Scourge of Illiteracy in India

By – Supriya

With India on the verge of being the most populous country, the only gizmo that can decide the country ‘s fate now is education. Education alone possesses the power to convert the population of 1.21 billion Indians from liability to assets. Today, human asset is the most valuable and prized resource. The dire need is to provide the requisite skills to transform it’s masses into massive working force. The first step towards the arduous but rewarding journey is literacy – the ability to read and write with understanding . While the country boasts of its IT revolution the world over and churns out world – class software professionals and engineers , it is disgraceful that 1/4 th of the country is still illiterate. Today, India’s literacy level is well below the world average literacy rate of 84% . In comparison to other nations , India ‘ s education program is lagging far behind other nations and currently India has the largest illiterate population of any nation on the earth. According to 2011 census, literacy rate of India is 74.04% . Moreover, a wide gender disparity in the literacy rate can be observed as literacy rate for men was 82.14% , in comparison to 65.46% for women. The low female literacy rate in turn directly affects family planning and population stabilization efforts.
Although over the years, the country’s literacy rate has improved manifold , yet with the level far below the world average literacy, much is left desired. India ‘ s ten states and union Territories , including Kerela , Lakshadweep , Mizoram , Tripura ,Goa, Daman and Diu, Puducherry , Chandigarh , National Capital Territory of Delhi and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands , have attained literacy rate of above 85% , but states like Bihar, Jharkhand , Jammu and Kashmir and Uttar Pradesh faint in comparison. While Kerela has the highest literacy rate at 93.91% followed by Lakshadweep at 92.28%, Bihar is at the lowest rung of the ladder with literacy rate of 63.82% followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 66.95% . It is an anomaly that Bihar , which gives large number of Civil Servants to the country, houses a vast population that cannot even read and write! Illiterate parents and parental attitudes , rampant corruption in Bihar ‘ s political and governmental setup to sustain reign by keeping the public illiterate and unaware , poor infrastructure , poor educational initiatives and rising population forms a vicious circle of non – progress and illiteracy. Presently, India faces many hiccups that are an impediment to our desired literacy rate. Those living in rural areas are the biggest victims as rural schools operate in extremely poor conditions . While the lack of teachers creates many obstacles for children in rural schools , another setback is the lack of resources which becomes detrimental to the learning process. Lack of books and other reading materials ; lack of proper infrastructure , basic amenities like toilets and electricity are other major problems. Besides , the availability of high – tech devices such as computers is extremely rare.
In this regard, the government has taken a number of initiatives to provide free education programs to poor people living in villages and towns through setting up new schools and colleges. Several Committees have been formed to ensure optimal utilisation of funds to improve literacy rate. 21000 Crore has been allocated in the 2011 budget for Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan to accelerate the literacy drive in India . Through judicious use of allocated amount , the fortifying scale and the requisite quality of primary education can be achieved. Literacy in India is a key to socio – economic development as it initiatives awareness in people to work towards a better living. It is thus a starting point for modernization , urbanization , industrialization growth and commerce and advanced communication . To build a nation with strong social , economic and political foundation , Literacy is indispensable.

THANKYOU !

The Perfect Body

All day all night we hear people talk how important it is to have a healthy body and heart. How companies market their products on the prospect of delivering a healthy and fit body, mind and heart. But all these advertisement, marketing etc, are they really about the healthy body? Or are they only about the perfect body? The body which is popularly accepted and appreciated view of a healthy body is taken as the perfect body. Ever since the beginning of the human life, individuals have been involved in various physical activities not just to feed them self but also to stay healthy and fit and in this light the GYM culture was born. But as time progressed and humans got an understanding of beauty and gorgeous body they started with the obsession of having and making other people know about their perfect body. This obsession could be more dangerous than any other addiction.

Bollywood Influence=

As beings grow up and realise that the bollywood culture is all about the body that could serve as the apt body for a dancer, a model, an actor, they start struggling for this body. The bollywood influences not only the perspective a person has about overall aspect of perfect body but also they serve as the base for the self complex that people face after they find out that getting the perfect body isn’t a true reality but sometimes rather a myth. The actors toil hard in getting their shape right for all the right reasons of portraying their best selves but as they devote their entire time for it, it might look effortless to achieve. But when individuals fail in getting near to that perfect body they start hating themselves and end up with their worst self, not physically but mentally.

