Current Affairs Essays

Science is a great blessing to mankind. Nothing better has happened in the history of man than advent of science in his life. Before the advent of science the world was full of ignorance, suffering and hardships. But with the adverts of science these vices have been taken — away from the life of Science has transformed our daily life to a great extent. Science has made things or articles cheap and has brought them within the reach of every body. The production of goods on a large scale has been possible only due to science. Now these are being sold at cheap rates in every market. All other forms of entertainment have been brought to our doorstep with the help of science only. Radio, television and cinema are some forms of entertainment. Even an ordinary man can pass his time with these means of entertainment. Certainly, the daily life of the common man is very different from what it used to be earlier in the past. Since it has proved to be the most faithful medical attendant, it shows every care for our health. Science has cured us of many deadly diseases. It has empowered us to keep epidemics under check. No longer are smallpox, cholera and plague the ravages of mankind. Science has been proved as a boon for the poor housewife. Now she need not to always remain busy in the kitchen. Hundreds of electronic devices have been developed to assist her. There are electrical appliances that make cooking a pleasure. Then there is no dirt and no smoke in the kitchens with the use of these electronic gadgets. Now the use of washing machine has made the task of washing clothes simpler. Even ironing the clothes can be done in on time. No one could be more grateful than the housewife to the science for its blessings. Now, we can reach any place, no matter how much far it is, in a very less time. In fact, science has made travelling a pleasure. Science has abridged the hindrances of time and space. The trains and the motorcars have become absolute means of transport. The aeroplanes fly across thousands of kilometres in a stretch time. The work of months and years can be completed in hours with the use of computers. Without any partiality, science favours the labourers equally. Science has take off the dirtiest jobs. Another important role played by it is in the field of publishing. Science has built great printing presses which produce a large number of books at very cheap rates. News is brought to us from every corner of the world through the medium of newspaper, radio and the television. The wonders of Science are the gifts provided that have made the life luxurious.  

To prohibit the demanding, giving and taking of Dowry, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 is in force since 1st  July 1961. To stop the offences of cruelty by husband or his relatives on wife, Section498-A has been added in the Indian Penal Code, and Section 198-A has been added in the Criminal Procedure Code since the year1983. In the case of suicide by a married woman, within 7 years from the date of her marriage, the Court may presume that such suicide has been/ abetted, encouraged by her husband or his relatives. Provision to this effect has been added in the Indian Evidence Act, by adding Section 113-A since the year 1983. The object in forming the Dowry Prohibition Act and adding provisions in the Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code and the Indian Evidence Act is to remove the evil of dowry system and give protection to women. Because of the Dowry Prohibition Act, a person who gives or takes, or helps in the giving or taking of dowry can be sentenced to jail for 5 years and fined Rs.15,000/- or the amount of the value of dowry, whichever is more. Because of the Dowry Prohibition Act, to give or to agree to give, directly or indirectly, any property or valuable security, in connection with a marriage is prohibited. The giving of or agreeing to the giving of any amount either in cash or kind, jewellery, articles, properties, etc. in respect of a marriage is absolutely prohibited by the Dowry prohibition Act. Because of the Dowry Prohibition Act, even the making of a demand for dowry also is now prohibited and it is punishable with imprisonment of 5 years and a fine ofRs.10,000/-. Because of the Dowry Prohibition Act, now nobody can advertise to give money or share in his property as a consideration of the marriage. Because of the Dowry Prohibition Act, an Agreement between the parties, to give or to take dowry, is considered as void and cannot be enforced in law and the person who has received dowry is liable to return it to the wife. Genuine presents offered to the Bride or to the Bridegroom, at the time of the marriage, are however not prohibited by this Act. The giving of such presents, however, must be customary. The value of such presents, however, should not be excessive, compared to the financial status of the parties giving such presents. A list of such presents is also required to be maintained wherein the name of the person who has given the present, his relationship with the Bride or Bridegroom, description of the presents given and the value of the presents is to be mentioned and that list has to designed by both the Bride and the Bridegroom. The demanding of dowry itself is a cruel act and can be a ground of divorce. A husband or his relatives can be punished for behaving cruelly with the wife by demanding dowry and can be sentenced for 3 more...

