The Need to Modernise the Institution of Marriage in India

The Indian society has moved a long way from the manner in which marriage used to be arranged. At a very close look we find that it hasn’t changed very substantially. Even today most marriages are still arranged and child marriage is rampant in our society. The married couple has nothing much to say in their marriage. Decisions are taken by the parents and rituals are decided by the norms of the society. It is more of a family business and there is less scope for individual preferences. The dislike and discomfort comes out only when they begin to live together. Tradition rules the institution of family in India and sometimes children are given away in marriage. Even though there are laws forbidding child marriage it is still followed in many villages. Hence there is a need to modernise the institution of marriage in India.

Women Need To Assert Her Position in the Society

Each day we hear a lot about the violence committed on women. They are victims of oppression all over the world even though they play a vital role in every society; she is not getting the due position in the society. Men are responsible for this pitiable condition of women in the society; but this is also partially because women’s own mistakes. They prefer to stay behind men and want to be taken care of by them. As a result she is discriminated everywhere. Her voice is stifled. Women need to realise that they too are created by God with the same intellectual and emotional capabilities as of men. They shouldn’t feel inferior to men. Rather they should take the lead in the society and walk shoulder to shoulder with men or even walk ahead of them if needed. Only then they will be able to liberate themselves from all the evils they suffer from.

An Idealist Portrait of the Teacher

Teachers are of all kinds and shades. But an idealist portrait of the teacher suggests that good teachers have some common qualities which may call upon all the other teachers to emulate these qualities of head and heart and thus leave an impact.

A good teacher has a natural talent for leading students towards learning. He/she is able to dream up fascinating learning activities for his students to engage in. He/she looks for the best in students and communicates clearly that each one has untold potential. The most expressive of all the types, a teacher is remarkably good with language, especially when communicating in speech, face to face. He likes things organised and is especially when trustworthy in honouring commitments. He is extraordinary tolerant of others and is easy to get along with. A typically ideal teacher is highly sensitive and intuitive. His insight into himself and others is unparalleled. He also identifies with others quite easily and slips almost unconsciously into other people skin. He feels connected with those around and thus shows interest in the joys and problems of their colleagues, students and loved ones.

All this….apart from his command on the subject he/she teaches, a high sense of general awareness, an optimistic outlook and a good sense of humour constitute the essential being of an ideal teacher.

Are We Happier Than Our Ancestors?

We are an outcome of our past, we are forged by it and thus our present shape and appearance has more to do with what our ancestors have given us. But one question yet remains to be answered “Are we happier than them?” My stance would be negative!

When we compare the two i.e., the ancient times with the modern times, we do see that we have made a lot of progress. What we have today in terms of material possessions, our ancestors could have not even dreamt of. They lived in pre-electrification days, they did not have automation, there were no computers, no telephones, no tractors for agriculture etc. Everything was done manually and because they probably had plenty of man-power to help them around. We are definitely happier due to material possessions and advancements our modern age has made. It takes only minutes to accomplish our work because of electricity. By using automobiles, trains and aeroplanes we can travel faster. Various kinds of mechanised tools and machines have increased productivity in agriculture. We can contact people living in any part of the world.

Our mind as modern people still is looking for more and more acquisitions. Greed, jealousy, discontent, ambition etc. have made our existence hollow and at no time can we call ourselves completely happy. Our ancestors were backward and did not know about such modern gadgets but they were content, amicable and less paranoid about acquisitions. I thus conclude that we are today more equipped than our ancestors but not as happy as they were. 

Why Gender Discrimination?

For ages, it has been a male dominated world. In the past, women were treated no better than slaves. They were denied all sorts of freedom and they had no rights.

No doubt, the conditions in the country appear to have changed to a large extent. The constitution of free India has given equal rights to woman thereby putting her at par with man socially, politically, economically. But women continue to be treated in many respects in the same old way, especially in rural areas. A girl in the family is still an unwanted burden and in some cases she is even denied the right to live. It has been both shocking and disturbing to that at some places; female infanticide is practised with no qualms whatsoever. Be it south or north of India, the gender discrimination is rampant all over. Very often she is discriminated against her more privileged brother at home; in school she is treated as ‘weak’ by her male classmates. As she grows older and goes out to work, she suffers discrimination and harassment of all kinds. In spite of all the so called ‘rights’ given to women, she is not free to go out alone after evening as the crimes against women have been consistently on the increase.