Societal Pressures=

However blaming bollywood for every other thing isn’t the goal. But rather is to highlight the fact that bollywood gets its movies from the society around and hence, it is actually the society that manifests a type of body as the perfect body. We see older men and women commenting mercilessly on the younger generations’ body and eating habits. Though correcting them for their wrongs might be okay sometimes but completely rejecting their bodies for they do not serve rightly on their perception of perfect body is erroneous. They body shame not the ones who are overweight or underweight but even the one who discard their standard of beauty and perfectness. The uncles and aunties in the mask of wanting the welfare of the children of their ‘family’ stoop low to another level.

Self love=

Today with people coming out with their stories of distress and anxiety because of the kind of body they have, many organisations and individuals have been promoting the values of body positivity and self love. Body positivity is about accepting who you are and loving thee body as god made it. Though exercising might help in increasing stamina and keeping you happy and healthy but body positivity is about exercising with the love for the body and not the hate, it is about working out for own happiness and not because our body is flawed. Self love is actually the key to the perfect body- a body that is healthy, free of diseases, with a happy heart and liberated mind.

Portrayal of transgenders in Indian advertising.

Bhima Jewellery’s ‘Pure as Love’ campaign with transgender student and model Meera Singhania is the latest in a small but growing number of Indian advertisements featuring trans people. Vicks India, Ralco Tyres, Brooke Bond Red Label and Nykaa are some of the other brands that have woven stories of trans people into their recent ad films. While these ads may tick boxes like diversity and inclusion, what do trans people think of them?   

Biraja Mishra, a trans woman from Bhubaneswar pursuing a degree in gender studies, says, “I do not appreciate ads that speak of trans people as sacred beings with links to mythology. We want to be treated as equal citizens, not exotic creatures. Ads may also create the impression that all trans people want to undergo medical transition. That is simply not true.”

Medical transitioning involves a variety of expensive procedures such as hormone therapy, laser hair removal, top surgery, vaginoplasty, hysterectomy, phalloplasty, facial feminization surgery, breast augmentation. Trans people may or may not choose medical transition based on their relationship with their body, access to funds, availability of social-emotional support, or for other reasons. It is a personal matter, and intrusive questions are best avoided.

Corruption in India

By – Supriya

While India is at the threshold of becoming superpower , the rising GDP and the process of the country is getting eaten by the corrupt leeches of the country. Today , the common man is not only shocked but disgusted at the series of scams unfolding everyday – 2G Spectrum Scam , Common wealth Games Scam- the list is shamefully endless. An average Indian citizen is hard working and diligent, but a multi – thousand crore scam fumes a tax – payer as he feels heartbroken and cheated for his valued contribution of funds towards the development and well- being of the nation.

Political and bureaucratic corruption in India is the cause of major concern today. From brides to political maneuvering to misuse of authority to scandals – the average Indian daily finds himself struggling in the cobweb of political graft. The in – charge of the system, the so – called sarkari Babus, with whom the power lays, are spreading the venom of corruption , and abusing their political power at all levels. The 2G scandal scam worth ₹1.76 – lakh crore tops the list. At the heart of this scam is the former Telecom minister A Raja who evaded norms at every level as he dubiously, issued 2G licences to private telecom players in 2008 at throwaway prices of 2001. While issuing licences, rules and procedures were flouted for bribes and personal gains.

