Current Affairs Essays

Children are the assets of a nation. They are innocent like angels of God. It is not only the responsibility of the parents but also, of the society at large to do everything possible for the welfare of the children.   When a child comes into this world, he draws blank about this world. He is completely at the mercy of his parents.   Even before his birth, attention should have been given to his physical and mental growth in the mother's womb and that is what is being done in more advanced countries and is being increasingly realized in our country as well.   It is, therefore, of paramount importance to provide balanced and nourishing diet to expectant women.   Every woman must be given proper enlightenment about providing proper diet to the child, besides her breast-milk which is the most nourishing diet for an infant. It also provides him complete with immunity against several fatal diseases.   It is very necessary to give proper vaccines and polio drops as well as other drugs and injections to save the child from diseases like small-pox, whooping cough, polio, T.B., typhoid, malaria, measles etc.   In case of any problem a pediatrician must be consulted immediately, as children are very delicate like flowers and any negligence or delay in treatment could be very costly and can even endanger the life of the child.   Besides the concern for health, full care should Be taken for a child's growth for his all-round personality education. The child should be allowed to consider himself or herself an important person and nothing should be done or said to insult him or her to injure his or her dignity.   A child may sometimes say something foolish according to the standard of the grown-ups because his knowledge in limited. But in such cases, he should be very politely told the facts to enhance his knowledge.   A child should never be made superstitions or coward. Efforts should be made to instil the scientific spirit in his mind and he should be told and encouraged to read stories of courage and bravery. He should be made pious at heart with a broad human outlook.   He should be taught good manners and for this, the parents, elders and teachers should set their own example before him. The child should be taught to respect his parents, teachers; and elders and should love his brothers, sisters and colleagues.   The idea of inferiority or superiority complex should not be instilled into his mind. He should be dissuaded from hating the poor. He should have the spirit of help, compassion and goodwill for them.   A child should be helped in his studies and must be given decent modern education. But he should not be rebuked too frequently.   He must also get time for play and should be encouraged to have good company, should see good films and T.V. serials and must develop a high character and love for more...

Family Planning has been adopted as our national policy and a lot of money is being spent on it. But still we are far behind in achieving our targets.   India's population is increasing fast in comparison to its dwindling and depleting resources. This explosion in population has been eating up the modest increase of about 5% in our per capita income. By the middle of the century our population would be about 200 crores. It shows an increase of 2.6 per cent a year.   Consequently, it is natural that our experts have started sounding warning bells. This rapid growth of our population has resulted in a very high pressure on our resources of food, employment, housing, clothing, education and  alleviation of poverty.   With the phenomenal advancement in science, technology, medicine, health and physical-care, the mortality rate has come down considerably but the rate of the birth has not come down commensurately. In the absence of effective control and check on our population, all our Five Year Plans and developmental schemes- are bound to be a failure.   As a result about half of our population has been living below the poverty line. Millions and millions of our fellow citizens are deprived of basic necessities of life. And the gap between the rich and the poor has been on the increase.   In spite of much campaign and well organized propaganda the advantages of a small family have not been accepted by the masses. India consists mainly of villages and rural population.   About 80 per cent of its population live in villages. They are ignorant, uneducated and; superstitious. They still regard children as gifts of God : and divine ornaments of women.   They believe in luck and fate and so they say that every new born child brings its own luck. As such they could not be motivated to have planned parenthood with two children norm.   The much desired people's participation in the family planning and welfare programme is not there. The majority of rural masses have yet to accept the various contraceptive methods of family planning and family welfare.   It is in keeping with our democratic set up, that the family welfare programme is a voluntary one. People are free to choose their own methods of family planning that suit them best.   People are being involved in the movement through social institutions, voluntary agencies, social-workers and people's representatives. It is good that no coercive measures are adopted but lack of peoples involvement to a desired level has been a real source of concern to the people responsible for the success of the movement. It is high time that some mild drastic steps are also taken to curb our ever increasing population.   Unless and until we have proper check on our population growth, it is almost impossible to improve the quality of life and standard of living. Government servants and employees of public sector undertakings violating the two children norm may be more...

