Lithuania – Rupert Brooke (IV Sem. Additional English)

The one act play ‘Lithuania’ by Rupert Brooke, depicts the home of a poor family living in a valley of —LITHUANIA, an agricultural country under Russian rule. When the play begins, a rich stranger arrives in the midst of this poor family for a night’s rest at this poor family when the father is not being at home. The mother and the daughter allow him to stay in their house and serve him food for the night. When the rich stranger asked about their son, the mother tells the stranger that he had run away when he was about thirteen and that she is not sure whether she will welcome him if he ever comes back home. When the father returns, the stranger reveals that he has a lot money and a gold watch with him and he shows his wealth before he is going to bed. Looking at the wealth of the stranger the family is being tempted to rob him as it had been under prolonged spell of poverty and misery. The stranger’s wealth provokes them for uncontrollable greed in the poverty stricken family. The parents and the daughter conspire to rob all his valuables and kill him in his bed. They justify their decision of killing the stranger by considering him as a thief and thought that the stranger had stolen money somewhere and had come to this place for safe shelter.

The father goes into the room with a knife but he is not courageous enough to kill the stranger. He wants to drink before killing him. He goes out for a drink and does not return for an hour. Meanwhile, the mother and the daughter are tired of waiting for father. The daughter takes an axe and kills the stranger ruthlessly with her mother’s assistance. The vodka shop keeper and his son bring the father home. The shop keeper reveals that the stranger was none other else but the son of the family who had run away from home when he was thirteen years old. He had now come back to share his wealth that he had accumulated with the members of his family and thereafter give them happy life. However, he wished to keep his identity a secret until the following day. He wanted to give them the most pleasant and thrilling surprise of their lives. This shocking revelation leaves the mother in remorse and anguish. After knowing that the stranger was her own son she could not control her sorrow and she continuously recalling how her son calling her and said. “He kept saying MOTHER …. MOTHER………” 

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Lithuania – Rupert Brooke

The one act play “Lithuania” by Rupert Brooke, depicts the home of a poor family living in a valley of Lithuania, an agricultural country under Russian rule. When the play begins, a rich stranger arrives in their midst for a night’s rest at this poor family when the father is not being at home. The mother and the daughter allow him to stay in their home for a night. They served him food in simple means. During the enquire of their well-being the stranger asked about her son, the mother tells the stranger that he had run away from home when he was about thirteen and that she is not sure whether she will welcome him if he ever comes home back. The daughter declares that her run away brother died of drowning in the water. Later on the father returns, the stranger reveals that he has a lot of money and a gold watch with him and shows it to them before going to bed.

The family had been under prolonged spell of poverty and misery. The stranger’s wealth and fortune provokes uncontrollable greed in the poverty-stricken family. The parents and the daughter conspire to rob him of his valuables and kill him in his bed. Then justify their decision by picturizing him as a thief. The father goes with a knife but he is not courageous enough to kill the man. He wants to drink much more ale to gather his courage before killing him. He goes out for a drink and does not return home for an hour and more to finish his task.

Meanwhile, the mother and daughter are tired of waiting for the return of the father. The daughter takes an axe and kills the stranger ruthlessly with her mother’s assistance. In the next day’s daybreak, the vodka shopkeeper and his son bring the father home. Knowing the grim situation of killing the stranger the vodka shopkeeper reveals that the stranger was none other else but their son, who had run away from the home. He has now come back home to share with them the wealth he had accumulated over the years when he had been away from the home. However, he wished to keep his identity as a secret until the following the day. He wanted to give them the most pleasant and thrilling surprise to their lives. This shocking revelation leaves the mother and the in an explainable remorse and anguish. In this unexpected bout of mental shock she goes on saying: “He kept saying Mother, Mother……”   

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Summaries for IV Semester Additional English

Lalajee – Jim Corbett

Lalajee was once flourishing grain merchant of Gaya. By mistake Lalajee had taken a partner for his business about whom he had known nothing. For a few years his business prospered and all went well. One day when Lalajee returned from a long journey he found his shop empty. To his utter dismay and shock he discovered that his partner had run away with all his wealth. The little amount of money he had with him was only sufficient to pay his personal debts. The circumstances forced him to leave his house where he lived until everything went well. He had no other option left with him but to seek an employment with some other rich merchant to take care of his family comprising his wife and a son. He worked for a merchant with whom he traded. For the next ten years he worked on seven rupees for a month.

Lalajee had come into contact with cholera in the train when he was on his way from Muzaffarpur to Gaya on his master’s errand. His condition grew worse on board of a ferry steamer. He slowly disembarked from the steamer and crawled close to the sacred waters of Ganges and prayed for his death. Jim Corbett, the author of this short story, had pity on this stranger lying on the banks of the sacred Ganges.  Immediately, Jim Corbett took him to an empty punkah coolies’ house next to his bungalow and placed him on the bed. He identified that the sick man was infected with cholera and there was no hope for his recovery. As there were no doctors nearby, the author started his crude method of treatment. He instilled faith in Lalajee that his treatment would definitely cure his disease. The next day the symptoms of improvement were shown in Lalajee had raised the hopes of Jim Corbett. At the end of the week he was able to get up and tell his story to Jim Corbett.

In the meantime, Lalajee recovered completely from his illness and stayed with the author for a month. He gained strength and prepared to go back his home. He approached Jim Corbett to seek his permission to leave for Gaya. While listening the story of Lalajee, the author Jim Corbett suggested him to resume his business rather than being servant to some master. Lalajee confessed his inability to start his business that he had neither money nor securities to provide surety for his loan. No one can believe a servant of seven rupees for a month to offer a loan five of hundred rupees that he required to start his business.

On the day when Lalajee was leaving for Gaya, Jim Corbett bought him a ticket and gave him five hundred rupee notes. The amount of five hundred rupees was almost a greater part of his entire savings. Lalajee was extremely happy and assured that he would return five hundred rupees within a year. The author, Jim Corbett had thought that it was beyond his capacity and forget about it later.

Lalajee started his business steadily and cautiously with meagre profits from transaction of three bags food grains per day to thirty tons of food grains and managed to get good rates of commission. He returned to Jim Corbett within the expiry of the time that he set himself. The author was very happy to hear that the successful story of enterprise and how his son settled in life by marring rich man’s daughter.  

