Essay on the merits and demerits of the present system of examination

Examination is to most of the students a matter of botheration, standing in their way as forbiddingly as the tree of wisdom in the Garden of Eden for Adam and Eve. On the face of it, the plea for their abolition cannot be supported.

For it goes without saying that there must be periodical tests and assessment of merits to measures the progress in studies, achieved by students during a specific period of time. An annual or half-yearly examination with this object seems the only way of doing this. But whether it really serves this purpose depends on a correct analysis and evaluation of the merits and demerits of this examination system.

The fact is that at the end of an academic session students must pass an examination, too often has an undesirable influence on teaching. The teacher will always have his eyes on the examination and his teaching will be more in the nature of coaching students for a pass than building up his mind.

Thus, teaching has now largely become examination-oriented. It has become a paradox, like the tail wagging the dog, i.e. education is for examination and not the vice versa. It is today the system of examination that precisely sets the tone of teaching in classrooms how much and in what way a particular topic is important from the examination standpoint. All that a student acquires in the process is the crammer-art, which may help him through the examination. Students depend more upon memory-work and a mechanical preparation of answers to questions than upon a proper assimilation of knowledge.

Furthermore, there is the subjective factor. Examinations have their whims and fancies widely diverging. Different examiners, or even the same examiner at different times, award makes inconsistently. These difficulties are more than ever accentuated in examination involving a large number of candidates. Because of the time factor, the work of examination has to be rushed through, making assessment hasty as thereon unreliable. Clearly, the system does not inspire confidence or does justice to the examinees.

Examinations are competitive tests in which each student rise to surpass his rival. A spirit of healthy rivalry is not to be discouraged outright, but rivalry soon degenerates into selfish competition. Rich students take the help of private tutors, which place them in a position of advantage. It makes students narrow-minded and selfish. It also puts on ambitious students unnatural strain. Instead of knowledge being the end of learning, the art of managing in examination becomes the be-all and end-all of study

It is to be admitted that fear of examination keeps students at their books when they might have wasted their time otherwise. There it serves the purpose of compelling students to read their books and thus to acquire at least some of the rudiments of learning.

As to the test of merit, examinations, however, do not to absolute justice to the examinees. Answer scripts that are considered ‘marginal cases’ receive weightage or extra benefit on compassionate grounds.

In our country, a better alternative to examinations has not yet been devised. For this reason examinations must continue in our schools, colleges and universities. The USA is ready to finance more expensive alternatives like the objective or precision-machine based on ones progress. Even then examinations cannot be entirely abolished. But the nature of the test might be suitably amended in order to obviate or minimize the defects.

Thus, greater stress should be laid on the oral tests. It may be difficult to gauge the actual proficiency of a student from his written answer but in an interview for a quarter of an hour will soon convince the examiner as to his true caliber. Greater importance should be attached to class examinations. A student’s month-to-month record of progress ought to be taken into consideration on a semester system. The final assessment should depend on a consideration of effort on the part of the students on final or public examinations. The stress is more on systematic work all through the year. The reform might not be so very difficult to organize with the co-operation of all concerned.
By bharatwaj rao

Essay on River Water Pollution in India

'Holy rivers' has rather become a myth today. According to a report of the National Environment Engineering Research Institute (NEERI) all the fourteen big rivers of India are badly polluted. They cover 85 per cent of the surface flow of water in the country.

The main pollutant of river water is industrial waste. River Jamuna in Delhi receives 6000 kg of dissolved solids, 3000 kg of heavy metals and 200 kg of detergent every day. In its 48 km stretch around Delhi Yamuna gets polluted through 17 drains that bring toxics, acids and a number of chemicals that affect the health of the river and consequently of all those who depend on it for drinking and bathing water.

The Ganga starts getting polluted by chemicals from Rishikesh itself. It receives effluents from the Indian Drug and Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (IDPL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd. (BHEL). The flow of toxic effluents including chemicals, metallurgic deposits and fertilizers to river Periyar in Kerala is so great that the people living on its banks have a high incidence of skin diseases.

Cauvery and Kapila in Karnataka are so polluted that in a stretch of 10 km of the banks of Cauvery people suffer badly from skin diseases, boils and burning sensation. Cauvery receives industrial wastes from Tamil Nadu. The story of Godavari is no different. It receives 4,500 gallons of toxic waste everyday from Andhra Paper Mills alone. Plankton on which fish live has been dying in large numbers in the river. Similarly Hooghly and Damodar, receive untreated waste from coal washeries, pulp and paper mills, steel mills and chemical industries in Bengal.

Hooghly receives industrial wastes of 150 big factories including jute mills, textile mills, paper and pulp factories, distilleries and tanneries. Even the fish have been greatly contaminated causing bone diseases and arthritis among those who eat fish in the area. The waste of fertilizer plant and Indian Oil Corporation flowing into Mahi Sagar in Gujarat has killed fish, cattle and even elephants.

Human and animal excreta flow to all the rivers in India. As it is untreated it is responsible for almost all water borne diseases. Untreated sewage flows into the Jamuna in Delhi through 17 open drains. Chambal a Tributary of the Jamuna is the most polluted river in Rajasthan. The people between Rajpura and Nagda suffer from acute skin diseases because of water pollution.

Efforts have been made to remove the pollution of the Ganga through the efforts of Central Ganga Authority (CGA). No serious efforts have been made anywhere else. Three things are essential to let the rivers flow as pure as they were in the past.

All industries in the cities on the banks of rivers should, under strict vigilance, treat their effluents before the water flows to the river. Municipalities and Corporations should have treating centers for their drain water. These will provide energy besides supplying pure water to the rivers.

No government efforts can make the rivers unpolluted if the common man has no consciousness how to keep the rivers too unpolluted as he keeps his house neat and clean. Non Government Organizations (NGO) can play an important role in educating the people both in cities and the rural areas.

