Life of Old People

The old age, an integral part of human life, is the evening of man’s existence. It is unavoidable, unwelcome and often the problem-ridden phase of life. It is really interesting to note that everybody wants to live a long life but not to be old! As we think of old age, visitors of loneliness and neglect emerge in mind. The picture gets all the more tragic with the failing health and illness.

Every phase of life has its problems but with energy, strength and courage, in youth one can overcome these difficulties. But in old age, man becomes dependent on others largely due to his physical infirmity. He is also filled with emotional insecurity. Nobody seems to have enough time for him/her. Even his own children, to whom he dedicates his life, do not find time for him. The problem gets accentuated especially as the world ceases to have any resemblance to what the elderly were once accustomed to and changes at a bewildering pace with every passing moment.

At this age, they also begin to realize that time is now not their friend. It passes very quickly. After the loss of someone close to them, they come face to face with their own mortality. For spiritual persons, Godly matters gain more importance.

Growing old is a point in time, a chapter at the end of a journey that began long ago. Those grown old should take satisfaction in the accomplishments obtained. We, as their younger counterparts, should take care of them when they most need us.  

Today’s Generation Should Become More Responsible

Youth are the backbone of the nation. They can change the future of the society with their well meaning and courageous behaviour. They are here to show us that we are not willing to look at within ourselves. Unfortunately today we find the youth are more interested in other spheres which are not useful to them as well as nation. They have become more casual and careless. They waste their youthful energy in meaningless pursuits. They spend their nights partying, taking drugs and living it up, so to speak. More and more young men if this age group are sitting at home in front of their televisions playing games all day instead of improving themselves or going to work. They have no vision and if they do have dreams they do not have the drive to make any attempt at achieving them. If we want our country to progress today’s generation needs to become more responsible. 

Joint Family-A boon to the Growing Child

With the urbanisation and nuclear families gaining more ground, we don’t get to realise what we and our children must have been missing by not following our traditional practice of a joint family. A joint family system may have its drawbacks but it is surely a boon to the growing child.

In a house full of close ones like parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts etc. a small child gets the opportunity to enjoy and cherish the love and affection of so many around. He or she gets to share things with his/her cousins and thus grows into a person who learns to live with the fact that there are other people in the world besides himself or his parents. Thus he grows more sensitive, well balanced, less self-centred and more social. It is surely healthy for a child to have company whereby he finds various channels of communication. He gets to relate to people of all age-groups. If he needs a piece of good advice he can look up to so many. He doesn’t have to depend just on maid-servants for physical care.

A joint family, living in harmony, is undoubtedly a heavenly option for a growing child, especially in our times of stress and struggle for adults. It is a boon for him/her and there can’t be two opinions on this.

The Need to Respect Mothers

A mother is the centre of our world. She gives us birth and takes care of us until we are able to be on our own. She is the first one to wake in a family and the last one to go to bed. She has no holidays and toils hard to take care of her family. But we often take our mothers for granted and forget the sacrifices she has made for us, and the effort she took to raise us as happy, healthy children. All mothers deserve respect, peace and nice gifts on special occasions. Mothers are the backbone and foundation of families. For us our mother is the most splendid woman in the world. What we become I life is primarily of our mother. So let us learn to respect her and give her tight hug and tell her that we love her.

Significance of Holidays

Everyone needs a holiday, both to relax and to have a change of environment. The holiday makers feel relaxed and refreshed at the end of the holiday and look forward to the resumption of their duties, be it at school, office or factories, with renewed vigour. This is the reason why all establishments grant their employees annual leave. With the end of the Academic year the schools and universities grant their pupils a long holiday during mid-summer. This lasts until early September when the new school term starts. Of course the parents will like to take advantage of this and take their leave to coincide with their children’s vacations. This has become a traditional holiday season in most European countries particularly in England.

With the coming of August, the traditional holiday season in Britain reaches its peak point and most of the holiday resorts are packed to capacity. In order to avoid the crowd, some prefer to take their holiday a little easier if facilities so warrant, Those who have already taken their holidays can console themselves not only with reflections on the happy days spent in the country; at the seaside or abroad, but also with the thought that holiday expenses are over for the year and that by taking an earlier holiday they have missed the August rush.

The main thing, of course, is the weather and that would be hazardous to prophesy. But whatever the weather is like, the essence of a holiday for most is the carefree atmosphere in which it can be enjoyed. “Take all you need but leave your worries behind” is the sound advice for the holiday maker. Private worries are not always easy to escape from. However, even the pessimist would admit that for the moment things appear brighter than they have been.

Holiday time is surely a time for shredding serious pre-occupations and seeking the pleasures that appeal to us. It is true that we may not always succeed in finding them; indeed there are people who maintain that the great thing about holiday is that it gives you an ample appreciation of home comforts-a view no doubt more widely held among the elderly than you.

Jyoti Amge (The smallest woman in the world)

Twenty-one year old Jyoti Amge, the smallest woman in theworld, laughs easily and often. Perhaps, from a height of twenty three inches, the world does look a bit funny.