Another major scandal hit India when the great sporting bonanza, Commonwealth Games 2010, was rather turned into a playfield of frauds, deceit and unaccountability. The chief of the Games Organizing Committee, Suresh Kalmadi , is charged with corruption for discrepancies in tenders – like payment to non – existent parties, willful delays in execution of contracts, over-inflated price and bungling in purchase of equipment. Misappropriation of funds soaked this grand event in ₹8000 crore corruption scandal. After the 2G spectrum and Commonwealth Games, another massive ₹ 35000 crore Food – Grain scam to light in Uttar Pradesh , as huge stock of food grain meant for distribution under the Antyodaya , Annapurna and Mid – Day Meal schemes was smuggled outside the state and even to other neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal . It is believed that top officials of the state as well as the central government colluded to divert the food grain between 2001 and 2007. ‘ Chara Ghotala’, as it is popularly known in the vernacular language , Fodder Scam is another major scam that puts a big question mark on the integrity and honesty of our politicians. The scandal worth ₹900 crore involved fabrication of vast herds of fictitious livestock for which fodder, medicine and animal husbandry equipment was supposedly procured. The scandal is another example of misuse of authority for personal gratification and fulfillment of selfish motives. While the Indian politics is already replete with scandals like Bofors scam, Urea scam and Hawala scandal , a new blot of a bigger magnitude emerges every day. The existing cases are pending and large number of cases pile up with every passing day.
Fed up with such inadequacies , the people of India have taken initiative to bring change through the Jan Lokpal Bill. Under the leadership of Anna Hazare , an anti – Corruption crusader, who began a fast – unto – death , the mass movement of people saw an expression of their collective anger against corruption and their willingness to see the enactment of the Jan Lokpal Bill. The bill seeks for the appointment of a Jan Lokpal , an independent body, which would investigate corruption cases, complete the investigation within a year and envisage trial in the next one year. This would ensure expeditious trial and cases against corrupt people will not linger on for years. The bill also proposes to confiscate the property and recover the loss that a corrupt person caused to the country, at the time of conviction . Most importantly, it would help a common citizen as financial penalty on guilty officers would be imposed if work of any citizen is not done in prescribed time in any government office. The Jan Lokpal Bill is a step forward in the forward in the fight against corruption . This effective mechanism aims to bring transparency and accountability in public administration for preventing , punishing and eliminating corruption in India.

THANKYOU !

L

The Habit of Reading

We have heard people telling us to read books for improving ourselves. There are a number of different books that people read so as to be in the habit of reading. Sometimes people read to entertain themselves and other time they read to pass their time and further some might read to improve their knowledge of certain language. There can be a lot of reasons of reading books and all of them are certainly justifiable. But very often it has been observed that people don’t actually read but they just put it in their resumes to look more apt for the jobs they apply for. But why do people insist on including the reading habit in their resumes even when they don’t really read? The answer is that people know the importance of reading but they hardly care to actually read. Some people believe it to be highly boring when they have to read and thereby completely ignoring the benefits of reading.

With reading our knowledge of a certain language improves. There are examples where people who are indulged in reading are better off in communicating their thoughts in a particular language as they read in that language. When people read in one language they usually start thinking and then conversing in that language. They get a hold of a certain language just by reading in that language. Reading not only improves their vocabulary but also help them enhance their overall knowledge. Reading just not mean reading novels, or books but it might also mean reading blogs, news etc, which enhances their knowledge and makes them smarter than they were before they started reading. Reading gives a person a sought of confidence that they get because of the knowledge which they achieve as they feel more comfortable in participating in intelligent conversation for they have their own say now.

The habit of reading as some might believe or some might not but teaches the art of patience. For to complete a thriller novel you cannot skip to the end or reach to the climax as some might do in movies and web series, for you need to follow the story word by word, sentence by sentence and page by page, so as to feel the euphoria of finally getting to the end. This euphoria can be achieved only by the art of patience as taught by reading. Reading improves our level of concentration for it is important to focus only on the story while reading it for we would be lost if we lose if slightest of our attention away from it. Reading improves our attention span and gives us some major focus goals. We see people reading while travelling in metro, while waiting for someone, just before going to sleep, all of this and more proves how entertaining reading could be. The best possible thrill, excitement, emotions of happiness, sadness, love, hate and others that reading make us feel are surely something we cannot even experience through some movie or other digital works.

SYMBOLIC ANALYSIS OF NISSIM EZEKIEL’S POEM “IN THE COUNTRY COTTAGE”

This works intends to analyse the elements of symbolism in Nissim Ezekiel’s poem ”In the country cottage”. Ezekiel is considered as a master in the use of symbols and images. Symbolism is the literary device that uses symbols, like words, locations and abstract ideas to represent something beyond literal meaning. Thus the use of symbolism add emotion, imagery, themes and sometimes it defines characters present in a literary work. Nissim Ezekiel is a poet who use highly evocative and suggestive symbols and images in his poetry. The images and symbols usually used by Ezekiel are women, natural elements like hill, river, sky, sun etc. These symbols give pictorial quality to his poems. Even though he uses simple language and less use of words, it makes the work impressive and sharpens the intended meaning.