Essay on the probable secret of success

"Why, all men strive and who succeeds?" asks Browning. Every man wants to have success in life, but few are able to achieve it. Those who fail are in the habit of attributing their failure to bad luck, to unfavorable circumstances, to the hostility of enemies, to everything except their own defects and shortcomings. Yet if we study our own lives impartially, we will have to admit that our failures are mostly due to our personal defects and seldom to external circumstances. The age-old doctrine is that if we are able to know our own merits and demerits we should be able to correct our defects.

Self-confidence is essential for success "Self-trust", said Emer­sion, "is the first secret of success". We must have confidence in our capacity to triumph over all obstacles. Timidity and nervousness lead to hesitancy.

Another quality that goes hand in hand with self-confidence is the possession of a strong will and determination. If we have will, we will find the way to do a thing. We must summon all our powers, physical and mental, and bring them to bear on the performance of a work. It there is this single-minded devotion, success is bound to come.

Of course, success can come in those fields of life in which one's aptitudes find sufficient scope and one's ambition is related to one's powers and parts. Therefore, we must know how to choose our vocation, according to our taste and temperament, our capability. We must have pleasure in our work. Often failures in life come through a mistaken choice of life's vocation. If we are able to choose our career according to our natural inclinations, the chances of success are very bright.

Another important quality is to know and seize an opportunity when it comes our way. If we let opportunity pass, another may not come for years.

Man is the architect of his own destiny. A study of the lives of great men bears this out. Those who talk about destiny and the stare are only allowing external forces to get the better of us. The fact often is that most of us have not determination enough; the lives of most of us are full of hours spent in indolence, of opportunities wasted. Let us, therefore, if we want to succeed in life, fight with all our might against doctrines, which make us, lose self-confidence and destroy our initiative.

It is no use trying for the impossible. 'One must not hitch one's wagon to a star.' The impracticable is undesirable. Everything in the world is worth attempting, if it lies outside the reach of a man.

Funny Essay on Uninvited Guests

''Unbidden Guests are often welcome when they are gone."

—Shakespeare.

There were times when entertaining a guest was not as formal an affair as it is today. The best conception of hospitality in those days was:

"A stone jug, a pewter mug

And a table set for three."

The words occurring in the Old Testament, viz., "Be not for­getful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels themselves," had a very valid application in those days. The ancient Indian concept of (Guests are gods) sums up the Eastern philosophy in respect of uninvited guests. The unlocked for and uninvited guest at that time was very often a wayfarer over­taken by the night and looking for shelter, to issue forth on his journey the next morning with fresh vigor after a night's rest and a little sharing of pot-luck under an honest man's roof. He did not look for or criticize the lack of social graces in his host and was grateful for whatever attention he could get from a person he might never have hoped to meet a second time in his life.

But entertaining in the formality ridden, largely urbanized society of to-day is an entirely different proposition. From being a moral duty, it has been converted into a social obligation or even a means of business-promotion. The stranger is, therefore, naturally excluded from the prevailing compass of hospitality. He does not fit into the picture. He is taken for an intruder, a trespasser. If he finds himself stranded in an unknown place at an inconvenient hour, the best he can do is to look for a public place like a hotel or a lodge where he can make himself as comfortable as his pocket would permit.

But even though the total strangers can no longer hope to enjoy the hospitality of a host to whom he has not been properly introduced, there is the uninvited guest who poses a peculiar pro­blem. More often than not, he is an acquaintance who cannot be unceremoniously thrown out, someone who unilaterally insists on resurrecting from the oblivion—of faded memories an old friend­ship which has almost dried up with the passage of time, a poet keen to unburden himself of the after-effects of a visitation of the Muse, or a poor relation who is not particularly welcome because of his unseasonable and irksome memory of the not-so-affluent past of the host, but with whom certain appearances have to be kept up. Sometimes it is a casual acquaintance who, out of sheer fellow-feeling, thinks nothing of dropping on you unawares, and may be, surprising you at some task requiring concentrated attention which you had deliberately left over to be attended to at leisure. Any of these types is enough to put maximum strain on the ingenuity and good grace of the host.

There are various situations particularly favorable for the un­invited guest and several ways in which he succeeds in foisting him­self upon an unwilling, though tongue-tied host. One place where you are most exposed to being frequently forced to have the pleasure of their company is a big city. Every day, all sorts of people from far and near converge on big cities for pleasure, on business or on trips combining both purposes, and a majority among them finds it more convenient (and cheaper) to put up for the duration of their stay-sometimes extending beyond a full week with friends or even with those who would not confess to more than a nodding acquaintance with the visitor.

As the host is preparing to leave for work, and trying to figure out to himself the chances of the nightly apparition vanish­ing as it came, the poor man is suddenly brought back to earth and its hard realities by a friendly thump on the back accompanied with an effusive compliment on his good habit of early rising; and even before the compliment has sunk-in, he is asked either to take a day off to take the visitor on a sight seeing trip (which is the least he may be expected to do) or to send back the car immedia­tely he has landed in office so that the 'uncle' can take out his 'dear' nephews and nieces for a nice outing which is the thing they have been missing for long.

Then there is the extra informal friend who, one fine evening, drops in with the grouse that it is ages since he has seen you and goes on to remake that he was beginning to wonder whether you were in this world at all any longer. While you are mumbling an apology, be has already made himself comfortable in your favorite chair and started taunting you about your absent-mindedness or stingi­ness in failing to offer your visitor tea etc. Meanwhile you are expected to keep your guest in good humor and high spirits by listening to the stories he has to retail. Gradually the evening wears off and by the time your guest has had his cup of tea, has told you for the hundredth time how much he enjoys spending an evening with you, and has advised you for the thousandth time not to allow yourself to become a recluse and to keep meeting friends as often as possible, you are already looking upon the evening as lost.