Bankers Are Just Like Anybody Else, Except Richer – Ogden Nash

The poet, Ogden Nash says in his poem “Bankers Are Just Like Anybody Else, Except Richer” that his poem intends to celebrate banks. Thus, he makes the readers feel curious when the poet states that his poem celebrates banks. The banks will let us hear the clink-clank sound of the coins and the rustling sound of the currency notes. Of course, Money is an attraction that draws people towards it always and forever. Suddenly the poet changes the tone of his voice. He comments that bankers dwell in luxurious buildings. It is because they encourage deposits and discourage withdrawals. The stingy attitude of the bankers in lending and particularly to the poor sets the tone of the poem. He comments that banks are cautious conservatives and the bankers deny lending money to the needy. They dislike the people who have no money and no property to give them as security.

But the bankers shrewdly and tactfully behave with the rich persons. On seeing their rich customers they express their kindliness and greet them courteously and offer to lend as much money as they want. They would serve the rich customers with utmost care and affection. The vice-presidents of the banks nod their heads positively to such proposals. They would even send money to the customers’ place if they want.    

The poet says that bankers deserve our appreciation. The tone of the poet sounds very bitter and harsh. It means the very opposite of what is said.

The poet criticizes the too much commercial attitude of the bankers. They are pro-rich and anti-poor. The banks have to act as catalysts of social change. They have to see that the resources are evenly distributed among the various classes of society. They have to encourage the entrepreneurs and empower the deserving poor and hardworking people. But they are too cautious and conservative; they cannot discharge their duties to the society. They have to fulfill the objectives of the banking industry.  They play safe and fail to realize their obligations and duties; they would only facilitate the rich to grow richer and the poor become poorer.

The poet hints that bankers owe a duty to society. Wealth has to be distributed evenly. Those who do not have money but have the skills and talents, banks ought to help them to come up. But if the bankers play only by rules and stick on to their conservatism and pro-rich stance, they can earn profits without the ‘social gains’. Such attitude is absolutely undeserving. Thus, the poet prompts the bankers and readers to think of their duties and responsibilities with the ultimate objectives of the banking industry.

The Secret of Socrates – Dale Carnegie

Socrates was one of the greatest philosophers in humankind. He changed the course of human thought. He never told people they were wrong. Instead, he presented every question to be answered with a ‘yes’ response, winning one admission after another. After many affirmations, people found themselves supporting or embracing a conclusion that they would have bitterly objected to just minutes earlier.

Socrates’ secret is simple; begin all conversations on things which you agree. Do not begin by discussing differences. Emphasize common purposes and keep emphasizing these things. Keep your opponent saying ‘yes’ and, if possible, never permit him to say ‘no’. ‘No’ is difficult to overcome. Thus, it is of great importance to get people moving in the affirmation direction in soonest.

This is very simple technique but often overlooked and neglected as if some people get a rush off of self-importance by antagonizing others at the onset. Why antagonize other?

Carnegie concludes by citing an ancient Chinese proverb, “He who treads softly goes far.”

The Verger – Somerset Maugham

Part – 1

Albert Edward Foreman was a verger at St. Peter’s Neville Square. He served as a verger of the church for sixteen years efficiently and promptly to fulfill the duties of his office to the satisfaction of everybody concerned to the church.

The new Vicar of the church was so energetic and wanted everything to be proper and correct. The Vicar discovered that the Verger, Albert Edward Foreman was an illiterate who could neither read nor write. He made it clear to Albert that his work was quite satisfactory and that he had the highest opinion both of his character and of his capacity.  But he did not want to take any risk of some accident that might happen owing to his lamentable ignorance. He explained that it was a matter of prudence as well as of principle.

It was a great blow to Albert and he could digest the insult. The Vicar gave him three month’s time to learn to read and write. Albert resisted the proposal as it was somehow he did not like the new Vicar. When he rejected the proposal, the Vicar asked Albert that he would have to leave the church.

Thus, Albert Edward Foreman lost his job as a Verger of the church. His inability to read or write made him ineligible for the post. After his appointment sixteen years ago as a verger he had thought that the appointment was for life. But suddenly he became unemployed after a long service of sixteen years.

Part – 2

When Albert Edward Forman left the church, he was upset and deeply distressed. He strolled across the Square. He was sad and in deep thought. He did not take the street that led him home. He took the wrong turning. He walked slowly along. His heart was heavy. He did not know what he should do. He could not think of going back to domestic service after as a verger. He had saved a small sum but not enough to meet all his family requirements without doing anything.  He was a non-smoker but when he was tired he enjoyed a cigarette. It occurred to him now that a cigarette would comfort him. He could not find cigarette shop in the long street. It sounded strange to him. A tobacco shop in such a place would be profitable, he thought. The new idea that just occurred made him reflect seriously. He them turned and walked home. He considered the matter from every point of view. The next day he went along the street and by good luck found a little shop to let. It exactly suited him. The very next day he took the shop. He became business man. His wife said it was a dreadful to come down after being verger of St. Peter’s. But Albert had decided to move with the times to come. He did so well that in a year he began to think of taking a second shop. He got a good shop in another long street and started the business there. He put a manager in it. When the second shop was also a success, he searched all streets to find suitable places for his shops. Within the next ten years, he ran ten shops and made money. He went round to all of them himself every Monday, collected the week’s takings and took them to the bank.

Within short time Albert had kept thirty thousand pounds in his savings account. One-day the manger of the bank called him and advised him to invest his amount in some safe securities. Albert said that he did not want to take risk and wanted his money safe in the bank. The manager told him that there were safe securities and he could invest his money without least fear. Albert said that he did not know how and in which securities he could invest. The manager said to him that the bank would do it for him and he had merely to put his signature. After setting up the business Albert had learnt to sign. He asked the manager how he could know where he was investing. The manager said that he could read the document and then put his signature on that. Albert confessed that he could not read or write. It was a great surprise for the manager. It sounded him an extra-ordinary thing. Without knowing how to read or write Albert had amassed a huge sum. What he could have done had been a literate and educated. But Albert calmly answered him that if he knew to read and write he would have been the verger at St. Peter’s Neville Square and nothing more.

