us. One of our classmates Abhishek took care of the cooking. We dug an oven with bricks and stones. We started with a round of tea, gobbling up all the sweets, singaras, biscuits and toffees in our stock. Some of us strolled about. Some others went to fetch water from the neighborhood.
             By noon we sat down to a hearty meal of steaming roast meat. Everybody congratulated Abhishek on his marvelous cooking. After the meal was over, we spread a cloth under a big shade and had some rest. Ravi then announced that he was going to recite poems of Jibanananda. He was very good at recitation, and we all encouraged him. His recitation of ‘Banalata Sen’ was wonderful, specially when he was slowly reciting the lines—Her hair was dark as night in Vidisha, and her face the sculpture of Sravasti’. Ashik sang two Tagore songs, one of love and the other of Nature.
             By the time it was getting dark, we packed p for home. It was a memorable day.

Third South Asian Federation Games in Kolkata

Points: The Third South Asian Federation games at Salt Lake Stadium — The opening ceremony — The results — The message of friendship.

             The Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata wore a week-long festive look from 20th to 27th November, 1987. It was the venue of the third South Asian Federation Games commonly known as South Asian Federation games.
             The seven participating countries were Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldwip, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The games were declared open amidst great fanfare by the President of India at the Salt Lake Stadium on 20th November. He expressed the hope that the meets would stand out as symbols of peace and progress among the South Asian Federation countries. The opening ceremony was grand and spectacular and everybody praised the arrangements at the Salt Lake Stadium. The Stadium. the biggest in Asia, was packed to its full capacity of one lake and twenty thousand.
             The host country India firmly established its leadership in the games by winning 75 gold, 41 silver and 19 bronze medals—a total of 135 medals. Pakistan trailed poorly behind with only 12 gold and a total of 46 medals. P.T.Usha. India’s sprint queen won as many as five gold medals and was hailed by one and all.
             The meet boosted the sports and games of the countries in this region. But the most important achievement of the games was the strengthening of the bond of friendship and cooperation among the neighbouring peoples of South Asia. On the 27th, the President of the Indian Olympic Association declared the games closed with a call to reassemble in 1989 in Pakistan for the fourth South Asian Federation games.

Democracy

Points: Definition of democracy — The system of election — Democracy in India.

             Democracy, according to Abraham Lincoln, is “government of the people, for the people and by the people.”  In a democracy, the will of the people determines the policy of the government. The will of the people is expressed through the electoral system of votes. A true democracy is based on universal adult franchise.
             Democracy means government by consent. This consent is expressed periodically through the ballot-box. But unless there is freedom of speech in a country, there can be no fair and free election. The electorate must also be educated. Otherwise, the self-seeking politicians will cheat and mislead the ignorant masses.
             India is the biggest or most populous democracy in the world. The world now recognizes that India has already set up a very good, democratic tradition, India has a written constitution. If lays down the guiding principles to be followed by the government as well as by the citizens. There is an Election Commissioner for India. Whenever an election is announced, his office assumes the charge of conducting it independently. Even a Prime Minister has to bow out if he or she loses in the election. We are proud of being a democratic nation.