Afflicted with achondroplasia, a form of pituitary dwarfism, 21 year old Amge is a bit shorter than her two year old nephew and a little taller than her framed Guinness Certificate. In fact, Amge, the youngest of five, wasn’t even visible in her mother’s womb. The doctors thought she wasn’t alive and her mother Ranjana, who underwent a two hour caesarean operation in her tenth month to birth her,  welcomed her youngest as a blessing. In all of Amge’s  birthday pictures in the album, her height is the same from age three to twenty one. Kitted out in custom made frocks and bright red lipstick, with fancy beads lining her permed hair, the tiny Amge turned heads in Nagpur and became hit with Hindi news channel crews that approached her for bytes, any excuse would do, even the elections. Apart from a cameo in a Mika Singh video, she appeared briefly on the reality show Big Boss 6.

“I have always wanted to be an actor” says Amge. Amge was quick to say yes when the producers of ‘American Horror story’ Freak Show contacted her. “They had seen my interview in a New York daily” says Amge, who readily agreed to play the role of Ma Petite, the miniature sari and bindi clad assistant of a woman.

“In spite of the name the show was not about freaks it was about compassion”, says Amge. “What makes the world so interesting is that we are different and some folks a little bit odd” she said. Sadly, Amge’s own home country does not seem to respect differences. Amge’s brother complained that unlike the west where “people ask permission before clicking a photo”. Indians take her privacy for granted. People look at her like she’s wonder and try to get too close to her. I have to shelter her like a bodyguard, adds Satish. Amge’s family members now make up her entourage. They help Amge, who suffered an accident in Kashmir that severly fractured her left leg, everything from braiding her hair to carrying her to the wash basin. Be it the nearby malls or a trip to China, one or more of them always accompany her.

The Strength of Optimism

Optimism is the inclination to look at the bright side of any situation and to expect the best possible outcome from any series of events. It is an attribute which all of us have. Everyone has the ability to be optimistic. Living without optimism is living a life full of stress that may lead to failures. No wonder, we’ve all heard the sayings, urging us to be optimistic in life, “Every dark cloud has a silver lining”. “The darkest night is just before the dawn” …and so on. Many times we stand in the blurry distinction between a glimmer of hope and the feeling of hopelessness. We make the choice of what we want to see. We choose either to see the flowers or the thorns. This choice to see the positive is optimism that keeps us happy. It makes every burden lighter by regarding burden as a challenge that could make us a strong person. It makes us appreciate everything we have in life.

At times optimism resembles other traits. It is like hope that lets the person hold on. It is perseverance which keeps the person trying. It is confidence that uplifts the feeling of a person that everything will be fine. 

“We have not inherited this earth from our forefather; we have borrowed it from our children”

Over the decades, a change has come in the perception of the people in respect to the planet. The human perception has shifted to a “holistic and ecological view of the world”. Earth is a living organism that has limited resources. These resources will not last forever. The earth has its metabolic needs that require to be preserved. The need of the hour is “sustainable development” which propounds the need of meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising with those of future generations.

The present problems are not necessarily fatal for us but they are a ‘passport for future’. This is the “Era of Responsibility” that calls for a responsible action from us. We must realise that the earth belongs as much to the future generation as much it belongs to us.

The problems of over population that directly affect our everyday life.

Every four days, the world population shows an increase of one million. With this ever-increasing population, development seems a far-fetched dream.

Over-population leads to the issues of poverty and unemployment. The vicious circle of population and poverty will continue unless the root cause i.e. population is taken care of. It hampers the development of a country. It leads to the consumption of the natural resources at a much faster rate. The fossils consumed, the resources depleted, the forests cleared, the heat produced, the global warming caused are all the repercussions of the fast-growing population.

Laws are never respected not enforced in India.

India, the biggest democracy in the world, is condemned for its easy attitude towards laws. Laws are constituted but never respected nor enforced in our country. For instance, the Indian Constitution mentions that casteism , untouchability and bonded labour shall be abolished; however, these evils flourish barefacedly even today.

The Article 48A of the Indian Constitution, propounds that “the State shall endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and wildlife of the country”. However, little is done in favour of this. What we is near “catastrophic depletion” of forest over the last four decades. Forests are disappearing over the decades at the rate of 3.7 million acres a year. Areas that are officially designated as forest land, in reality, are treeless. The actual loss of forests is eight times the rate pointed by the government statistics.

Tourism in India

Tourism has experienced continued growth and deepening diversification to become the fastest growing industry all across the world. India possesses natural bounty and a rich history; its cultural and geographical diversity make it incredible. Its composite culture attracts all types of tourists. Rich in bio-diversity and wildlife reserves; it has also large reserves of minerals like coal, manganese, copper and mica.

Such being the potential for growth of tourism, one should scrutinize the necessary measures to realize the potential. India is a multi-destination country with a variety of tourist attractions and facilities-the palaces, forts and rich cultural heritage. Tourism in India is a potential game changer and holds immense prospects of further development. Airports need to be modernised to international standards. The habit of cleanliness should be inculcated by every citizen. The attitude of the Indians especially those of the hoteliers, guides and the drivers need to be caring and welcoming to encourage the visitors to have hassle free stay. The touts who fleece the tourists need to be sternly dealt with. The government should give priority to construct more motels and develop camping sites leading to important tourist destinations.