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Mother’s Day – J. B. Priestley

Mother’s Day, a play by J. B. Priestley, portraying the status of a mother in a household. Priestly humorously explores the story when Mrs. Pearson, in her forties, stands up for her rights and how her family reacts at this. Mrs. Pearson is very fond of her family and works day and night to support her family members in the best possible manner. However, she is upset at the way she is being treated. Nobody cares for her or asks about her. All day long she stays at home doing all the domestic work. In the evening when her children and her husband return she threw herself in meeting their demands. She did not want any dislikeable thing to happen in her household yet she craved for their attention and a little respect. She went to her neighbour Mrs. Fitzgerald, a fortune teller and a magician. Mrs. Fitzgerald looks older and heavier than Mrs. Pearson comes out with a plan. She proposed that they could exchange their bodies and then with Pearson’s body, she would teach a lesson to Pearson’s family that Mrs. Pearson could not do herself for she was too humble and nice woman to do that.

Though reluctant, Mrs. Pearson agreed to the idea and the two exchanged their bodies. Mrs. Pearson was still not sure and asked Mrs. Fitzgerald if she could get her body back from Mrs. Fitzgerald. However, determined Fitzgerald tells Pearson not to worry and that she would handle the matter carefully. She left for Pearson’s home with Mrs. Pearson’s body. She entered the home and knew what she was to do to teach Pearsons a lesson so they would not trouble Mrs. Pearson in future unnecessarily. Mrs. Pearson (Mrs. Fitzgerald’s soul) smoked a cigarette and was confident than ever. A few moments later, her daughter, Doris Pearson, entered the house and started demanding tea and her dress. Mrs. Pearson was sure to make her realise that she was Doris’ mother and not a servant. She was stunned to see her mother smoking and that she had not prepared tea for her and that her dress was not ready as well. Doris told her mother that she was to go out with her beau (boy friend) Charles Spencer on which the mother remarked if she could not find someone better. This broke Doris and she left weeping.

Then came the son, Cyril Pearson, who is amused at his mother’s strange behaviour. They get into an argument. The children could not baffle the situation. When the mother left to fetch the stout, the children discussed their mother’s behaviour. Doris felt that it might have been that mother got her head hit. Then enters mother with a bottle of stout and a glass half filled with it. The children began to laugh and the mother chided them and asked them to behave like grown-ups. Doris then asked her mother for her such behaviour and if they had done something wrong. Then Mrs. Pearson tells them that it is actually the children’s and her husband’s behaviour that has disturbed her. They always come and go without bothering about her. They demand duties from her and she does her best to keep everyone happy and still no body is bothered about her. She remarks that while the three of them do a job of forty hours a week with two days as weekend, she goes on working seven days round the clock. She proclaimed that she would do some work on Saturday and Sunday only if she is thanked for everything.

When the mother scolded Doris and Cyril duly, entered George Pearson and is annoyed at her wife sipping stout. He told her that he would have supper at the club and that he did not want tea. The wife told him that there was no tea. He got annoyed and the wife then said that when he did not want tea then why he was fighting for it. Mr. Pearson is flabbergasted at such conduct of his wife. The wife continues to rebuke the husband telling him that why he goes to club when he is a joke among all there. He is stunned and demanded the truth from his son. Cyril got upset at his mother yet told the father that it was the truth. Then enters Mrs. Fitzgerald (actually Mrs. Pearson). Mrs. Pearson (actually Mrs. Fitzgerald) told her that she was just putting everyone at place and that the things were alright. Mrs. Pearson (Mrs. Fitzgerald in body) requested to have her body then and Mrs. Pearson (Mrs. Fitzgerald in body) on a condition that Pearson would not go soft on her family again. They got into their original bodies and Mrs. Fitzgerald left. The mother and the children and husband smiled at each other and it was decided that they all will have the dinner together and play a game of rummy.

   

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A Distant Relative – W. W. Jacobs

The one-act play “A Distant Relative” by W. W. Jacobs is a well knitted humorous play. The play opens in the Spriggs’s living room. A middle aged at about fifty years old brick layer Mr. George Spriggs is seen standing up by the fire place.  His middle aged wife Mrs. Spriggs is also seen sewing at the fireside of the living room. Both Mr. and Mrs. Spirggs are hardworking couple whose hands are roughened by their hard work.  Miss. Ethel, the only daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Spriggs, is rather thoughtless young girl and eager to get married.  She is engaged to Mr. Alfred Potter who is hardly older than her age and they are going to be married in a fortnight. Of course, Alfred Potter is appeared a little pompous but stupidly ambitious.  Miss Ethel and Mr. Alfred Potter are spending lot of time in the kitchen to say good-byes to each other. They are enjoying in whispering and scuffling and pushing each other ignoring the presence of Ethel’s elderly parents.

Mr. and Mrs. Spriggs are worrying about the arrival of Augustus Price on parole. His sister Mrs. Spriggs called him lovingly ‘Gussie’.  Mr. Price is just released from the jail on ticket-of-leave (parole) in the morning and took some money from Mr. Spriggs in the afternoon for his rented tail-coat, fancy trousers and a top-hat. Mr. Spriggs warned Mr. Price not to tell about his jail life to Ethel and Potter but introduce himself in a dignified manner.  On the arrival, Augustus Price called his sister Mrs. Spriggs ‘Emma’ in weak and mournful voice and said that he had come home to die. Mrs. Spriggs consoled him and Mr. Price tottered into a chair wiping his tears with one of sleeves of his shirt. Later he assures his sister and his brother-in-law that he is going to introduce himself as if he is coming from Australia without trace of suspicion and he can manage it with his little knowledge about Australia from the books he read in the jail.

So, Uncle Augustus Price passed off himself as a millionaire in Australia. He boasted off  that he had left behind a large wealth in Australia and fleet of cars in his name. He had a chef (butler) with five foot-men to cook for him. It is all possible only for seven years of hard work.  He says that Australia is a land of opportunities and anybody may become rich there with a small investment and with considerable hard work.  He tried to entice the young Ethel and Potter to invest Potter’s money £ 280/- which was inherited from his aunt, in one of his companies and he can make it into ten folds within three years. Both Ethel and Potter, under the spell of Augustus Price, are prepared to handover their money to Price. Mr. Spriggs sensed that Augustus Price is going to threaten the peace of his family by cheating the young by extorting money from them on false promises.  

Mr. Spriggs in desperation pretends to report it to the police and rich uncle Augustus Price has to leave for Australia in a hurry. Thus the play ends happily.