In the poem In the Country Cottage the speaker talks about a particular night in a cottage when a lizard came out at night.All the other members of the house seemed lazy and decided to go to bed early as the saw the lizard. Then Nissim Ezekiel shows the image of the lizard through his description.The gray coloured stout lizard was laying without any movements. Poets says that the lizard seems to give a lesson of patience. As the poet says, “…he was more alive than us in silent energy..” the lizard was more alive than humans, in it’s silent energy. The lizard gave his full concentration in this act of waiting for the cockroaches. Its only intention was to kill the cockroaches and in silent energy it outed for them. The next morning the other family members woke and found that the lizard completed its job with utmost ‘cleanliness’ and left the place.

Even though the poem presents ordinary things and is shorter with lesser words, the symbol of lizard is significant. The lizard can be considered as the symbol of cleanliness, patience and dutifulness.Thus it shed light on the line of the achieves who both work hard and remains patient for achieving the goal. Thus it is a symbol of perseverance and will power. By the use of this symbol poet urges the people to save their energy for better purpose, instead of wasting time for futile activities. Thus Nissim Ezekiel places the ordinary lizard for superior to lazy humans. It can be said that he is a poet who make use of the ordinary situations and creatures and makes great poems from them. From the ordinariness of human life he emphasizes the philosophy of life. As said earlier, Ezekiel is considered as a master in the use of symbols and images. His major poems like Enterprise, Night of a Scorpion,The Professor, Philosophy and Marriage possess such symbolic and pictorial qualities. Examples from the poem Enterprise is the use of the symbol “pilgrimage”, which stands for life and “sun” stands for hostility between nature and human aspirations.

While analyzing these symbols in his poems it can be concluded that he is a great artist. The symbolism he used in his work had deep meaning which can encourage any reader to think further about the life from a fresh perspective. By the use of images or symbols of primitive simplicity, he shows the world that poetry does not have to deal with great philosophical truths to be impressive, and ordinary situations are more than enough.

FOREIGN LANGUAGE INFLUENCE ON ENGLISH

The fact. English is not a pure language is accepted by everyone. It has borrowed many words from different foreign languages and it enriched the English vocabulary. The words borrowed from other languages are known as loan words. According to F T Wood a foreign languages influenced English in three ways. First is by the foreign invaders, who settled in England brought in their words like Scandinavian words after Scandinavian invasion. Next is by foreign contacts through trade, voyages, explorations etc. The example of words borrowed by trade are Italian and Spanish words.And the third one is through scholarship, learning and culture like the Latin and Greek words borrowed during Renaissance. Apart from these ways, various reasons like religious and political movements,colonial invasion also influenced English language. This paper deals with the influence of seven languages on English. They are Celtic, French, Latin, Greek, Norman, Dutch and Spanish. Celtic influence is the first one. The Celts are believed to have been arriving in 600 BC.

The Celtic people who invaded Britain are believed to have integrated with the people who previously inhabited the island. The land that remained dominantly Celtic are divided linguistically into two – Gaelic or Goidelic and Brythonic. The Goidelic languages are Irish, Highland Scottish and Manx. Brythonic is made up of Welsh, Cornish and Briton , of these Welsh is the one to survive most strongly in the present day. Words borrowed from Gaelic are “slogan” which was used in Gaelic as “slaugh- gharim” means “battle cry”. “Bog” is another example from Gaelic “bogach” meaning “soft” and “moist”. Some other examples are trousers, beat, clan, smashing, pet etc. Examples of words borrowed from Welsh vocabulary is “Penguin” from welsh “pen guyn” meaning white head. Celtic influence on English is apparent through the place names. The language of Celts was referred to as the British the language of the Brithons the native inhabitants of the land. Surviving names are Thames and Yare names of river and names of Roman town like
London, York and Lincoln.