No country can progress if its women are not given their participation or are devalued in any way. There’s absolutely no reason why a ‘girl’ should be treated as inferior. It has to start right from birth. Urgent steps need to be taken to make parents and society aware of the equal importance of girls everywhere. Healthy public opinion must be created in the society against gender discrimination and all the undesirable activities that it gives birth to.

What is most required is required is compulsory education of girls so that they develop into self sufficient and self respecting individuals. Laws made to protect the rights of women must be implemented with honesty and efficiency. They should not simply stay on paper. If we want our country to grow and prosper, the females have to be  given their due place.

How can we control population of the world without interfering with individual rights

As the earth gets burdened with more population, the resources are bound to exhaust quickly. Therefore, it is important we take certain initiatives to control the population of our country. There are laws on family planning but they aren’t implemented rightfully in all parts of the world. Often people are made undergo sterilization or are not allowed to have their freedom in choosing the size of their family. Instead of forceful implementation of family planning laws, people should be made aware of the consequences of having a larger family they, on their own, are encouraged to size their family according to their income. This will motivate people to participate in family planning and the result will be very encouraging. Family planning is important because we need to conserve our resources for the generations to come. If we don’t do this, our population explosion is only going to overshoot the carrying capacity of our earth and our resources will no longer sustain for long.

Textbook knowledge has not much use in real life situations

Textbooks provide us with facts and figures. Facing real life struggles requires presence of mind and wisdom to apply the learned knowledge. For example, there are various books available on learning how to drive. But one cannot simply learn the book by heart and claims to be an efficient driver. One can learn the scientific theories from textbooks but cannot become a doctor. Similarly, to tackle problems in real life one should have experience and a sense of good judgement. Textbooks are a mere means where various data is collected and compiled for easy learning. They are never absolute and should not be taken literally. Just as experience cannot be created but should be felt, textbook knowledge cannot be used literally in real life. One needs imagination, curiosity and understanding brought together with the will to learn. 

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.

Teaching is an art and not everybody can become a great teacher. To be a great teacher, one needs an undying passion and love towards the work one is doing. Great teaching comes with dedication. Great teachers always set a positive example for their students and are also great motivators. They encourage and bring out the true potential within each student. Another great characteristic of a great teacher is that he/she is extremely patient. They do not flinch in explaining things to their students a hundred times over. Their tenacity and passion towards their work and students is what sets them aside and makes them inspiring. They not only construct destinies but also help make better ones. Therefore William Arthur rightly said, “The mediocre teacher tells. A good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires”.

Self imposed discipline is more effective than externally imposed discipline

‘Self-imposed discipline’ as the term suggests comes from within. Whereas externally imposed discipline is either forced or made obligatory. Most parents and teachers are of the opinion that children tend to display traits of self-discipline and self-control only when they are given the external push. But what parents fail to realize is that children who are made to submit to parental authority in their childhood end up as rebellious teenagers and delinquent juveniles. It results in a lot of anger and anxiety to well up inside a child and burst at a later stage. Self-imposed discipline on the other hand comes with a lot of freedom and space. The child is allowed to make mistakes and learn from them instead. This allows the child to have a broader aspect on living life well and growing up as a responsible individual. Therefore, it is rightly said that self-imposed discipline is more effective than externally imposed discipline. 

Education is all that is left when all that is taught is forgotten

Education is not just memorising facts; it is the effect that an individual has on his personality. True education is the sum total of one’s personality. If gathering facts is all about education a computer might be a well educated machine because it can store even more information than a human brain. When we are in school, we learn so many things that we would never be able to remember all of it unless we were to keep using it later in life. We, as humans, don’t typically seem to be able to simply remember everything we hear or read. Instead, we only remember things that matter to us or that we use over and over again. For this reason, our education tends to consist of those things that we learn in ways other than through school books. True education helps us to develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and socially.

Donating organs to save life is a divine act

Saving another person’s life is the highest act of virtue one can indulge in. It is truly a divine work if a simple act of donating organs can be used by someone else who is in dire need of it. Most of us lead a healthy life, unknown to all the misery and pain a few others have to go through. Not knowing if one will be alive to see the next dawn is nothing short of torture for the one undergoing it. If our little donation can give a few of them a glimmer of hope, then it is indeed a good deed. Doing good to others can never fetch any harm. All it does in return is fetch us more blessings and gives out a hope that there are people who care for others. Thus, one must donate blood or organs, whatever is within our reach. Donation Good-Do Nation Good.