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The Tiger in the Tunnel - Ruskin Bond

Twelve-year-old Tembu lives with his father Baldeo, mother, and young sister in a tribal village on the outskirts of a jungle forest in India. They rely on the produce from a small rice field for subsistence, but the land’s paltry yield provides them with little more than a bare living.

To supplement their income, Baldeo works as a watchman at a nearby way station for the railroad. Every night, he stays in a bare hut near a tunnel cut into the rock; his duty is to keep the signal lamp burning and make sure that the tunnel is clear of obstruction so that the overland mail can pass through safely.

When he does not have to help his mother and little sister at home, Tembu accompanies his father to his job at the railroad, sleeping with him in the hut. On this particular night, he awakens close to midnight to find his father preparing to leave to check the signal lamp and the tunnel. Tembu asks if he could go with his father, but his father, Baldeo responds that it is cold outside and that the boy should stay in the hut.

As Baldeo stumbles alone through the darkness, he thinks about the wild animals he might encounter. He has heard tales of a notorious man-eating tiger who is known to be very frequent in this area, but he has neither seen nor heard it so far during his nightly treks.

Despite the dangers in the forest, Baldeo walks with confidence. He is used to the ways of the jungle and carries a weapon, a small axe that is “fragile to look at but deadly when in use.” The axe, which his father made for him, is an extension of himself, and he is capable of wielding it with great skill against wild animals.

When Baldeo reaches the tunnel, he finds that the signal light is out. Hauling the lamp down by its rope, he relights it and hoists it back into its position. When this task is done, he walks quickly down the length of the tunnel to make sure it is clear, then returns to the entrance. The train is late, but soon the trembling of the ground gives notice of its imminent approach. Back at the hut, Tembu also feels the low, distant rumble; wide awake now, he waits for the train to pass and for his father to return.

In the moments before the train’s arrival, a tiger suddenly springs into the area before the tunnel and heads straight towards Baldeo, who sojourns there unprotected. Knowing that flight is useless, the watchman stands firmly with his back to the signal-post, and when the tiger attacks, he leaps to the side and tries to get the tigers neck by his axe but as the tiger ducks away, the axe strikes his forefoot and remains stuck in it almost severing it. The tiger groans while Baldeo is horrified as he was left unarmed. Back at the hut Tembu wonders why his father is taking so much time. Meanwhile, the tiger pounces upon the puny man and tears his body apart. After killing him the tiger sits down licking his leg where he was struck by the axe. Meanwhile, the ground shakes with the approach of the Midnight train. the tiger still is there. With great noise of the engine it enters the cutting with a shower of sparks. The tiger, seeing the train, lifts himself up and tries to walk out of the tunnel but he was not able to and was run over by the train.

While Tembu waits for his father to come back, there at a stop, the tigers half body was seen still above the cow-catcher of the train. Tembu comes out to search for his father and as he finds him dead, controls himself and protects his father’s body from the hyenas with the help of his father’s axe. Baldeo’s family was in a shock but life had to go on and Tembu had to take place of Baldeo.

In the end, Tembu was seen sitting at the cutting at the tunnel with the lamp lit and whistling to himself as he was not afraid of anything now for his father had killed the notorious man-eating ‘Tunnel Tiger’. Even if there is trouble, he had the axe to his defense. This thing of Nature is mostly experienced by the poor villagers and it is they who actually know how to overcome it.

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Water – The Elixir of Life – Sir C V Raman

In the essay ‘Water – The Elixir if Life’ Sir C V Raman praises the importance of water, which is the life giving force to all. The scientist says that man attempted to seek an imaginary elixir of life, the divine Amrita, to confer him immortality. But it ended in vain. According to him, water is the true elixir of life. One day he stood on the line that separated the Libyan Desert from the valley of Nile in Egypt. On one side he could see the Libyan Desert where there is no existence of life. It is a desert because of the shortage of water. On the other side he could see the fertile areas crowded with people. This remarkable difference is brought out by the Nile River from its source, till it flows down in to the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile River makes lands fertile and life happy and this magic is possible because of the availability of water.

Further, the author C V Raman speaks of the importance of the water stream or pond is a pleasing sight. The cattle quench their thirst from the stream or pond. South India is known for its rain fed tanks. When they are full they cheer us. But they are not maintained properly. They are shallow and often misused. If these tanks and ponds were not there, South India will be desert. Agriculture is not possible without water. If south Indian Agriculture is sound, it is because of the water in the tanks and ponds.

The sources of water reflects the mood of the hour, being bright ad gay when the sun shines, turning to dark and gay when the sun shines, and turning to dark and gloomy when the sky is overcast.  He says that water adds beauty to the countryside water in stream or pond is pleasing sight. South India is known for its tanks and ponds. In Mysore, rice is given in meal because of the presence of these tanks. Some tanks are unimaginable large. To see the sunrise and the sunset in them is a beautiful sight. He compares water in landscape to the eyes in human face. When the sky shines the water reflects the bright and gay sun. When the sky is overcast it looks dark and gloomy.

Thus the author C V Raman is trying to incorporate the idea of importance of water presence and how regular maintenance of tanks and water bodies can ward off the imminence of famines and shortage of food for millions. 

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Our Civilization – C. E. M. Joad (Additional English II Semester)

The celebrated essayist C E M Joad praises “Our Civilization” because it assures order and safety for every citizen. Without order and safety, those higher activities of mankind which make up civilization could not be possible. The higher activities which are the epitomes of civilization.  The inventor could not invent, the scientist could not find out anything new and the artist could not make any beautiful thing if not security assured. All disputes between man and man are settled in the courts of law. Thus, order and safety are the great achievements of our civilization today.

Our civilization is more secure than previous civilizations because it is much more widely spread. Most of the previous civilizations came to an end because savage (uncivilized) people broke in and destroyed them. This was the fate of Babylon, Assyria, India, China, Greece and Rome. Previous civilizations were specialized and limited like an oasis in a surrounding enormous desert of savagery. Eventually, the desert engulfed in and oasis was no more. But today, it is the oasis which spreading all over the desert. Practically no part of the world is untouched by it.