Perhaps the worst and the most despicable representative of the species is the distant relation who considers it his privilege to surprise you at any hour and as often as he chooses. He is most difficult to shake off and the most persistent of the lot. You have been through a particularly heavy day at the office and returning home at a late hour, are looking forward to shedding your worries in the relaxed and intimate atmosphere of a happy home but as you reach the door-step; you find the same air of formality which you have just left behind. You are told that so and so has been waiting for you at the dinner-table and that you should change and hurry up…......The whole picture” changes. But to keep-up appearances, you force an unwilling smile and go and greet him. Now, for the rest of the evening and may be for a few evenings more, you are almost cut-off from the family as the precious visitor will insist on having your exclusive attention all the time. You are nicely fixed up. Though the visitor may not be welcome to your respect or esteem, yet he has invited himself to your hospitality, and unless you are a person blessed with extraordinary nerve, you are in no position to show him the door.

These are only a few examples of the ‘modus operandi’ of un­bidden guests. While they last, they expect every courtesy that you would extend to a person whom you have properly invited and whom you look forward to meet. In case you can put-up with them with a cheerful voice, you are a good man. But in case your natural cheerfulness wears thin and you show the slightest irritation, you may be sure that your fame will spread as a stingy, haughty person whose heart is an island cut off from the rest of the work.

Essay on Brain Drain

"No man's genius, however shining, can raise him from obscu­rity unless he has industry, opportunity and also a patron to recom­mend him." —PLINY, the Younger

The term 'Brain-drain' has recently come into vogue for describing the flight of talent from our country to another. Often, it is loosely employed to describe all migration of educated and talented persons to countries abroad in search of better careers even though their services may be badly needed in their native land, and thus, this exodus of talent, depletes a country's intellectual resources and tells on national life.

However, the problem of 'Brain-drain' is not peculiar to the present age of ours. It existed even in Medieval times when great conquerors carried away not only hoards of gold and rich treasures from the vanquished countries, but they also took away men of talent and genius as a matter of right. The only difference we see today is that now the talented and educated persons migrate of their own accord, attracted by the glitter and glamour of better emoluments and amenities.

Today, the problem of Brain-drain is a product of the revolu­tion in science and technology inspired by the Second World War and speeded up by the discovery and use of the nuclear energy. After the war, the stupendous advance made by U.S.A., U. S. S. R., Great Britain, Germany etc. in the field of scientific research began to attract men of science and talent from other Countries. This accounted in the main for the flight or defection or let us says migration of talent from the underdeveloped countries to these advanced nations.

One striking feature of this problem of Brain-drain is that it is a global phenomenon, affecting almost every country. India, too, has been facing this problem and it is discussed from time to time in a rather casual and cursory manner. It is revived with afresh momentum when some Indian repatriate in another country achieves some distinction in his field of work. It caught the headlines when Dr. Jayant Narlikar discovered his Hoyle-Narlikar Theory, when Dr. Hargobind Khurana was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1968, and also when the famous India-born U.S. astrophysicist Dr. S. Chandrashekbara came to India to deliver the Second Nehru Memorial Lecture in New Delhi. Similarly, Dr. Lars Onsager, Norway-born U. S. citizen was awarded Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1968. Cases like these provoke and set in motion 'long drawn debates on the subject of Brain-drain. But these discus­sions, except for blaming these men of genius for lack of patriotic telling and sense of duty to their land of birth and for cupidity, do not yield any results because (i) such cases are only exceptions and not the general rule, (ii) the distinction and achievement these men of genius secured in their land of repatriation could not have been possible, or of much value, in their land of birth, and (iii) the loss of one single country is a colossal gain to the world at large.

Let us also analyze the reasons which prompt such people to leave the land of their birth for foreign shores. Is it merely the enchantment and glamour of life in more affluent coun­tries, or is it the search for a more satisfying professional career. An overwhelming majority of such repatriates go abroad as students seeking academic, scientific or technological education which is sadly lacking in their own countries. More often than not, such advanced courses of training are designed to benefit the host country. Naturally, such an education has no market in their native countries, and quite obviously, they cannot be accommodated there. So they are forced to seek voluntary exile to settle in .the country of their learning.

One more factor deserves consideration. After a promising young-man has completed his training, he usually expects work which should not only bring in enough money and other emoluments but also give him sufficient professional satisfaction.

But a greater contributing factor to this problem of Brain-drain is the unimaginative handling of the issue by the most callous and unimaginative bureaucracy of the country. The research workers and men of genius are men out of the ordinary and their work is of an extraordinary nature. But bureaucracy fails to cope with such people for it lacks the intellectual equipment and sensibility needed to handle such volatile human material. Very often, this becomes the main deciding factor for the emigrant, with other factors acting as catalytic agents.

In India, the pattern of Brain-drain has caught the public eye very recently. Facts and figures are put forward to emphasize the terrible loss being caused to the country as a result of this phenomenon. The Scientific and Technical Personnel Division of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (GSIR) issued in 1962 the 'Indians Abroad Roster' which gives an approximate figure of 29,000 skilled scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers and technical personnel migrating to foreign countries. However, this statistics is not factually accurate, and so, this does not reflect the magnitude of the problem, the Brain-drain coming to about 3 per cent of the skilled personnel available in India. But what is really alarming is the in­formation that the average age of migrants is between 20 and 40 years. This means that India is losing the cream of the intelligentsia at the most productive period of their life.

The Government of India set up the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, partly with a view to meeting the problem of Brain-drain. The C.S.I.R. installed in 1958 the scheme of scientists' pool as a device for bringing back highly qualified Indian nationals from abroad. On papers this scheme has been doing some service but in actual practice the scheme has flopped owing to various simple reasons viz., a yawning discrepancy in salary and emoluments and a severe lack of research-cum- workshop facilities for the highly skilled and specialized scientists.

