Retrospection

The mind is the birthplace of philosopy of life. The mind often sets out on a journey undestined. The path is uncharted. The time is not stamped. Very often the past reawakens in the deserted corners of the mind. The triggering factor may be an event, a thought, an object or a person or ... who knows what? Retrospection is the privilege of a human mind. Probably in some moments of purposeful, intellectual retrospection, a philosophy of life begins to crystallize.

October 29, 2005

The Slate and the Pen


A common sight.


A 6 or 7 year old child going to school.

Heavily burdened with a bag full of books and note books.

Lot of stationery material laden on that tiny body. A pitiable scene!

I cannot help remembering the good, old stuff of stationery material: a slate and a clay-pen.

How can I explain that to the present generation? Luckily, Oxford Dictionary gives several meanings of slate and one them comes to my help. According to Oxford, a slate is "a piece of ... flat smooth ... plate used for writing on, usu. framed in wood".

Yes, we used to write on that greyish black slate with a clay-pen.

It was so convenient to write!

If you have written on the both the sides, you could easily wipe it clean with a small damp duster! And lo! It is ready for use again. We would use it for doing Maths sums and also for writing answers of science. No need for separate note books.

We used it till fourth stanadard without difficulty.


We did not have 'note-bookful' of information. We had knowledge stored in our minds.

October 06, 2005

The Indo-China War


1962.

A day at School used to begin with the morning assembly. A prayer followed by the principal's speech.

The topics varied from school activities and education to the current topics in the media.

Media? Before you ask, let me make it clear that the media comprised of the news-papers and the radio.

October 1962. There were indications of the worsening Indo-China relations. And the inevitable happened.

One morning, the principal grimly announced the Chinese invasion. We had learnt from the newspapers also, but our minds were too immature to grasp the gravity. What a master orator our principal was! He painted a pen-picture that left us shocked.

A couple of weeks later .....

Our school started the programmes of civil defence. The senior students were given the "Rifle-training" after school-hours. We would awefully watch them using the 'guns'! There were drills of "mock war" and "mock bombardment". Training of what to do in case of bombardment. Basic ideas of first aid. How to save the life and the property. How to help the wounded.

All that created a tempo: You must rise to the occasion as a true patriot and must defend your motherland at any cost. A thrill used to run through the nerves. Today, years later, I experience the same degree of thrill when I remember those days.

Responsibility and discipline began to frame our thoughts and actions.

I have read about the military training of Sparta. I doubt if it has any relevance today. Basically, I am a peace-loving, cultured and matured person. But I also acknowledge: The sense of responsibility and discipline developed during war-time - in childhood- has never faded!

The citizens are what they were made at young age.


October 01, 2005

Welcome 'Comments'!


Your comments are now welcome!

I had disabled comments so far (and you know why if you are a blogger!) My friends and well-wishers have urged me "to enable comments". So let it be today onwards!

Friends! Please share your genuine and sincere views in the wider interest of my viewers-young and old- so that we all are benefitted.

Thanks!