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (April 14, 1891 or 1892 - December 6, 1956) was the most prominent Indian Untouchable leader of the 20th century. He was born in Mhow in central India, the fourteenth child of parents who belonged to the very lowest stratum of Hindu society, known as Untouchables or Dalits. He helped spark a revival of Buddhism in India, a movement which is now known as neo-Buddhism. Ambedkar's father had acquired a certain amount of formal education in both Marathi and English. This enabled him to teach his children, especially Bhimrao and to encourage them in their pursuit of knowledge. In 1908, when Ambedkar passed the matriculation examination for Bombay University, this event was such an uncommon achievement on the part of an Untouchable boy that it was celebrated with a public meeting. Four years later, Ambedkar graduated with a degree in Politics and Economics. Soon afterwards, he entered civil service in Baroda State, the ruler of which had awarded him a scholarship. From 1913 to 1917 and again from 1920 to 1923, Ambedka studied in the West, and, when, at the age of 32, he finally returned to the country of his birth, it was as one of the most highly qualified men in public life. During his three years at Columbia University he studied economics, sociology, history, philosophy, anthropology and politics. He was awarded a Ph.D. for a thesis which he eventually published in book form as The Evolution of Provincial Finance in British India. His first published work, however, was a paper on Castes in India. After completing his studies ill America, Ambedkar left New York for London, where he was admitted to the London School of Economics and Political Science and to Gray's Inn. A year later, his scholarship came to an end, In 1920, having taught in a Bombay college and started a Marathi weekly called Mooknayak or 'Leader of the Dumb', Ambedkar was able to return to London and resume his studies there. In the course of the next three years he completed a thesis on The Problem of the Rupee, for which the University of London awarded him a D.Sc. At this time, he was admitted to the bar. Before permanently ending his residence in England, Ambedkar spent three months in Germany, where he engaged in further studies in economics at the University of Bonn. Back in India, Ambedkar established himself in Bombay mid pursued an active career. He built up his legal practice, taught at a college, gave evidence before various official bodies, started a newspaper and was nominated to the Bombay Legislative Council, in whose proceedings, he at once took a leading part. During the years immediately following his return to India, Ambedkar helped to form the Bahishkrit Hitakarini Sabha or Depressed Classes Welfare Association, the objects of which were to promote the spread of education and culture among Untouchables and low caste persons, to improve their economic condition and to provide a voice for their grievances. Between 1927 and more...

At almost every discussion table, the Indian educationist today is asked: "What are you doing about the heavy loads of books our children are made to carry on their backs to and from school every day?" It's a common sight in our cities seeing children as small as eight or nine years carrying bright coloured nylon bags, each easily weighing 5-10 kg or may be more. In contrast, their developed-country counterparts only take along lunch boxes and, at best, a few notebooks on days they have to submit their assignments. Visitors from abroad just can't understand what we are doing to our young ones. To them, in the era of computerisation, the internet and the digital classroom, containing information that can be retrieved at the click of a Mouse, it is not just ironical, but an indication of the resistance of India’s education system to change. The textbook writer-publisher lobby and the managements thrive at the expense of our children. Obviously, they are not the only partners in the game. The continued reliance placed on 'more and many textbooks' also mocks at our commitment to give every child under-14 free education. Waiving school fee is often considered the summum bonum of the education policy to draw the entire school going population into schoolrooms. Consider the financial burden on the lower income group, the marginal farmer, the contract labourers in the industrial sector and other economic groups. At the beginning of each school year they have to spend burdensome amounts to buy textbooks and exercise copies. Economic deprivations are hard realities and so is the need to put innocent young boys and girls in farms, factories and fields to earn measly amounts to feed the family. Even the combined strength of free textbooks, free uniform and mid-day meals may not be able to overcome these realities. However, the 'load' is both a physical and metaphorical term. It stands for the useless burden of information memorisation that we have imposed on our student population. Then there is the pressure of examinations which robs our students of the creative zeal and deprives them the joys of childhood. The outdated evaluation system places too much faith in the objectivity of teachers. There is a widespread feeling that all this must be radically overhauled and replaced by a more modern system of learning and evaluation. The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) was conscious of growing tension and burden on children when it set about developing the new National Curriculum Framework for School Education in 1999. In earlier years after independence, India was generally out of step with the global tendency of bringing about reforms in education. Kothari Commission (1964-66) and subsequent initiatives were the significant steps. Through the 1990s, many countries were taking a critical look at their educational systems and carrying out frank assessments. The 'World Conference on Education for All' held in Jomtien in March 1990 provided a great boost to educational initiatives everywhere. It is generally accepted that curriculum more...