The problem of Brain-drain should be tackled at national and international level on a broad-based and rational pattern, for it is a global issue. On the national level, a country like India, should ameliorate the working conditions of scientists and equip the laboratories with latest technology. Internationally, the country gaining by Brain-drain must compensate the losing country by sending her scientists in return.

Essay on the benefits of Early rising

Early rising used to be extolled by our grandfathers as if it were in itself a virtue. Young people were exhorted to get up with, or even before the sunrise and sleeping late were condemned as a vice. The old rhyme taught ‘Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise’. No doubt it is in general a good thing to get up early, though every young man today thinks that early rising in itself will not make a man either wealthy or wise, however much it only improve his health. But there is no moral vice in getting up late. And early rising cannot be laid down as a general hard and fast rule for everyone. People’s circumstances and bodily and mental constitutions differ too much to make it possible to make a general rule for all.

No doubt the ‘early to bed and early to rise’ rule is a sound one for people who live in the country and whose occupation is farming. And the old proverb was coined when majority of population of England was agricultural. The bulk of farmer’s work must be done in daylight; they cannot plough, irrigate, dig or reap at night. If he would thrive, he must therefore use all the daylight he can get and be up with the sun; for the ‘night cometh when no man can work’. Further a farmer who is engaged in heavy physical work all day, needs more sleep than a clerk, whose occupation is sedentary. The farmer who stays up late will probably get up late and lose the best hours of the day for work.

But the same rule does not applies for town dwellers, whose occupation can be carried on with the help of artificial light as well as night as by day. Some of the most interesting and instructive parts of town life are carried on after the sun sets. The fact is that there in towns there are thousands of people who go to bed late, get up late but are yet ‘healthy, wealthy and wise’. The old proverb; hence is not universally true.

Essay on widening rich poor disparity

The global economy has grown sevenfold since 1950. Meanwhile, the disparity in per capita gross domestic product between the 20 richest and 20 poorest nations more than doubled since 1960. Of all high-income nations, the United States has the most unequal distribution of income, with over 30 per cent of income in the hands of the richest 10 per cent and only 1.8 per cent going to the poorest 10 per cent.

In India, the introduction of more and more luxury cars every month that are being bought too, raise the question, "Is the rich-poor divide widening?" Conventional wisdom is being turned upside down. Petroleum prices, ruling at new highs, would have, in recent times, created a scare. Transportation costs rise and with them prices of all goods. Both these have happened worldwide and in India.

Yet there is no looking back. The rising value of the Indian rupee has affected exports, especially of garments and information technology related business process outsourcing. The Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) says the "rich are getting richer faster than the poor are getting richer" in Asia, creating a "social crisis", which could foster disorder and impede growth.

The ADB has warned that Asia's economic growth and social order is being threatened by a lack of equality that has seen hundreds of millions of people left in poverty. Despite the sharp growth enjoyed by the region in the past 30 years there is a widening gap between rich and poor. According to ADB estimates there are still about 620 million people in the region living on less than a dollar a day and 700 million without access to drinkable water.

There are 107 million children aged under-5 who is underweight and 100 million children not enrolled in primary school. This could very well result in a huge population of physically and mentally deficient people in Asia. Additionally, the large youth population could become a demographic curse, if Asian countries did not find jobs for them.

The gap between rich and poor has widened over the last 20 years in nearly all the countries, even as trade and technological advances have spurred rapid growth in their economies. In a 20-year study of its

number countries, the OECD has found inequality had increased in 27 of its 30 members as top earners' incomes soared while others' stagnated. The United States has the highest inequality and poverty rates in the OECD after Mexico and Turkey, and the gap has increased rapidly since 2000.

Wealthy households are not only widening the gap with the poor, hut in countries such as the US, Canada and Germany they are also leaving middle-income earners further behind. Greater income inequality stifles upward mobility between generations, making it harder for talented and hardworking people to get the rewards they deserve. It polarizes societies, it divides regions within countries, and it carves up the world between rich and poor.

Governments need to address the "divisive" issue of growing inequality by doing more to educate the whole work force and not just the elite while helping people get jobs and increasing incomes for working families, rather than relying on social benefits.

Those nations and economies that were relatively rich at the start of the twentieth century have by and large seen their material wealth and prosperity explode. Those nations and economies that were relatively poor have grown richer, but for the most part slowly. And the relative gulf between rich and poor economies has grown steadily. Today this relative gulf is larger than at any time in humanity's previous experience or at least larger than at any time since there were some tribes that had discovered how to use fire and other tribes that had not.

The world in which we live today is the most unequal, in terms of the divergence in the life prospects of children born into different economies. On the one hand, most of the world has already made the transition to sustained economic growth, and most people live in economies that, while far poorer than the leading-edge post-industrial nations of the world's economic core, have successfully climbed onto the escalator of economic growth and thus the escalator to modernity. The economic transformation of most of the world is less than a century behind the economic transformation of the leading-edge economies— only an eye blink behind, from a millennial perspective.

On the other hand, one and a half billion people live in economies that have not made the transition to intensive economic growth, and have not climbed onto the escalator to modernity. It is very hard to argue that the median inhabitant of Africa is any better off in material terms than his or her counterpart of a generation ago.

Three factors appear to be most important in accounting for how a country has done in relative terms in its productivity growth over the past century. First is the productivity gap vis-a-vis the world's best practice. The further a country is behind the world's industrial leaders, the more scope there is for successful technology transfer. Poor countries that successfully industrialize can grow very fast indeed.

Second is the rate of investment. High private sector investment has two benefits. It means that the average worker has a better and more productive work environment—more structures investment means better work spaces, and more equipment investment means more machines to amplify productivity.

Third is whether market forces or bureaucratic commands govern resource allocation. While market forces exert pressure to allocate resources to their most productive uses, bureaucratic commands exert pressure to allocate resources following other logics. A country like the Soviet Union or like Zambia can have a very large technology gap and a high measured rate of investment. But if investment is allocated and industries grow not by the profitability of its use but by the political power of its users, it will not do nearly as much good for productivity and economic growth.