In modern civilization man’s life starts in the early morning with the use of machines as they are the gifts of modern civilization. People enjoy comforts and luxuries from morning till late at night either at their offices or at their workplace. More and more machines are used in day to day to make their life easy.  Countless number of machines and gadgets are invented to help us in every stage of man’s life.  All these machines are extra limbs to travel and extra arms to do some extra work, or even extra wings to fly for distant places.  Thus, man invented all these machines and made them his slaves to work for him.

Further, C E M Joad expresses his apprehension that one day or the other day man may become a slave to his own machines. Machines may become the masters over the men. They may dictate and govern all human beings as we rule our brainless animals today. So man has to engage himself to satisfy their (machines) needs and demands or else they may sulk and refuse to work.

For the first time, the entire world has now a chance of becoming a single whole unit. Today the food we eat comes from all over the world. The things in a grocer’s shop are from the ends of the earth. Today the world is beginning to look more like one enormous box. Therefore, there is little danger upon our civilization from outside. But the danger comes from only within; it is danger from among us. Thus, CEM Joad brings out the defects of our civilization.

DEFECTS OF OUR CIVILIZATION

The first Defect: Disparity in sharing of the National Income

Today, the sharing of national wealth, food, clothing, houses and other amenities is still very unfair. In England alone, in sharing the National Income, we find that one half of it is shared among every sixteen and the other half goes to seventeenth person. So, some people live in luxury and many others do not have enough to eat, drink and wear. Today, in England, thousands of people live in dreadful surroundings. There many families with eight to ten persons live in a single room. In this room they are born and in this same room they die, because, they are too poor to afford another room. Until everyone gets his proper share of necessary things our civilization will not be perfect.

The Second Defect: The Danger of war:

A still greater danger comes from war. Four years from 1914 to 1918, the most destructive was that the world has known, took place between the great nations of Western Europe. (CEM Joad had known only World War I at the time of writing this essay) the chief causes for this war were fear and pride. Each nation was afraid of the power of the other nation and each nation was too proud to admit it. Today, each nation is spending its greater part of its budget on war preparations thus leading to another which will probably burn up entire civilization altogether. However, to prevent the impending danger, all nations decide to set up League of Nations, the chief hope of the world, to settle disputes between the nations and ensure peace.

The Third Defect: The Danger from Machines:

The third great defect of our civilization is that we do not know how to manage our machines. Machines were made to be man’s servants; yet, they have grown to become his masters. Moreover, the machines are very stern masters. They must be fed with coal, given petrol to drink, oil to wash with and they must be kept at the right temperature. So, we have to wait upon them attentively and do all that we can to keep them in a good temper. The time may come when they rule us altogether, just as we rule the animals.

Thus, in this essay “Our Civilization” C E M Joad praises the remarkable progress that mankind has made in the field of civilization like order, safety and security. He also points out the dangers of our civilization in the form of dis-satisfaction, war and machines. The author feels that machines are not civilization but aids to civilization. If man will give his time and energy to removing the causes of quarrels between nations and discovering how to remove poverty then, our civilization would be greatest and the lasting that has ever been flourishing. 

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On Possession – A. G. Gardiner (II Sem Additional English)

On Possession – A. G. Gardiner

According to A. G. Gardiner ‘Possession’ is a kind of itch to own something for the mere pride. Possession is a disease of the petty and vulgar minds. Once Gardiner had come across a lady, who talked very vivaciously about her experiences of places, acquaintances of persons, books she read and other rare things she possessed. He noticed that she was only interested in them as long as they were her exclusive property. She felt unhappy and changes her topic on some other topic in a moment when she came to know that someone had already seen the place or possessed same thing that she had possessed or met a person with whom she had acquaintance. Similarly, her enthusiasm disappeared about the Hon’ble Ulik de Tompkins when she found that Gardiner himself had the honour of meeting with that eminent person. Thus, she had the itch of possession. The value of a thing of somebody’s possession ceases when some other person also possesses the same kind of thing. She ceased to enjoy either the person or the place. She could not have Tangier (an international tourist place in Morocco) all to herself but she felt it as if it is her own. Similarly, many people have the mania or madness of owning things that really do not need to be owned in order to be enjoyed

In general, his or her experiences must be exclusive or they have no pleasure in them. The man countermanded his order with a designer who produce a design on metal or glass with chemical action for taking the same order from some other person. Hence, Gardiner said that it was a petty and childish notion to possess something that no one had got it.

Thus, he goes on quoting several examples of exclusive possessions. Here, another person who hangs a picture of Ghirlandajo, a Florentine Painter, though it was duplicate copy, in his house but it gave him unexplainable pleasure. Though Ghirlandajo painted portraits of many of his contemporaries though he did not possess any of those pictures of his except this painting of bottle nosed old man looking at his grandchild.  This portrait is rarest of the rare kind that was hung in his room gave him more pleasure as it was an imponderable treasure stored in the galleries of the mind than any memorable sunsets he had seen and the books he had read and beautiful actions or faces that he remembered. He could enjoy more pleasure whenever he recalled all the tenderness of humanity that was seen in the face of the bottle nosed old man by the painter long centuries ago.  In case of, William Wordsworth was also not exceptional. He did not feel happy when De Quincy wrote poem adoring the Nature, because he believed that he was the high priest of the Nature.  

A. G. Gardiner concludes by stating that he cannot conceive a society in which private property is approved and he said that it will not be a necessary condition of life. He may be wrong since the war has poured human society into the melting pot. Hence, he said that he would be a daring person who ventured to forecast the shape in which it will emerge a generation or two. He did not believe in the concept of private property. He believed that mankind can live more conveniently and more happily without private property. According to him private property is only a human arrangement. However, he neither desire nor expect to the abolition of present private ownership. The itch to own things for the mere pride of possession is the disease of petty, vulgar minds. People are becoming richer in the materialistic acquisition than spiritual acquisition.  In the words of a great preacher “his hands were full but his soul was empty, and empty soul makes empty world”. So, it is not bad rule the pilgrimage of this world to travel light and leave the luggage to those who take a pride in its abundance. 

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GENERAL ESSAYS FOR IV SEM

Demonetisation – The Dawn of a new era of Indian Economy

Stronger the ills, stronger the pills! It was in line with this thought that on November 8, 2016 the Prime Minister gave a call for Demonetisation of high value Indian currency. As he exhorted the masses to participate in the Mahayajna to weed out black money and join the “festival of honesty and celebration of integrity,” the Indian economy looked at the dawn of a new and cleaner era. For the time being, the demonetization may be a bitter pill but it is a pill that is likely to cure many ills plaguing our economy.