The Gemini Circus paid a visit to our town last month. It is still there and will stay for about a month mere.   Last week I went to visit the circus show with my uncle. My uncle bought the tickets and we went in. We sat at the front row of chairs in the circular tent. Music was going on and everybody was waiting breathlessly for the event.   As the nets, ladders and cages had been fixed at their proper places, the first event was now joint to start. Meanwhile, the clowns clad in motley dresses had been enthralling the spectators with their funny presentations.   All of a sudden, there emerged smart half-clad girls on, strangely structured bicycles. Some of the bicycles had no handles.  Others had only one wheel. Some of them broke into two as the girls were riding them. But those smart girls never fell down, nor let their bicycles    As they moved out, there appeared a monkey followed by a bear each riding a one wheeled small-sized bicycles. I was greatly amused. I particularly liked the monkey who was looking here and there and even gibbering while riding the vehicle.   Thereafter, there came an elephant playing with football. Then there were many events. Many mart girls and young men walked and danced on precariously fixed ropes and swung on rope swings.   One man put his head into the mouth of a lion. A lion jumped through a naming ring. One of the most dangerous feats was a man's driving a motorbike in a circular globe called hell. In another event a jeep was passed over the chest of a man lying with his chest covered only with a piece of wood.   Clowns came every now and then to provide comic relief and music went on. I was beaming with joy as the show came to an end and we returned home.

The introduction of English education in the 19th century marked the beginning of a scientific I revival in India. Interest in science had laid mostly in abeyance during the periods of the Muslim rulers. Some progress was made during the regime of Emperor Akbar in the field of Culture and the Arts.   It was only in the British period that scientific pursuits (at least in theory) were taken up in I the country. Science was prescribed as one of the compulsory subjects of study from the middle classes onwards, although the number of schools and colleges was limited during the British period. Of course wherever schools and colleges were functioning, science laboratories came to be established in them.   The revival of interest in science was among other things based on the fact that the Indian youth gradually came to realize the value of science from the British rulers who with the help of better weapons of aggression at their disposal, could rule such a vast sub-continent as India.   They, however, let the educationists of India introduce science subjects in the educational institutions of all categories—schools, colleges, and universities.   The British Government introduced science at national level laboratories and research institutions. These were established to provide Indian students scientific and technical education.   The impetus in scientific education was given by learned societies like the Asiatic Society in Calcutta, by Scientific Surveys, by Government scientific officers.   The pioneering work of four government survey departments helped to lay the foundations for the development of science. The trigonometrically survey, renamed the Survey of India (1878), was responsible for mapping the sub-continent.   The Botanical Survey (1889) and the Zoological purvey (1866) embarked on an appraisal of Indian flora and fauna; and the Geological Survey of India initiated an assessment of mineral resources.   By the beginning of the 20th century, many Indian universities had developed post-graduate departments in various sciences. The Government of India established research Institutes, among them the Imperial Agricultural Research Institute, Pusa, the Central Research Institute for Medical Research, Kasauli, and the Forest Research Institute, Dehradun.   In addition, the then provinces started agricultural and medical research institutes and private benefaction financed the Indian Institute  of Science in Bangalore. The Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science and the Bose Research Institute in Calcutta also came into being.   The early decades of the 20th century witnessed the formation of scientific societies. The Indian Science Congress Association (1914) providing a forum for research workers, national academies—the Indian Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Sciences came into being in 1930’s.   The first half of the century was also notable for achievements by individual scientists, like those of the mathematical genius Srinivasa Ramanujan, the plant physiologist, Sir Jagdish Chandra Bose and the physicist Sir Venkata Raman (who also won the nobel prize). Sir Ronald Ross for inventing a medicine for eradication of Malaria, BirBal Sahni for contribution to Paleobotany.   Important as these developments more...