When taken as a group, poor countries have not closed any of the gaps relative to the world's industrial leaders over the post-World War II period. Poor countries have relatively low shares of investment in national product: capital goods are relatively expensive, meaning that even a hefty savings effort translates into little increase in the capital stock; savings rates are relatively low; and taxes are siphoned off to maintain the incomes of politically powerful groups rather than to support public investment projects.

Poor countries could grow rapidly if their governments take a long- run view of their people's interest and follow appropriate policies. There is a role for government intervention to advance industrial development. The governments need to step in because private investors do not face the right incentives to develop and invest early and heavily in modern machinery and equipment.

Essay on World Environment Day

World Environment Day (WED) was established by the UN General Assembly in 1972 to mark the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. Commemorated on 5 June each year, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action.

The agenda for WED is to give a human face to environmental issues; empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development; promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues; and advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.

WED, established under the premise of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), whose headquarters are in Nairobi, Kenya, and is celebrated in more than 100 countries around the world. As a day that stimulates awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and public action, the first World Environment Day was celebrated in 1973. The Day is hosted every year by a different city with a different theme and is commemorated with an international exposition on the week that 5 June is on.

The theme for WED 2009 was 'Your Planet Needs You-Unite to Combat Climate Change'. It reflected the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal to combat climate change, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests. The hosting of WED 2009 by Mexico reflected the growing role of the Latin American country in the fight against climate change, including its growing participation in the carbon markets.

The themes for celebrations for World Environment Day were Children and the Environment (1990), The Environment Millennium- Time to Act (2000), Connect with the World Wide Web for Life (2001), World Environment Day—Not just another day (2002), Water—Two Billion People are Dying for it! (2003), Wanted! Seas and Oceans—Dead or Alive (2004), Green Cities—Plan for the Planet! (2005), Don't Abandon the Deserts! (2006), Melting Ice—A Hot Topic? (2007) and C0₂ kick the Habit! Towards a Low Carbon Economy (2008).

The past events included themes such as Only one Earth, Human Settlements, Water: Vital Resource for Life, Ozone Layer, Development Without Destruction, Only one Future for Our Children-Development Without Destruction, Managing and Disposing Hazardous Waste: Acid Rain and Energy, Desertification, Youth: Population and the Environment, A Tree for Peace, Environment and Shelter: More than a Roof, Global Warming, Climate Change, Poverty and the Environment, One Earth One Family, For Life on Earth, etc.

World Environment Day is celebrated in India with programmes of tree plantation, cultural activities by school students, drawing and elocution competitions, lectures on topics related to environment protection. Few companies conduct training for Management and labor regarding general practice and minor points where they can save the natural resources. Workshops are also organized to sensitize the youth to environment and climate change issues and empower them to act as proactive change agents for sustainable development and a safe future. Besides, various activities like quiz and movie screening on topics like domestic and industrial pollution and energy conservation, and presentation on global warming and carbon footprint calculation are also organized.

On the occasion of the World Environment Day in 2009, The Energy and Research Institute (TERI) organized an 'Environment Fair' (sutrupurasuzhal vizha) in Chennai and Bangalore. The activities included an 'On the spot painting competition' and 'Quiz' for the students. Several leading agencies participated in the fair and educated the students on issues related to e-waste management, rain water harvesting systems, renewable energy devices, biodegradable wastes, recycle and reuse processes, and so on. Schools were provided space to display eco-friendly articles made by students.

Among other events, the Heritage India Foundation organized a multimedia presentation. GDCL, Gujarat carried out a workshop on Sustainable Project Management for eco- friendly infrastructure and energy efficiency. Team R.A.K.S.H.A organized a week long Programme in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The programmes included tree planting, awareness rising about global warming, vegetarianism, wildlife conservation, nature trail and bird watching in a wild life area, plastic bags removal from wild life areas and educating people about the effects of plastic on nature and environment. Team R.A.K.S.H.A. also launched a snake helpline and organized road shows and awareness drives about "go green" revolution and curbing global warming from a common man's perspective.

Eco tourism and cleaning drives were promoted by various institutes to create awareness and sensitivity to the issues of global warming. The Mumbai-based Humanity Foundation arranged a Lecture of Environmental Experts for the General public on the topic "How does a Common man can support to save Environment".

A Student Partnerships Worldwide (SPW) programme reinforced the three R's of environmental conservation, such as students calculating their individual carbon footprints; students and teachers taking a pledge to become 'green' ambassadors; and recycled paper making. The Forestry Department and local business' alike gave talks of environmentally friendly practices and offer career advice for those looking for work in a 'green' sector.

Essay on the Influence Of Films On Youngsters

Going to the pictures has now become a craze with young people, both boys and girls, and it has been noticed that they often economize on other items of expenditure but they must see films every week, if not twice or thrice a week. A healthy hobby is, of course, to be welcomed but seeing films too frequently is far from such a hobby.

This fast growing habit is not only expensive (because of the high rates of admission to cinema halls) but also results in considerable waste of precious time which can certainly be devoted to healthier, less wasteful and more gainful pursuits.

If Indian films had been well and properly made, with a sound educative theme forming a part of the story, the harm done to youth would have been much less than it actually is. But the tragedy is that most Indian films present scenes of sex, violence, crime and other deviations from normal human behaviour. The pernicious influence of films is thus obvious.

When grossly vulgar and crude romantic scenes are presented on the screen, along with songs and duets, and when boys are shown chasing girls, indulging in improper jokes, and singing catchy, lilting tunes, it is no wonder that young boys imitate the screen heroes in everyday life and try to convert what they see in films into realities.

Education and other experts have repeatedly found that the main source of eve teasing and assaults on girls in our towns and cities, in the market place and elsewhere, is the cinema. Young people see on the screen a hero running after a heroine, approaching and tempting her in subtle ways. Such talk and gestures naturally catch the attention of the immature cinema fans and affect their thinking and conduct. Thus, the social fabric and the morals of the young people are adversely affected.