The decision of demonetisation is expected to go a long way in nullifying black money hoarded in cash, corruption, terror financing and fake currency. Despite some temporary hiccups and downsides, the move is generally seen as provider of a big boost to national interests by discouraging parallel economy on one hand and giving a much-needed push to the cashless economy on the other. If a significant amount of black money held in cash comes into the banking system, the government will be able to utilize the resultant trail to boost tax collections in the longer run. As per one reliable estimate, demonetisation could lead to disclosure of 1 – 2% of GDP.

But, some economists point out to some short-term risks, particularly including a dip in the December quarter GDP growth and corporate performance. In the first policy review on post demonetisation, the Reserve Bank of India has already lowered the GDP growth forecast to 7.1% from 7.6%. Moreover, if money supply declines temporarily because of the demonetisation, then assuming no immediate change in velocity of circulation, we would see either some deflationary tendencies or lowering of real demand (economic activity). The demonetisation could rewrite some macro parameters.  

However, largely the economists believe that the demonetisation is likely to have several spin-offs for Asia’s third largest economy. It could lead to lower interest rates, lower inflation, improved tax to GDP ratio, rising public investments and healthy public finance. In fact, it could change the face of Indian economy; improve the government’s fiscal position and tax compliance. According to rating agency Crisil, the size of the cash economy will significantly shrink, as will black money generation avenues because of better trails of money flow.

Once the size of the parallel economy shrinks, the tax base will automatically widen. This will allow the government to reduce rates and boost consumption. A World Bank estimate says that the parallel economy was made up of about one-fourth of the total economy. According to Department of Economic Affairs Press release, “the world Bank in July 2010 estimated the size of the shadow economy for India was at 20.7% of the GDP in 1999 and rose to 23.2% in 2007…. A parallel shadow economy corrodes and eats into the vitals of the country’s economy… It generates inflation, which adversely affects the poor and the middle classes more than others. It deprives Government of its legitimate revenues which could have been otherwise used for welfare and development activities.”

It is significant part of economic activity lies beyond government’s size, an unfair burden is imposed on honest tax payers. Therefore, the demonetisation can catalyze long-term reform and gains.

Against this backdrop, our Union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley also says: “This is a big reform as it expands the GDP and makes it cleaner. It pushes revenues, pushes economy, pushes money into banking systems, curbs parallel economy, boosts Tax compliance ….. and is an effective way to make this country cashless…. Tax collections would increase, deposits will increase in banks and their capacity to support the economy will increase.”

As such, success of demonetization is being seen as the key to a more progressive and vibrant Indian economy. And the government and its various agencies are sparing no efforts to block all escape routes for the tax evaders. Large scale seizures of unaccounted money, necessary amendments to the Income-tax Act, 1961 through the Taxation Laws (Second Amendment) Bill, 2016 and the alternative scheme to disclose black money namely Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana 2016 are all oriented to that cause.

The forthcoming GST regime also impedes generation of black money in view of the enhanced transaction trail. Let us continue to be an effective partner in nation building and conscience keepers of national economy.

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DEMONETISATION

On November 2016, the Government of India announced the demonetisation of all ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes of the Mahatma Gandhi Series. The Government claimed that the action would curtail the shadow economy and crack down the use of illicit and counterfeit cash to fund illegal activity and terrorism. The sudden nature of the announcement — and the prolonged cash shortages in the weeks that followed — created significant disruption throughout the economy, threating economic output. The move was heavily criticized as poorly planned and unfair, and was met with protests, litigations and strikes. 

 

Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi announced the demonetization in an unscheduled live television address at 20.00 Indian Standard Time (IST) on 8^th of November. In the announcement, Modi declared that the use of ₹500 and ₹1000 banknotes of the Mahatma Gandhi series would be invalid past midnight, and announced the issuance of new ₹500 and ₹2000 banknotes of Mahatma Gandhi series in exchange for the old banknotes.

The BSE Sensex and NIFTY stock indices tell over 6 percent on the very next day after the announcement. In the days following the demonetization, the country faced severe cash shortages with severe detrimental effects across the economy. People seeking to exchange their banknotes had to stand in lengthy queues, and several deaths were linked to the inconveniences caused due to the rush to exchange cash.

Initially, the move received support from several bankers as well as from some international commentators. It was heavily criticized by members of the opposition parties, leading to debates in both houses of parliament and triggering organized. Protested against the government in several places across India. The move is considered to reduce the country’s GDP and industrial production. As the cash shortages grew in the weeks following the move, the demonetization was heavily criticized by prominent economists and by the world media.

20th January, 2017

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Science and Technology

The insatiable thirst for knowledge never ends and inexhaustible. Man is never tired of finding out what he fails to know once. His efforts have been expanded to the horizons of knowledge. Sky is the limit in triumph of modern man.

The modern age challenges the man with its complexity although he achieved a lot. It is eternal quest for knowledge makes man more optimistic than pessimistic to find out the remedy for every riddle in his life. The world has become smaller than before due to tremendous inventions and developments in every dimension of progress such as communications and travel facilities. But man does not satisfy with what he accomplished.

The western world achieved incredible development by passing through two major Industrial Revolutions while India trudging for its existence from its futile multi-facetted lingual and communal problems. The Industrial growth and economy brought change in every walk of life in European community. Hence, India relegated to centuries of backwardness of both Research and Industrialization.

However, the young Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who came to office in 1985, dreamt for India’s 21^st century prospectives and challenges and tried to lead the country to step into the future century by welcoming the third Industrial Revolution Known as Computer Revolution. This bold decision minimizes the gap from centuries to decades and decades to a few years between west and east. India is, however stepping forward rather slowly towards maturity in every dimensional progress.

India is, in fact, trying to develop indigenous world-class technology rather than import. ISRO’s successful INSAT-2A is the landmark of India’s matured capabilities in satellite building for multi-purpose applications, which launched in July 1992. IRS-IA is the first successful satellite, which preceded INSAT-2A with total indigenous capabilities orbited in March 1988; spread wings of Indian Technology Mission. Rightly said ISRO’s chairman Prof. U.R. Rao that Indian satellite technology has reached maturity.