While beginning to write on my chosen subject, few lines of a song sung by Jagjit Singh come across my mind. They are: 'Ye daulat bhi Ie to Ye showrat bhi Ie lo, Bhale chin lo mujse merijawaani, Magar, mujko lauta do bachpan ka Sawan, Who kaagaz ki kashti, Who barish ka paani.' These lines hold true to all of us who have crossed our beautiful days of childhood lost ourselves in world of matured adults. Many times tears roll down from our eyes when we recall childhood days. Days when we desperately wished to become big. Days and night, we looked at mirror and talked to ourselves that when will we grow up? When we will sit, talk and walk like the elders? When will studies end? When we will go to office? When will we be able to wear papa's tie or mummy's saree or carry a purse like her? And many more such silly questions and wishes. But today, when we have got whatever we wished in those days, we want now our old days of childhood back. Now, our hearts crave for them. We, being out of childhood, can now realize its essence. At that time, we hated being called 'A child'. We felt that children have many tensions and adults are free going and free from burden of studies. Adults have free will and they work and move according to their own wishes, whereas we children, are always dominated by our elders. We have to endure burden of school books, get up early in the morning to go to school, forcefully made to complete our boring homework, not allowed to freak - out with friends and much more childish nuisance. Examination was the most difficult part of the year when the only work was to study, study and only study. This was the time when we use to feel maximum asleep. We had to reduce our time of sleep and play Getting up early in the morning and going to school was the biggest tension. Crying and making false pretences for not going to school was a regular habit. And sometimes it use to click but many times we use to fail also. We could easily fool our mothers and blackmail, her emotionally to get our small desires fulfilled. Sundays and Vacations were days of freedom, fun and enjoyment for us. There was loads of holiday homework to do but it was mainly meant for parents to put their brains at work. We never took responsibility for doing it ourselves. But now we can realize that those gone childhood days were 'The Golden Era' of our lives. Those were days of innocence, simplicity, growing up loved, protected by our parents and elders. No worries and tensions. We were just concerned about our food and play. Life was really beautiful and wonderful, with each new day full of new experiences of joy and fun. Full of energy, we use to run from one room to another, more...

Development of human beings and music are closely related. Music is one of the areas of organised stimuli in patterns of deep meaning and influence that stands at or very near the apex of humanness. Music is an evolutionary contributor to human beings. For example, crude tools have been found and evidence indicates that the Zinjanthropus (an early progenitor of man)used them in Eastern Africa about 1.7 million years ago. Part ofany human being's culture is music. Music has a biological basis as well as a cultural basis. Einstein stated, " The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible." In other words, without the comprehensibly of the outside world there would be no music. The full fruit of our potential for humanness can never be attained unless we grow and develop within a rich musical environment. Music is simply innate, humans cannot escape the formation of aesthetic constructs. Music is a need for expression and communication. Now a days more and more therapy clinics, be it for psychological or physiological purposes, are using music as therapy, as music, being a form of human behaviour itself, has its own unique and powerful influence. Understanding of human behaviour and specifically music therapy will profit most from a multidisciplinary approach. Music is known to benefit handicapped and ill persons by helping them change their behaviour. Music itself elicits these behavioural changes. By using music and persuasion, the ultimate goal—to bring about desirable changes in behaviour —is attempted. Again in depressed older adults, music therapy has been a positive contributor. Descriptive and experimental studies have documented effects of music on quality of life, involvement with the environment, expression of feeling, awareness and responsiveness, positive associations, and socialization. Music therapy and listening is capable of providing relaxing, positive stimuli for mood change and stress reduction. Furthermore, it i-nay provide palliative coping strategies for the relief of pain and anxiety. An experiment was done where music listening as a part of therapy was administered in the home setting with great ease and comfort. Participants enjoyed this form of therapy. The experiment showed how music listening strategies might be useful to distressed individuals. Music doesn't have positive effects on adults only. According to research, tunes in music may help babies breathe better. In a recent 3-day study, researcher used baby-sized walk-mans to play lullabies into the ears of 10 premature babies in the Intensive Care Unit. Researchers observed that when the music was on, the babies had higher levels of oxygen in their blood, and their heart rates and breathing rates were closer to normal than 10 other babies who only heard the continuous hum of medical monitors mixed with other background noises going on in the neonatal ICU. Physiologically also music contributes. In music rhythm is the organiser and energiser. Rhythmic pattern stimulates muscular action, particularly if there is a variation in the rhythm. This technique is an excellent reinforcer when it comes to people who lost feeling in their muscles and more...