Freedom has many different meanings. The quality of being frank, open, or outspoken along with the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint are just some of the meanings of freedom.   The quality of being exempt or released from something is also another definition of freedom. As much as freedom is considered to be a good  thing it also has bad qualities that can accompany , it. As young children grow, they want to have i more freedom as they get older.   They want to have that sense of independence. They want to show off their abilities to survive on their own. At age sixteen many teens are given their first real opportunity of freedom.   They are given a driver's license. This is the teen's chance to show that they are responsible enough to be given freedom. As they grow up they are given many more opportunities to have freedom, they are given later curfews, and he or she can go and come as they please.   When they reach the time of graduation and get ready for college many chances at freedoms are given, such as a chance for him or her to live out on their own, a chance to support themselves, and are given more of a opportunity to show the world what they are all about. However, along with this freedom they are given, many problems can happen.   The individual can totally ruin all of these opportunities by not maintaining a good standard of living or by not holding their responsibilities.   As all of this freedom is bestowed upon the individual, there is also much responsibility. It seems logical to say then that when freedom is present, there also must be responsibility present.   These students that have graduated and are off to college have a great deal of freedom in their lives and need to keep an upper hand on all of their duties and responsibilities.   Because disaster can strike if the student takes advantage of the freedom that they are given. Students find it easy to take advantage of their freedom.   The student has no parent yelling at them to get out of bed and get to school, they have no parent telling them to get their homework done, and they do not have a parent there to tell them to eat a healthy dinner.   As much as many students like having all this freedom, they do not want too much of it. When they have lots of freedom, that means that they also have much responsibility.   Students are responsible for many items that go hand in hand with their newfound freedom. Such as getting a job, keeping up on their studies, maintaining a healthy way of living, along with staying out of trouble.   Students want to have all the freedom that they  can be given, but they do not want the responsibility that accompanies this freedom. With there the absence of necessity, coercion, and more...

I often travel lo ho to my village and I Usually travel by tr.iin. Tickets are booked in advance and my packing is also done by my mother.   However, the last trip to my village was memorable as I started off on a wrong note because my reservation was not confirmed. Since I had no choice but to go under any circumstances, I boarded the train.   During the day there was hardly any problem while travelling. The ticket collector was a friend of mine but I still did not get a berth to sleep on.   At night the train was extremely crowded. People were sitting in the aisle, on the seats and wherever they could find some place. I had a big suitcase on which I tried to make myself comfortable. As the train moved on it got colder and colder. I had a sheet with me but no blanket to cover myself with. 1 wrapped it around myself and huddled up on the suitcase.   People around me (those who had a berth to sleep on) looked cozy and comfortable stretched out on their berth under their blankets. I looked at them and felt more sorry for myself. As I sat shivering on the suitcase, I saw a boy who was in the same state as me.   He told me that he studied in a school close to my village and that he was going to his hostel. He too did not have a reservation and was sitting there, looking quite dejected. I offered him some place on my suitcase. He took up my offer and soon both of us were sitting close together.   The train stopped at various stations on the way. We had tea to keep warm and also to drive away our sleep as it was almost impossible to sleep in the position that we found ourselves in.   As morning approached I felt better and thanked god that the night was over. Soon the train reached my village. I found my relatives at the station and heaved a sigh of relief. When I reached home, I had a 'bath and some breakfast and quietly slipped into bed and slept through the day. I vowed never to travel without reservation and that too by night.  

Nature has the power to repair and renew many areas across the country. But due to some self- interest minded people, successes are proving temporarily.                         Nature has given many remarkable gifts to the country; such as; forests, fertile soil etc. We were rich in natural resources like rich and fertile soil, climate, wild life, etc. not so long ago.   But due to some profit making agencies the environmental system of India has collapsed. Pesticides such as D.D.T. fertilizers, mines etc. are used in massive quantity.   Trees, the best friend of man, are cut for sale of timber, causing further derailment of the environment. Deforestation have created many complications and difficulties for wildlife.   Many species of wild life have began to extinct. Floods, warming of the atmosphere, soil erosion are some of the examples of our ill policies and greed for money by some self interest Indians.   Over decades, after independence, the above Jetted tragedies were unfolded. But nothing has been done to safe the environment by our politicians and planners. The ecological base has fully shattered, making ourselves poor in respect of environment.   In fact there are some individuals, political parties and NGOs who are calling to save the  environment. But little is done in this respect. We all should stand together and try to save the  environment otherwise it will be a disaster for  all of us.   First of all we should stop the cutting of trees which gives many natural things to mankind. Also, we should save wild-life which also plays a major part of the environment.   So, we should use our knowledge, skill and technology to save the environment further being damaged. Now the time has arrived, when the Govt. of India should not take it lightly.   The wrong doers must be punished severely. Now hard laws should be framed for the guilders. Plantation project should be promoted and some spices of animals also be protected. All these measures should taken on top priority.   In the schools, every student should adopt a plant/ tree. If all the students will do so, then other people will also get motivation and move a step forward in this mission.   The problems of deforestation and poaching are main in this regard. Poor people do these activities for their livelihood. The government of India should provide job to them. They are helpless at the resources.