The other successful stages of accomplished development like atomic explosion at Pokharan in Rajasthan on 18 May, 1974 headed by Dr. Raja Ramanna; launching a Centre for Development of Telematics (C – DoT) in Delhi led by Sam Pitroda; BHEL’s and Development Centre in Hyderabad are worthy to note. 

India’s Defense Research and Development Base – Hyderabad has just crossed three milestones by successfully testing highly sophisticated computerized missiles in recent years. ALH (Advanced Light Helicopter) which adds another feather to the plethora of successful achievements of India by HAL – Bangalore by the joint venture with Euro-Copter – Germany. Though we achieved a great deal is less than what we achieved, a great deal is less than what we need. India is many miles to go to meet the needs of the people.

24.2.93.

Adieu: 

Adult Education

Man is no better than a beast without education. Education is light, which illuminates all dark corners of human brain. It is not merely learning three R’s, i.e., Reading, Writing and Arithmetic. It is a change from good to better and better to best. Thus and educated person is one who grows creatively, without change in creativity life remains dull and drab.

India lives in her villages. There are millions of uneducated people live in her/our villages. These people do a number of jobs to earn their livelihood. As a result of illiteracy of these millions, nation is relegated to backwardness. Education gives them, new skills and talents and it increases their efficiency.

India, with its lofty idea of education to rural millenium, launched National Adult Education Programme (NAEP) in 1978, followed by the State Adult Education Programme (SAEP), which accounted rather modest results. In 1985, Rajiv Gandhi government, which took office included literacy as one of its Technology Missions, and on May 5^th 1988 the Prime Minister launched the National Literacy Mission (NLM). All these programmes took shape into Total Literacy Campaigns (TLCs) proved outstanding success in Ernakulam district, by the then collector of Ernakulam shaping into fully literate district by over 20,000 volunteers involved to educate more than 1.5 lakh illiterates. Each volunteer had put in around 240 hours over a six-month period to achieve this Herculean task. By February 4^th 1990, the date which, the Prime Minister V.P. Singh declared Ernakukam the first literate district in the country.

Thus, today the Government of India (GoI) is spending millions of rupees on Adult Education. Though Adult Education Programme gives Education to the countryside adult agriculture labourer and it dispels his idleness. Farm labourers by the help of their education they may put his leisure in productive way but the achievements of AEP are not satisfactory. Let us wish Adult Education Programme should be a successful one though it is an image of gold with feet of clay and hope for golden harvest.  

13.2.1993.

Secularism

Secularism is not atheism but it is dedication to the core of all religions. Secularism is more a social ideal than a political policy. Every religion believes in the essential dignity of every individual irrespective of creed or clan. Secularism is the direct continence of humanism. It clearly demonstrates the peaceful co-existence of all people belonging to various clans and communicates.

India is a land of unity in diversity. It is the land where a number of different languages and religions are existing. Despite all these India ought to secure Unity, Harmony and Tolerance among people. Though, people belong to various faiths and religions ought to live together at peace. Thus, millions of people have to contribute to the rich treasure of culture and heritage of India.

Above all, all religions preached love, compassion and tolerance albeit through different ways. God or no God, rebirth or rebirth, one must live as a good human being, helping and not harming fellow citizens. Harmony and friendliness are the basis for peace and Prosperity – it does not happen by miracle – we have to work for it.

Growing Hindutva and its fanaticism is a trauma of secular ideology of Indian constitution. The 464 – year – old Babri Masjid has been razed to the ground and led to serious repercussions of killing and looting – Secularism is at stake.

Ours is an ancient country and hence our history is ancient. There is a great deal that has come down to us as a legacy. It is both varied and rich and has the happenings of the time’s woven into it. We need not only respect this heritage but also to hand it down to posterity.  What was bequeathed to us is the bonding between successive generations and communities. We must also remember that our national heritage knows no religion.

Let not our people are killed for the sake of futile political gain for a few. Secularism is a living idea that strengthens the base of unity of humanity. Though the Republic of India and its secular constitution received the biggest blow in its 45 years existence when the mob of vandals destroyed the 16^th century monument. 

18.2.93.

The Olympic Games

The Olympic Games have become so much a part of our lives that we are no longer curious about its beginnings. We talk of legendary sportsmen and their exploits at the games but a few of us know the legends behind the games. The first Officially recorded Olympic Games was held as far back as 776 BC. But the Games are believed to have begun as early as 1370 BC. 

According to legend, the games were conducted to commemorate the victory of the Greek God Zeus in his battle with a rival God Tronous for possession of the Earth. The battle was believed to have fought at Olympia in Greece, said to be abode of Gods, and the games were held periodically in Olympia. And there are many legends, which explain the beginning the legendary Olympic Games.

The Olympics in ancient Greece began in a small way with a few games, and few competitors from nearby regions, but soon grew to be a mammoth festival. Participants came from every corner of Greece, and a sacred truce was declared during the games to enable warring states to partake amicably and to ensure safety of all participants and spectators. 

The ancient Olympics were not merely spectacles of physical prowess. The Olympic festival continued for five days and there was big fair. The Greeks, who believed in the harmonious development of the body and soul, included in Olympics, Competitions for poets, dramatists and orators. The Games became so popular that in later years even the Romans participated in them. In 65 AD Emperor Nero of Rome took part in the chariot race at the 211^th Olympiad. He was awarded the prize although he did not complete the course!

There were, in all, 293 Olympics spread over 1,168 years.  The games finally came to an end in 393 Ad when the roman Emperor Theodesius banned them. The reasons for the ban are not certain.

Exactly 101 years ago, in 1892, the Baron de Coubertin, French founder of Modern Olympics, gave his clarion call for the resurrection of the games. French aristocrat and educationalist who wanted to restore the glory of sport and promote Global Peace and understanding through medium of sport. In 1893, he was instrumental in calling an in international conference at Paris in which 13 nations were represented and unanimously adopted the Coubertin’s proposal of holding the Olympic Games every four years. Accordingly, the first modern Olympics were held, quite appropriately, in Athens in 1896. The Baron also introduced the Olympic Flag, with it five colourful interlaced rings, at the Antwerp Olympics in 1920. The five rings represent the five continents and their colours include colours from the flags of all partaking countries, which supports the spirit of international good will.

17.2.1993.