When Gandhiji assumed India's leadership the average life span of an Indian woman was only twenty-seven years. Babies and the pregnant women ran a high risk of dying young. Child marriage was very common and widows were in very large number. Only 2% of the women had any kind of education and women did not have an identity of their own In North India, they practiced the Purda (veil) system. Women could not go out of the house unless accompanied by men and the face covered with cloth. The fortunate ones who could go to school had to commute in covered carts (tangas). It is in this context that we have to recognise the miracle of Gandhi's work. Gandhiji claimed that a woman is completely equal to a man and practiced it in strict sense. Thousands and millions of women, educated and illiterate, house wives and widows, students and elderly participated in India's freedom movement because of his influence. For Gandhiji, the freedom struggle was not political alone; it was also an economic and social reform of a national proportion. After a couple of decades, this equality became very natural in India. After India's freedom (inl947) and adoption of constitution (1950) emphasised equality of women when Hindu code was formulated, the population was not even impressed. Gandhiji always advocated a complete reform which he called 'Sarvodaya' meaning comprehensive progress. He believed that the difference between men and women was only physical and has expressed several times in his writings that m many matters especially those of tolerance, patience, and sacrifice the Indian woman is superior to the male. You will discover this when you read his articles from 'Young India' and 'Harijan'. During the 40 years of his political career, he only found more reasons to deepen his faith in what he wrote. He never had a specific programme for women, but women had an integral role to play in all his programmes. I feel that this is one of the reasons why women participated in his programmes so overwhelmingly. Gandhiji declared that there is no school better than home and there is no teacher better than parents. He said men and women are equal, but not identical. "Intellectually, mentally, and spiritually, woman is equivalent to a male and she can participate in every activity." Indian society is a male dominated one. Gandhiji has illustrated in his autobiography 'The stories of my experiments with truth' how early in his marriage he too wanted to dominate his wife. He often said that paternal society is the root cause of inequality. In his book, there is a very touching chapter about when he asked his wife to clean a public toilet and the resulting conflict between him and his wife. He has written how ashamed he was of himself, and how he took care not to hurt her anymore for the rest of his life. Even though there was big gap between him and his wife intellectually, it did not affect their more...

The debate on abortion and the role of a liberal law in a country like India must take cognisance, at the very least, of the provision of general health care services. With about 73% of India's population living in rural areas, the provision of free, rational and universally accessible health care is crucially important at all times to all people (which includes the women who experience morbidity following abortions). However, the foregoing review shows that basic health care services, leave alone abortion services, are beyond the reach of many. Moreover, the 'conveyor belt' approach that most approved centres adopt only ends up making abortion services insensitive to the women who demand them. For a liberalised law to be effective in providing free, safe and humane abortions on demand, it needs to be accompanied by other social inputs like greater empowerment of women especially  in their control over their bodies and their sexuality. In situations where women have relatively better control in decision making and access to contraception (for example, countries in Eastern Europe which provide extensive and reliable data) liberalization is accompanied first by a rising trend in the incidence of induced abortions which stabilises after a point and finally declines once women improve their skills in avoiding unwanted pregnancies. . This has not happened in India. The knowledge that liberalisation has failed to bring down the incidence of illegal abortions, to improve the health of women and the fact that it is tagged to the population programme, has bred a fair deal of scepticism among some Indian academicians. Through a presumed belief in the accessibility of abortion services as a natural consequence of liberalisation, they believe that women have increasingly been pushed into utilising these services. However, statistics reveal that legalisation has not significantly increased the rate of legal abortions. Further, by doing away with legalised abortion services, can a given society reduce abortions and can that automatically improve women's health? Historical and contemporary evidence demonstrates that it is not possible for the state to achieve complete control over women's bodies through its employment of technology, legal prohibitions and repression. The dilemma expressed by the sceptic highlights the limitation of treating abortions as a civil right for individual freedom and privacy. Legality provides only a thin cover, a political legitimacy that is necessary but not sufficient to change those material conditions of women's lives. Firstly, it makes it possible for anti-abortionists, under a conservative political climate, to juxtapose the civil rights of the unborn child with the civil right of the pregnant woman. This has happened in the U.S. Opinion polls on the issue of abortion since 1973 show that Americans are deeply ambivalent on. the issue of abortion. More than two-thirds consistently say that although they believe abortion to be wrong and immoral, the ultimate decision should be made by a woman and her physician rather than by a government decree. Anti-abortionists attempt to translate the conviction that abortions constitute 'an act of immorality' into government sanctioned legal more...

