television

TELEVISION

Radio enables us to hear what is said at a distant place. But television enables us to see and hear what is happening at a distant place. Thus the impact of the television has replaced the radio in many homes. People now sit before their television set for hours together watching various interesting T.V. programs.

News, songs, dance, plays, films, cricket matches, football matches and various other programs are telecasted, and we can see them sitting in our drawing-room if we have a television set before us. We can see the newsreader reading the news. When there is some important news, we are shown the visuals depicting the actual incidents. When the newsreader says that Yeltsin met the American President Bill Clinton, we can see on the T.V. screen the two leaders meeting and conversing with each world events than those who listen to news bulletins broadcast by radio stations.

T.V. programs provide education as well as entertainment. The entertainment value of the television is equal to that of the cinema. We see pictures on the T.V. screen just as we see pictures on the screen in a cinema theatre. But the television is more convenient because we see everything sitting in our homes. We need not take the trouble of going to the theatre. Scientific programs and quiz programs are very instructive and of great educative value. Songs, dances, plays and films provide a lot of entertainments to T.V. viewers.

As the impact of T.V. programs is equal to that of films, the television can be used for social reforms and for promoting national integration. The harmful effects of social evils like dowry, casteism, smoking, drug-taking, etc., can be shown in T.V. programs in order to educate the people. As television(i.e. Doordarshan) is controlled by the government, they can easily do it if they have the will to do it. Programs for promoting national integration are being shown. A Keralite sings a Tamil song, a Tamilian sings a Marathi song, a Maharashtrian sings a gujarati song, a Gujarati sings a Bengali song, a Bengali sings a Kannada song, and so on. Such programs promote national integration.

Films can be recorded in video tapes and then telecast. Doordarshan telecasts a few films every week. In addition to this, we see any film we like on the T.V. screen, if we have a video cassette of the film and a V.C.P. or V.C.R. Some people think that this has adversely affected the income from films.

Television is very useful. But it is not an unmixed blessing. Television exerts a bad influence on many people. It makes people lazy. People sit for hours watching television and neglect their duties. This danger is greater in the case of students. They sit before the T.V. set watching interesting programs and neglect their studies. The habit of sitting before the television for hours together has become a dangerous addiction in many homes. Students should see only those programs that have educative value. They should realize that their duty is to study.


(This essay is suitable for 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th std students)

-Surenthiran

social work and students

SOCIAL WORK AND STUDENTS

Man is a social animal. Naturally the wants of human society are many. There are several extra-ordinary affairs connected with ordinary people, which can not be managed by the payment of money. In such matters the help of fellow human beings becomes very necessary. Such help is free of cost. This is called social service. For this purpose, several social organization, including social welfare societies, are at work in different corners of the world. Students are quite fit for social service.

Students are specially useful for social service. Educationalists, reformers and others want that students should be associated with social service to greater degree than the common man. Countless people have come out with views, urging upon authorities to make it compulsory for students to do social service too. In China, social service is a education, students can make trips to villages and stay there in order to make the rural people literate. Besides, it is expected of them to give them a sense of civic duty. Cleanliness, disciplined way of life, etc. Students can be of real guidance to those who need light of knowledge.

Students can associate themselves with Roadways and Railways and become very useful passenger guides at important stations and bus points. They can also usefully give hints about do’s and don’ts to pedestrians at busy road crossings in large cities for the safety of people, because many people die form road accidents. In the same way, they can do useful service by guiding patients in hospitals properly.

The importance of social work among students is great. The qualities that they acquire during their education days have a lasting effect, being of use to them throughout their life-time. In a democratic country, it is the service of people which endears an individual to the community. Ideals of humbleness, devotion to duty, giving priority to the interest of people, being prepared for sacrifice for the sake of fellow human being in difficulty, etc. are matters which are extremely essential for success, whether in public service or in private business. Even rich industrialists need these qualities in order to get along well with their workers. For these and certain other allied reasons, it is necessary that students should have a period of training through social service.

When the country is faced with enemy threat students can do a really useful work. The country is now going through a rapid scheme of development with plenty of river-valley projects, industrial enterprises and other development works in progress at present. The roadways are being considerably expanded, the railways are being extended and further developed; co

untless therefore are the nation’s needs for which the young students should do hard work.

Social service can change the nature of students positively. If it is made compulsory, it will be producing a sense of responsibility and humility among the usually stiff-necked educated persons. They will develop a feeling that they are to be of use to fellow human beings. This will be good for both themselves and for the country. The present indifference to manual work or to mixing up with illiterate villagers will gradually disappear. Such students when they happen to hold important civil posts later in life, will continue to have the feeling that they are there to serve the masses, rather than to rule over them. It is, therefore, advisable that social service should be made a part of the ordinary curriculum of a student. The enthusiasm for demanding social service from students, should not go too far. The idea is to include a sense of responsibility among the students. This, however, should be fulfilled without any harm to the student or to his studies.


(This essay is suitable for 7th, 8th and 9th std students)

-Surenthiran

NEWSPAPERS

We read newspapers every morning. We are accustomed to the reading the newspaper, and we cannot live without it. A newspaper gives us news. It satisfies our curiosity by telling us what happened in the world around us during the last twenty-four hours.

We are eager to know what happened in our town, in our country, and in foreign countries. An newspaper keeps us informed of all the important happenings in the world. When we read the newspaper we know what happened at the test match going on in Calcutta, what happened at the political discussions in Delhi and so on. It is therefore necessary that we should read newspapers every day.

We rely on newspapers for our knowledge of what is happening in the world. It is therefore the duty of newspapers to tell us the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. A newspaper should not distort news by suppressing certain facts. It is the duty of every newspapers to find out the facts and to report them faithfully.

Newspapers play a very important role in democracy. Newspapers give not only news but also views. Newspapers form public opinion by the views they express. Newspapers strengthen democracy by making the citizens responsible and well-informed. Newspapers are the watch-dogs of democracy. They should play this role effectively. Newspapers should be fearless. If democracy is to survive, newspapers must not only be fearless but also make the people fearless.


(This essay is suitable for 6th, 7th and 8th std students)


-Surenthiran