Integrated circuits/ Microchips

Electronic devices – including computers, portable stereos, calculators, microwave ovens or cookers and digital watches – are all around us, making modern life more convenient. In spite of their many differences, these devices all rely on the same invention – the integrated circuit (IC), also known as the micro chip – which can calculate, process, send, receive and store information faster, more cheaply and more accurately than any other machine ever made.

A microchip or IC is a collection of thousands of electrical circuits, all of them tiny and laid out on wafers of silicon about the size of a fingernail. Information enters as pulses of electric current. These chase along the pathways of the circuit, picking up other pieces of information, changing it, working on it, keeping some bits and rejecting others, and producing a new set of information at the other end within a flash of time.

The speed and the potentiality of a microchip or IC are really amazing. For example, predicting the world’s weather condition is a complex business. The computer of the British Meteorological office can make up to 80 billion calculations in a second, although it usually operates at 1 billion calculations a second. A six-day global weather forecast takes it about 15 minutes to work out. 

The smallest IC of the world is called a Tiny mite. It is surrounded by its electrical connectors and total microchip is designed on its panel is the size of a human fingernail.

As we know, the computers are digital machines, chiefly working on integrated circuits. The means of storing and processing all information like words, music, pictures and sounds – as long strings of numbers, or codes. Computer programmes, also known as software, tell a computer how to process its information by breaking down every task into a series of simple steps. These are carried out at amazing speeds. Some home computers or personal computers can deal with 400 million codes per second; bigger machines are considerably faster than this.

These microchips are applied in various activities of our lives, particularly where human eye failed to judge. For instance, some tennis players can serve a ball at 200 km/h, which is too fast for the eye to follow the ball clearly.  In professional matches, linesmen and umpires rely on an electronic eye to tell them if a service of the ball has crossed a line or not. The system sends an infrared beam along the service line, about 15mm above the ground. If the service of the ball crosses the beam; a microchip activates a warning beeper and a red light in the lineman’s box.

Thus microchip or IC has become an indispensable object, which continuously making our lives more easily and more efficient than ever before.

14. 11.2003.

Communalism in India

National Integration is a psychological process. It means a well-knit society in which all are loyal to their country. It means that every Indian irrespective of caste, creed, language or religion belongs to India and is proud of his country. National Integration is very important for the all round development of the country. In fact, its existence depends on it.

Despite the feeling of oneness, unity and commonness in India, BJP a political wing of Sangh Parivar and RSS, decided to come into power by hook or crook even going to the extent of enchasing the sentiment of the people at the cost of National Integration. The party started opposing everything that is related to the particular section of people in the country. BJP has taken up many issues and utilizing every opportunity time to time to gain political popularity.

The Sword of Tipu Sultan:

Early in 1990, in Bombay, the BJP sought a court injunction to prevent the screening in India of a Television serial entitled The Sword of Tipu Sultan. The programme contained material, which in the volatile and deteriorating climate of communal relations on the sub-continent raised the ire of certain orthodox Hindus. The case itself generated both controversy and debate and was symptomatic of a growing school of thought within India, which no longer regarded Tipu as the great hero he had once been.

Hubli Idga Maidan:

The sensitive issue is hoisting a National Flag at Hubli Idga Maidan. Local Muslim community initially opposed it. BJP made it a national issue and tried to split the community into two in this connection. Many innocent people had been victimized through out state through provocation of some leaders. We all aware the Sessions Court of Hubli issued an arrest warrant to MP CM Mrs. Uma Bharathi on the charges of coaxing the people. Mrs. Uma Bharathi sent her resignation to the party president on 21.8.04. 

Ramjanma Bhoomi Vs Babri Masjid:

Ramjanma Bhoomi, is one of the major issues to BJP, which yielded unusual results to grow its popularity to national status. BJP succeeded in building national consensus on the sentiment of the people. It has persuaded Ramsaveks across the country to demolish the controversial construction Babri Masjid and planned to construct Ram Mandir on the site. It was demolished on December 6^th 1994. This incident sparked a virulent communal violence not only across the country in neighbouring countries also.

Godhra Incident:

The Sabarmathi train, in which Ramsevaks returning after the demolition of Babri masjid, was attacked and torched by some fanatic miscreants. There were 54 Ramsevaks were burnt to death. This incident raised unusual communal violence in Gujarat. According to Arundathi Roy, a social activist, a member of the Fact-Finding Committee, ‘It is terrible to live in Gujarat as a Muslim’.  The Govt. supported violence claimed innumerable lives of innocents. Supreme Court in this connection of carnage called the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, a Nero. 

Best Bakery Case:

The nation was stunned when Zaheera Sheika, a key witness in the Best Bakery Case in Gujarat publicly started in July 2003, that she had lied in court under threat to her life. Earlier, the Judge of the fast-track court that tried the case had acquitted all the 21 accused, relating to the murder of 14 Muslims in the communal violence in Vadodera on March1, 2002. The Judge said that the evidence was inadequate and criticized the police for shoddy investigation.

Zaheera, 19-year-old girl, whose relatives were burnt to death in the family-owned bakery, had earlier identified the prime accused. But once inside the court accompanied by a BJP MLA, of the total of 73 witnesses, as many 40, including Zaheera’s mother, two brothers and a sister, turned hostile.

Zaheera’s statement served as a rude wake up call that raised serious questions about how fair all other post-Godhra case trails will turn out to be. There was a chorus of protests from human activists who accused the Gujarat Government of conspiracy to bail out the killers.  They called for re-opening of the Best Bakery Case. Alleging that the key witnesses in this and other riot cases were living in fear, they asked that all cases be tried outside Gujarat. 

NHRC Chairman, Justice A.S. Anand termed the Best Bakery Case verdict as a ‘miscarriage of Justice’ and urged the state government to appeal in the High Court against it. As state government showed no signs of doing it, the NHRC approached the Supreme Court seeking retrial of the case. However, on the day before the NHRC’s petition came up for hearing in the Supreme Court, the state government filed an appeal in the High Court. Later in September the Supreme Court flayed the Gujarat Government for filing ‘eyewash’ of an appeal in the High Court and asked the Government to ‘quite if you can not prosecute the guilty’.     

Conclusion:

In spite of all the disturbances and political turmoil, the country unites one. There is a character in the blood of Indians to be united to keep the National Integration undisturbed. It is the country where people live with pride in unity diversity.

17.8.2004.