The words borrowed from French constitutes twenty nine percentage of English language. The French influence can be categorized into lexical, morphological, orthographic and miscellaneous. According to Albert c Baugh and Thomas Cable the influence “. . . began slowly and continued with varying tempo for a long time”. The French influence began with the Norman conquest. There are different categories of borrowed words. They are related to Government and social class like “revenue”,”authority”, “duke”, words related to Church like “religion”, “sermon” “prayer” related to Law “justice”, “crime”, “jury”, “pardon” War related “army”, “battle”, Fashion related “gown”, “ frock”, etc Food related “feast” , “plate”, “fry” and Learning related “ paper”, “preface” “logic” etc. Next borrowing is the food pairs. In many cases French word might have existed with a German word. In this the two words use in different senses. In such pairs the first English word is about the living animal in a farm and the French word signifies the meat of the animal, as in the case of cow and beef, sheep and mutton. Next french influence in lexical level is doublets. Doublets are the same word borrowed twice, one from Norman dialect and another from Parisian dialect, like catch v/s chase, warranty v/s guarantee, etc. On a morphological level french influence had a great impact on English. The decline in the use of English singular pronouns like “thou’ and “ thee” and replacement with “ ye” and “you” have been linked to the parallel French use of “vous” in formal settings. The use of “s” to plurals in English is also attributed to French influence. Possessive phrases such as the use of “ ’s ” , constructions that places adjectives after the noun like “attorney general”, and use of certain prefixes and suffix morphemes like pre, -ous, -ily, -tion are also the result of french influence. In orthographic category the used of “qu” instead of “cw”, “gh” instead of “h”, “ou” instead of “u” are examples of french influence. The doubling of vowels tho represent long vowel sounds like “see” , doubling of consonants after short vowels like “sitting” amd more use of ‘k’, ‘z’, ‘y’ are in this category. Normans had a strong influence on English personal names. English names such as Alfred, Harold, Godwin and Athelstan largely fell out of fashion and replaced by names like John, Peter, Simon, William, Richard and Henry.

Latin influence is considered the earliest of all the influence on English. First Latin influence on English language was when England contacted with the Roman Civilization The Latin words borrowed during this phase belongs to agriculture, war and domestic life. The loan words are wine, mint, mill, kitchen, cup, dish, pepper, cheese, butter, milk etc. There are place names came during this phase like places ending with ceaster like Lancaster, Gloucester, Winchester, Manchester etc. Next phase of influence happened with the introduction of Christianity. The introduction of Christianity was on 59AD . The loan words came during this time is related to new conceptions, religion, and faith. Words related to education,plant, domestic life were also borrowed. The words are Angel, anthem, hymn, minister, monk, disciple, silk, pea, pine, poppy, beet, pine, grammar, master,grammar, lobster etc. In the middle English period Latin came through translation of holy bible. Words related to law (conspiracy, custody, legal, prosecute), theology (scripture, incarnate,limbo), literature (allegory, genius,intellect,prosody) and science (mechanical,solar,zenith) came during this phase. In the 15 th century during Renaissance great revival of learning influenced English immensely. The words borrowed during this phase are Nouns,Adjectives and verb. Examples for nouns are radius,allusion, circus, atmosphere, bonus etc, Adjectives are appropriate, domestic, perfect etc and Verbs are assassinate, benefit, affidavit, exit etc. As a result of Latin influence, native nouns had got Latin adjectives like paternal for father, maternal for mother, royal for king etc.

Greek language influenced English immensely. Even before Renaissance English language contained a few Greek words, like geography, theology, logic through Latin. But most of Greek words passed into English during Renaissance period. Revival of Greek learning in Western Europe at the beginning of sixteenth century was the reason for borrowing from Greek. Examples for such words are irony, alphabet, drama, elegy etc. The Greek words borrowed during seventeenth century are orchestra, pandemonium, museum,clinic etc. Bathos and philander are the examples of words borrowed during eighteenth century. During nineteenth and twentieth century scientific and technical terms came from German.Those words are psychology, neurology, oxygen, halogen, telephone, microscope etc.The modern medical science is full of Greek terms because of the works of Hypocrites. Greek also contributed some suffixes and prefixes like anti-, di-, hyper-, poly-.

Norman contribution is one of the major influences on English language. Normans came into England during 1066AD . The words borrowed from Norman French can be grouped into several types like legal terms( adultery, slander), military words( surrender, occupy), names of meats( bacon) royal court ( chivalry, majesty). The use of legal and military terms are because of the influence of William the Conquerors works. Other examples of Norman loan words are accuse, archer, assault, curfew, fashion, judge, marriage etc. Dutch had a great influence in English during renaissance period and through commerce. In the renaissance period many loan words from low German from which we have dutch, Flemish and the dialects of Northern Germany came to England. These regions had close commercial contacts with England ever since the Norman conquest and many of the loan words are related to sea faring and trade. Examples are skipper, clock, cruise, smuggle, trek, smack etc.