The government of India has done a great deal to provide students with schools even in the most remote villages. Although most villages have schools, there are very few that can produce students who can compete with those who study at public schools in the big cities of the country.   There has to be a lot of work done-towards building a strong base for students studying in these schools. Even though the parents of these children may be poor, the government has been providing free education for backward classes since a long time now. Yet a lost needs to be improved.   The buildings which house these village schools are sub-standard. Some have thatched houses Converted into schools. Once the monsoon arrives, classes cannot be held. The school has to be shut down and holidays may carry on for AS long as the monsoon lasts.   This causes a great deal of disturbance in the normal routine of study. Good, strong buildings  need to be constructed. The number of teachers  who agree to work in such schrols is limited. Good teachers prefer to get jobs in cities.   Care should be taken to see that qualified teachers are paid well so that they may contribute to the improvement of schools in villages. More teachers are needed in each school so that they can pay individual attention to all the students,   Play grounds should be built. "A healthy body houses a healthy mind"- to keep this happening the play grounds should be such that they suit every age group.   Gardening, craft, clay modelling, pottery etc, should be taught. This trains children to use their hands well and they become more creative and productive.   If education in village schools is thus improved, we will have schools producing Indians with an enthusiasm for life. They will be fully developed and whole personalities who can make India proud of them.                              

India has made great progress in several spheres. She could have made even more progress had she been able to control effectively the galloping numbers of mouths to be fed.   In spite of all the money spent and the efforts made, the population explosion has been controlled in India only marginally.   At the time of Independence the population of India was about 35 crore. Now within a span of less than sixty years, it is poised to triple itself.   The main reason for this tremendous increase in population is illiteracy and poverty. The poor illiterate people consider the coming of child a gift from God.   The population explosion has created a number of problems such as, housing, food, clothing, medicine, sanitation, education and many other innumerable ones.   These people also think that if they have more members in the family, they would be able to earn more as each member would go out to find one or the other job of whatever type. They are not interested in raising their living standard. They want to just exist.   Many of these people are not even aware of the family planning programmes. This is particularly true about slum and shanty dwellers. Many illiterate ruralities and tribals living in remote areas also have no knowledge of such things.   Our family planning programmes have also been faulty, being mostly devoid of incentives. Those who have more than two children should not be given jobs or promotions. Those who abide by family planning rules should be given rewards.   The family planning schemes should be given a wide publicity through mass media. The youth should be involved in this campaign. The idea of usefulness of a small family should he instilled into minds of youngsters.  

It is believed that India is likely to become a fully developed nation by 2020. In any case, I can have a dream about India. The India of my dreams will be a fully developed nation.   In the India of my dreams, there will be no poverty, no illiteracy, no disease, no unemployment, no scams, no shortages of food and no serious problems.   In such an India population will have stabilized. All the People will be literate, highly learned and skilled. It will be an egalitarian society in India that I dream of. There will be no wide disparity in incomes and possession of property and hence no heart-burning.   In the India of my dreams, there will be no communalism. All communities, even while observing their own different rituals and having different faiths and creeds, will live in peace and respect each other's sentiments.   Such an India will be a strong world power both in economic and military terms. No other country would ever dare attack India. The people will be highly patriotic and will defend every inch of the Indian land with all their might.   There will be no terrorism and no evils of dowry system, drinking, smoking, gambling and drug- taking in this India, Great attention will be given to women, children, the youth and the old people.   The houses, cities and villages will be clean and beautiful and free from garbage and pollution. All will lead a long, happy healthy, carefree life.