The efforts of parents and teachers to give their boys and girls sound education and to teach them good, ethical behaviour and good morals in order that they may become good citizens are thus defeated. The parents' own hard-earned money is spent by their grown-up boys and girls in watching films which have an adverse impact on character and morals, apart from queering the pitch for the training for good citizenship.

The cinema, it is said, can serve as a good medium of education and instruction, and the message that can be conveyed through films cannot be conveyed as effectively through any other channel, such as the radio, because of the colourful, visual impact made by gorgeously dressed girls conducting themselves in a particular fashion, defying their parents and guardians, challenging their judgment, describing them as old-fashioned etc., walking out of their houses at odd hours and sometimes marrying the hero secretly and then creating awkward situations or giving major shocks to their parents.

The love scenes, the amorous couples, the stereotyped formula stories and the eternal triangle all create an effect that is far from healthy or conducive to good morals and good conduct.

Young boys and girls are attracted by the affluence and glamour they see on the screen, and there are many cases of youth either running away from home or pressing their parents to let them go to Bombay to try their luck in Bollywood.

Each cinema-crazy boy and girl (especially those having an attractive personality) thinks he or she can prosper like -he heroes and the "stars" seen on the screen. All the stories they hear of top "stars" being paid lakhs of rupees for each film and living in grand style proves irresistible.

Thousands of young boys and girls have virtually ruined themselves in the senseless quest for becoming cinema "stars". Only a handful of talented actors and actresses prosper, while most of the young aspirants have to face intense frustration and utter disappointment because everyone cannot become a cinema hero or heroine. Most of them have to remain content with secondary or supporting roles, sometimes not even that.

Another notable aspect of the situation is that whenever some enterprising producer presents a simple, true-to-life story, based on the works of famous short story or fiction writers as Prem Chand or Sarat Chandra, such films, and also art films free of glamour, seldom prove successful and prove to be flops at the box office. The modern audiences want songs and dances, spectacle and gorgeous costumes, love scenes and fights. What sort of citizens can the country hope to produce when the films the young see are totally misleading, lack aesthetical values.

The film censors also seem to be more liberal than ever and allow sex and violent scenes which have a bad effect on the mental make-up of youth. Visiting the cinemas too often at the cost of class lectures and by missing lectures also spoils the education of youth. Instead of imbibing the basic virtues of life, our youth begin to think of flirting and seducing, like the screen heroes.

The youth imbibe negative social values. Both rural and urban youth thus fall victims to vicious temptations. It is not contended that there should be a total ban on films. But steps should certainly be taken to see that good instructive films are made, not trash and ruinous presentations merely to cater to cheap tastes.

Early Political Movements and the Indian National Congress

The British Indian Association was formed in 1851 in Bengal to represent Indian grievances to the British government. In 1876, Surendranath Banerjee founded the Indian Association in Bengal. Some of the other associations were Bombay Association, the Madras Native Association, the Poona Sarvajanik Sabha and the Madras Mahajana Sabha.

In 1883, Surendranath Banerjee called an All-India National Conference. It was the first step to form an association at the national level. In 1885, the Indian National congress was founded in which A.O. Hume played an important role. The English kept in view the organization as a forum of Indian public opinion. Soon however, the Congress was to become a revolutionary organization leading the Indian people to independence.

The first session of the Congress was held in Bombay, under the Presidentship of W.C. Banerjee, representing all regions of India. The Indian nationalist movement, which the congress represented, was from the start, an all India Secular Movement embracing every section of Indian society.

The aims of the Congress were to unite the people of India for common political ends irrespective of differences in respect of race and language, or social and religious institutions. Some of the early demands of the Congress were for elected representatives in the provincial and central legislative councils, holding of the Indian Civil Service examinations in India and raising minimum age of entry, the reduction of military expenditure, the spread of education, industrial development of India, relief in agricultural indebtedness and the amendment of the Arms Act.

The main leaders of the Congress were— Surendranath Banerjee, M.G. Ranade, Gopal Krishna Gokhle, R.C. Dutt and Pheroze Shah Mehta. They had faith in the justness of their demands and the British government. They believed that in due time their demands would be accepted. They wanted not separation but association with the British.

With the growth of radical ideas in the Congress, the government became hostile to it. Now government servants were not allowed to attend the Congress sessions. In the early period the moderates were dominating. Its demands were related to the educated middle class and rising Indian industrialists.

The role of Congress in the early period was very significant. Its emphasis on national unity, its criticism of the drain of Indian wealth, its demand for representative institutions and indianization of services were few high-lighted points. The opposition of Congress to repressive measures like the Arms Act and its constant underscoring of people's poverty as the basic factor of Indian politics helped to put the nationalist movement on sound foundations. This period lasted till about 1905.

Essay on Monsoons in India

The most important event in the Indian year is the monsoons. India is an agricultural country, and the year’s crops depend on the character of rainy season. A good monsoon means prosperity, excess of monsoon indicates floods and failure of monsoon spells drought and famine.

The monsoon, or trade winds, reaches India about the month of June, firstly on the south – western coasts of Kerala. Coming, as they do over thousands of miles of sea, they are laden with moisture, and when they feel and meet the cool heights of Western Ghats and later the Himalayas, clouds form, which soon condense into heavy rains all over the country. In a good monsoon, the rainy season continues until the end of September.

Monsoons are looked up for by open arms. Before it breaks, the heat is high and intolerable. Day after day, the sun blazes down from an unclouded sky. The ground is baked and parched, the air is like the blast of furnace, in many places water is scarce and both men and animals gasp and pant in the heat. At least, a thunder storm rolls up from the southwest and with lightning, thunder and wind, the welcome rain pours down.