In this new age of development we take simple things like a telephone, a refrigerator, or a car for granted. We live in a world of luxuries and comforts compared to the average person in the 19th century. Let's say you were born prior to 1945. Just stop and consider the changes you might have witnessed. You were before television, before penicillin, frozen foods, Xerox copiers, contact lenses, and the Pill. You were before radar, credit cards, split atoms, ball point pens, dishwashers, air conditioners, and before man walked on the Moon. You never heard of F.M. radio, tape decks, electric typewriters, artificial hearts, yoghurt and blokes with earrings! Pizzas, Instant Coffee and McDonalds weren't heard of. Today's world is growing ever dependent on technology. The telephone for example is something we all take for granted. Every house is expected to have one and if we find there is no phone, we seem to think that it is abnormal. The question, however is, why is the telephone the cornerstone of modern life? The telephone allows us nearly instant connections – between friends, families, Businesses, and nations – enables communications that enhance our lives, industries, and economies. Truly, the telephone has brought the human family together. With remarkable innovations, engineers have brought us from copper wire to fibre optics, from switchboards to satellites, and then the Internet. The Internet has become a vital instrument of social change. The Internet is changing business practices, educational pursuits, and personal communications, by providing global access to news, commerce, and vast stores of information. The Internet brings us together and adds convenience and efficiency to our lives. The radio and television were the major agents of social change in the 20111 century, opening windows to other lives, to remote areas of the world, and to history in the making. From the wireless telegraph to today's advanced satellite systems, engineers have developed remarkable technologies that inform and entertain millions every day. Not only has human ingenuity brought us tools to communicate with, it also has provided us with transport. From horse-drawn carts to cars, steam engines to electric trains and canoes to the luxury liners of today. Today you can go from Europe to America in 4 hours on the Concorde. In 1900, the same trip took 7 to 10 days by boat. However, the motorcar is one of man's finest creations. The automobile may be the ultimate symbol of personal freedom. It's also the world's major transporter of people and goods, and a strong source of economic growth and stability. Have you ever thought how water has changed your life? How often does society take water for granted? Today, a simple turn of the tap provides clean water — a precious resource. Engineering advances in managing this resource have come leaps and bounds and introduced water treatment, supply, and distribution systems. This has changed life profoundly in the 20th century, virtually eliminating waterborne diseases in developed nations, and providing clean and abundant water for communities, more...

Controllers and disengagers really know how to mess up a family. Controllers are those people who must have their way. Disengagers let them have their way, but usually find a way to turn the controllers' triumphs into hollow victories. The controller says, 'It's my way or the highway.' The disengager says, 'you can have your way, but I won't let you savour the conquest. Men are often, though not always, the family controllers. To a degree, they have a point. The mythology does make the husband and father, the family's leader, but he is not an arbitrary controller. Nothing in the scriptures ever suggests that a husband has the right to become a tyrant. He's not the Napoleon of the family. He is to love his wife as his own body. Controllers are arrogant, hostile, self-centred, demanding despots. God did not authorize tyranny in the family or anywhere else. The picture of headship that emerges in Scripture is that of a loving, self-sacrificing, considerate, caring, sensitive person. While controlling is a destructive family relationship style, the same thing can be said about disengagement. Although women do not exclusively practice it, passive aggression is often the relationship style chosen by those women who are married to controllers. Like her controlling husband, a disengager will insist that she honours the teachings of the Bible concerning the submission of wives. She does not demand a place of prominence and usually doesn't get her way when her desires conflict with those of her controlling husband. Communication is important because families who can communicate find it a lot easier to discuss issues, problems and even crises when they occur. If you know how families work, issues and problems arise often. Listening and becoming a better listener is important  because families need to understand each other and be  compassionate with one another. Communication patterns affect family relationships in a huge way. Family is defined as a social group having specified roles and statuses with ties of blood, marriage, or adoption that usually share a common residence and cooperate economically. There are two ways to look at interactions with family. There is communication between family members and among family members. Communication among family members involves communication of the family in its entirety. Communication between family members looks at each individual relationship. On the other hand, a disengager has the capacity to effectively sabotage family unity. Suppose a decision is made to go on vacation that goes against her wishes. She may find a way to get out of going or spend the entire time, making life miserable for everyone else with incessant complaining about everything, from the poor food to the hot weather. Disengagers often conveniently forget, profess not to have understood, and procrastinate. They see themselves as victims of the controllers' treachery and they use the only weapons of retaliation available to them. Who wins the power struggle between the controllers and the disengagers? Nobody does. Everybody loses and when the battle is fought between a more...