During the middle English period quite a number of words borrowed from Spanish. Most of the Spanish words came through trade, commerce and war. Examples for such words are armada, cargo, spade, siesta, cocoa, potato, cafeteria etc. The bulk of Spanish words came into English from the middle of sixteenth century to the middle seventeenth century. These are some examples of words borrowed to English from foreign language and their influences. While analyzing these contributions, it can be concluded that , these words and usages enriched the English vocabulary.

Woodrow Wilson

Like Roosevelt before him, Woodrow Wilson regarded himself as the personal representative of the people. “No one but the President,” he said, “seems to be expected … to look out for the general interests of the country.” He developed a program of progressive reform and asserted international leadership in building a new world order. In 1917 he proclaimed American entrance into World War I a crusade to make the world “safe for democracy.”

Wilson had seen the frightfulness of war. He was born in Virginia in 1856, the son of a Presbyterian minister who during the Civil War was a pastor in Augusta, Georgia, and during Reconstruction a professor in the charred city of Columbia, South Carolina.

After graduation from Princeton (then the College of New Jersey) and the University of Virginia Law School, Wilson earned his doctorate at Johns Hopkins University and entered upon an academic career. In 1885 he married Ellen Louise Axson.

Wilson advanced rapidly as a conservative young professor of political science and became president of Princeton in 1902.

His growing national reputation led some conservative Democrats to consider him Presidential timber. First they persuaded him to run for Governor of New Jersey in 1910. In the campaign he asserted his independence of the conservatives and of the machine that had nominated him, endorsing a progressive platform, which he pursued as governor.

He was nominated for President at the 1912 Democratic Convention and campaigned on a program called the New Freedom, which stressed individualism and states’ rights. In the three-way election he received only 42 percent of the popular vote but an overwhelming electoral vote.

Wilson maneuvered through Congress three major pieces of legislation. The first was a lower tariff, the Underwood Act; attached to the measure was a graduated Federal income tax. The passage of the Federal Reserve Act provided the Nation with the more elastic money supply it badly needed. In 1914 antitrust legislation established a Federal Trade Commission to prohibit unfair business practices.

Another burst of legislation followed in 1916. One new law prohibited child labor; another limited railroad workers to an eight-hour day. By virtue of this legislation and the slogan “he kept us out of war,” Wilson narrowly won re-election.

But after the election Wilson concluded that America could not remain neutral in the World War. On April 2,1917, he asked Congress for a declaration of war on Germany.

Massive American effort slowly tipped the balance in favor of the Allies. Wilson went before Congress in January 1918, to enunciate American war aims–the Fourteen Points, the last of which would establish “A general association of nations…affording mutual guarantees of political independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike.”

After the Germans signed the Armistice in November 1918, Wilson went to Paris to try to build an enduring peace. He later presented to the Senate the Versailles Treaty, containing the Covenant of the League of Nations, and asked, “Dare we reject it and break the heart of the world?”

Wilson never doubted the outcome. He mobilized a nation – its manpower, its industry, its commerce, its agriculture. He was himself the chief mover in the propaganda war. His speech to Congress on January 8, 1918, on the «Fourteen Points» was a decisive stroke in winning that war, for people everywhere saw in his peace aims the vision of a world in which freedom, justice, and peace could flourish.

Although at the apogee of his fame when the 1919 Peace Conference assembled in Versailles, Wilson failed to carry his total conception of an ideal peace, but he did secure the adoption of the Covenant of the League of Nations. His major failure, however, was suffered at home when the Senate declined to approve American acceptance of the League of Nations. This stunning defeat resulted from his losing control of Congress after he had made the congressional election of 1918 virtually a vote of confidence, from his failure to appoint to the American peace delegation those who could speak for the Republican Party or for the Senate, from his unwillingness to compromise when some minor compromises might well have carried the day, from his physical incapacity in the days just prior to the vote.

REFERENCES : The White House, NobelPrize.org