The change is almost magical. The air becomes delightfully cool and moist; the sun’s heat is day by day moderated by the clouds, the dry parched land is quickly covered with green vegetation and life becomes bearable and enjoyable except the fact that the heat now turns to be steamy and sticky. The farmers now begin to be busy plugging and soaking the rain – soaked land for the kharif or autumn crops.

The rainy season, though a pleasant relief from the fierce heat, has its disadvantages also. Swarms of insects, flying ants, flies, mosquitoes, etc. multiply in great proportions. The mosquitoes breed in standing pools and bring in malarial fever with them. More terrible diseases like cholera, typhoid etc. become havoc among the poor. But the peasants prefer to put up with these inconvenience than a failure of rains which means famines and a year full of sorrows.

Essay on Preparedness for war for Preserving Peace

Very strange and paradoxical it seems that preparedness for war is essential for preserving peace. But the saying, appears to be true for if a country be well equipped with all the modem war gadgets and weapons, other nations will have to think twice before taking any conflict with it. On the other hand, a weak nation becomes prey to the whims and aggressions of powerful neighbors. Balance of Power is must for preserving the peace.

Peace means freedom from war, but how can one preserve it unless or until you are well equipped you can’t preserve your peace. A peace loving nation may not have the intention to enlarge its empire but who can guarantee the dictates of other neighbor countries.

What happened with our country when China attacked in 1962 ? We, being fully peace loving country, never felt necessity till then to be equipped our self with modem war gadgets and weapons. China, took the opportunity and attacked us, made encroachment on our land. What did UNO do? What other Super Power could have done? None came to our rescue. Think of today, when we are equipped with all kinds of nuclear and other weapons, can china dare to attack us now ? No ... , because ,China is,well known to our preparedness for war. Our ‘No First Attack’ stand with Pakistan,since 1971, is because of being capable to destroy that country in all eventualities. In the present world your power decides your relation with neighbors.

The attack of USA on Iraq and the removal of Osamabin Laden from Afghanistan all show the same thing that best guarantee for peace is your best preparedness for war. A powerful can dictate terms to the less powerful.

But ‘Peace’ if taken in a broader sense, reflects some thing different. Actually. peace can’t be preserved only with the preparedness for war. Preparedness for war could be a deterrent for an attacking country, but the real things the removal of cause of war, removal of cause of discontent, removal of disparities. Think of a situation, when none have any war weapons, will the society or mankind not be survived then peacefully. The actual requirement for preserving peace is, faith in principles of Co­existence, faith in integrity and sovereignty of all nations, faith in the inherent values of humanity and mankind. Total disarmament, destruction of nuclear and other weapons, making the UNO the real effective must be made in order to keep the whole world in peace to bring in the form of one loving family. The Terrorism, Imperialistic intensions, Racial and Religious hatredness must be eliminated at all cost only then we can think of to preserve the peace in this world.

All these things are like sermons of ethics, one finds difficult to follow. The lessons of Non-violence can be effective but how much sacrifices one has to make, can be well understand with Indian experience. To tackle the imperial whims of the rulers it is but necessary that we are prepared for all the eventualities. After attaining independence the great and peace loving leaders of our country followed the principles of Panchsheel and never thought to get ready or prepare ourselves for any ill will of the neighbors, and as a result we had to lose land ,when China attacked.

The ancient history of India reveals so many examples where a stronger ruler always attacks the weaker neighbor. America attacked Japan and dropped Atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because Japan was a weak country. Can today America dare to do like that? No not at all.

Nothing but Power, your preparations for any eventualities, your preparations to face any imperialistic whims, can guarantee you the peace. So it is the right conclusion that preparedness for war is necessary for the preservation of peace.

Essay on planning for MBA students

Planning is the most basic or primary function of management. It precedes other functions because a manager plans before he acts. Plan­ning involves determining the objectives and selecting courses of action that will lead to the achievement of predetermined objectives.

It implies looking ahead and deciding in advance what is to be done, when and where it is to be done, how and by whom it is to be done. It involves Thinking before acting i.e., anticipating problems and developing their solu­tion. According to Henry Fail, "planning means to assess the future and make provision for it".

Planning is a mental process requiring hi use of intellectual faculties, foresight and sound judgment. It consists of forecasting, decision making and deliberation. A plan is a predeter­mined future (projected) course of action. It is today's design for tomor­row and an outline of steps to be taken in future.

Planning provides answers to the following questions:

(i) What actions are necessary to achieve the desired objec­tives;

(ii) Why are these actions necessary;

(iii) Who is responsible for these actions;

(iv) where will these actions take place;

(v) When will these actions take place; and

(vi) How will these actions take place.

The process of planning consists of(a) determination of objectives, (b) forecasting or anticipating the future, (c) decision making i.e. choos­ing a course of action from available alternatives, (d) formulation of policies, programmers, budgets, schedules, etc. to achieve the objectives,; (e) laying down of procedures and standards of performance. Planning may be long term or short term.

Planning is a pervasive function and managers at all levels have to prepare plans. Planning is always goal-oriented and it involves choice among alternative courses of action. Planning is also a continuous or on-going process. Planning enables us to do things in an orderly and efficient manner.

It is helpful in more effective achievement of goals. Planning enables an organization to face uncertainty and change. It correlates the organization with its future. Planning is a prerequisite to every effective action.

Essay on National Integration for Students

A Nation or a State is composed of certain elements. They are territory, population, government and sovereignty. The people of the State may follow one or more religions. For examples there are a number of religions in India – Hindustan, Islam, Sikhism, Jainism, Christianity, Buddhism, Zoroastrianism etc. still it is a secular State.

India has fifteen officially declared languages besides many dialects. It has also people belonging to Aryan race, Dravidian race and Mongolian race. It has in itself various types of cultures. It is an example of unity in diversity.

It is true that India is a unified country. It has a strong Union Government whose writ is obeyed in every corner of India. It is also true that after Independence, India became really strong and united after the merger of princely States into the Indian Union. After the reorganization of States on linguistic basis, some issues that were not anticipated earlier have arisen. Every State now thinks that its language is rich and it has a superior heritage than the others.

Similarly, those who belong to one religion feel that they should have a separate State of their own. Their ill-founded aspirations are now threatening the unity of the country. Based on these aspirations, terrorism has taken its roots. Government is now threatened with these undesirable protests and agitations. So the need has arisen to put down all these forces of separation. Government is aware of this need and has already taken and is taking the required steps in this direction.

India has a long history. It has seen many conquerors and many onslaughts. Yet there are some inherent factors which have kept India united all these centuries. Indians, whatever type of dress they wear, are one in observing creation customs and traditions. They are all one in adopting a positive human approach. For centuries Indians have respected all religions and secularism is in their blood. Their songs, music, dance, art and literature cover all people and there are no borders or territories for them. There are festivals which are celebrated by Hindus as well as Muslims. It is not easy to destroy their unity. The people of our country have shown this fundamental unity during times of was with Pakistan and China.

As man is selfish, efforts are required to put an end to these disintegrating forces in the initial stage itself. It is possible to do so by molding the minds of the young in schools and colleges. Educating could easily act as an instrument to develop the spirit of unity by including lessons on unity in the curriculum. Cultural exchange programmers can also help this cause.

What is much more important and necessary is that all political parties, particularly regional parties, adopt a policy that national integration is of utmost importance. They should convince their followers that we should think of the Nation first and then of the States. They should also join together to put down terrorism in whatever shape it may appear. They should give priority to the interests of the country first and then consider their local interest. Then only it will be possible to promote the unity and integrity of our Nation, and enjoy the hard won freedom.

Essay on National Integration

British ruled India with the divide and rule policy as that suited them. Hindus, Muslims, Christians and Sikhs lived like brothers before the British came to India. The British planted the seed of separatism on the basis of language, religion and caste which resulted often in suspicion and clashes.

India was able to drive away the British but the seeds of discord shown by them still raise their ugly head every now and then. They managed to change the psyche of Indians to such an extent that even today people belonging to different religions are struggling to be one up on the other.

Today the task before Indians is to unite again. Political leaders have been harping on the need for national integration time and again. India has been declared a secular state in which all religions are equal in law and an Indian can follow any faith that he wishes.

India is a country with myriad languages, cultures and religions. However, if we remain united we can overcome any aggression from any quarter. The motto: - "united we stand, divided we fell" faces the problems of communalism, regionalism, multilinguism, etc. Very few Indians think of themselves as Indians first and Hindus, Muslims or Christians later. This attitude has to be discouraged.

The political leaders today have continued the policy of the British and to secure success in the elections they win over by dubious means the society to their own advantage. They spread hatred between various communities and then support one of them as if they have become their messiahs.

Communal riots have become a common feature today. The countries bordering India also use this to-their advantage. They support the members of any one community and try to influence them to create trouble in India. They supply arms and train some innocent Indians in terrorist activities. They are using them for their own motives. They cannot see India strong and prosperous. They feel threatened and want to break us by encouraging separatist consciousness.

We as Indians need to overcome differences of caste, creed, religion, language and always remember that we are Indians first and last and we must be proud of our identity as Indians and not as people belonging to a particular community in India.

Essay on the Green Revolution in India

India's achievement in the field of food production, to reach the desired target and even more, is generally known as the Green Revolution. Even after the completion of the First Five Year Plan India faced food deficit. In some states like Bihar, Rajasthan near famine condition prevailed for a time. The want became so acute that large-scale import of foodstuffs had to be undertaken, under PL 480. For some months in the area people lived from ship (carrying food grains) to mouth.

Then by improving irrigation system under River Valley Projects, using chemical fertilizers and introducing some sort of collective farming and better methods of cultivation-using high, yielding strains, double cropping etc States like Punjab, Hariyana, Andhra, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra turned into granary.

India is now in a position to export food crops and maintains a huge buffer stock of food crops. This is known as the Green Revolution.

The application of science to industrial production has resulted in phenomenal growth. Today we are more or less self-reliant in food production, though abundance is yet far off. This break-through in our fight against food shortage is what has been characterized as the Green Revolution.

In this way, we have applied science and technology to the service of agricultural development. This has resulted in a higher yield of grains and vegetables, where even a few years back we were heavily dependent on foreign imports on the food front. First, proper machinery was devised for the large-scale production of chemical fertilisers as also the use of organic munures.

By an intensive study of soil Chemistry, science has discovered the particular type of manures necessary for the improvement of the fertility of the soil. Alongside white revolution is near at hand in the milk front.

But the fruits of the green revolution will never be assuring unless steps are taken to prevent damages caused by drought or floods. These natural calamities are caused by the uncertainties of monsoon upon which our agriculture has to depend so much even now. For only one-third of arable land is irrigated by the different River Valley projects.

To counteract these calamities two things are necessary. First, there should be an extensive scheme of irrigation in order to divert the excess of water through canals to those regions, which are comparatively dry. Minor irrigational facilities will also have to be extended for a wide area by such devices as excavating tanks sinking deep or shallow tube-wells, building reservoirs, digging canals etc. Finally, progressive farmers have to turn over from the antiquated bullock-driven ploughs to modern tractors. The grand plan of river-grid, connecting the Ganga with the Normada has to be undertaken.

There is, no doubt, a 'green' revolution is being brought aloud by harnessing science and technology to agricultural production. Food production has shown a welcome increase. India's yearly turnout of food grains now has exceeded twenty crore tonnes. Our country now can boost of helping other countries like Russia, Bangla Desh, Cuba etc. during their needs, due to natural calamities. India has a considerable buffer stock of grains to fall back upon. Much has been done; much remains to be done; for it is a process that must be continuous, if food is to be supplied cheap and in sufficient quantities to the coming generation.