Life and Literacy
15 August 1947 , the golden day in the Indian
history.Britishers left India and the nationalists all across the nation came
together to design the Indian constitution. The document which would decide
India's future.In the Indian constitution,the first page-''The Preamble''
recites the main features of the Indian Constitution,and in this prestigious
paper we find a phrase which is :-
''Equality of status and opportunity'' the phrase which makes India culturally rich and seperates it from the
other countries and places it above
all.How soothing it is to read these lines,the ''bookish'' lines!
But that was past
and they were imagining the future and today it is the present age - 2013 more
than half a century has passed since 1947.So, today it should be equal
everywhere. But, not going anywhere else but just in my room I find a lot of
pens,pencils,paperand books around me on my table and on the other hand outside
my room I find another 14 year old girl with broom in her hand who comes to my
home with her mother everyday. And the
each day I find her eyes filled with
regret as that time was actually meant for her homework.So, here I and
my 14 year old friend describes the Equality of nation .But its not just me for
whom the constitution was made but it is also for that poor girl. Today,I am
delighted to be a citizen of an independent contry , as I have books, school
and a secured future.But what is the fault of my friend.She is also an Indian
but she is not getting what she desires.
Considering another situation,near my home a construction work is going
on where at least 10 to 12 labourers work daily.Among them all,there works an
old man with a shabby appearance.Nearby 7 a.m. I find him coming to the spot
and late at 6 p.m. when I come back from my tution classes,he leaves.The whole day
I find him working, sometimes levelling the ground , sometimes picking up the
bricks and much more.He does not care of the sun, even at noon he goes on
working.Then, by the evening the owner of the house comes at the construction
site in a white Swift car. He tells the oldman to arrange a chair and wash the
car.The oldman who is the citizen of ''India" where "Equality"
is must, cleans it without saying a word.The prospect which I think makes him
to do it is "Literacy".This word describes the dfference between me
and my friend and between the Swift driver and the old man .Now if I keep on
examplifying ,words of the whole world would end but not the problem.
In
my school teachers always keep on saying to the students to concentrate on
studies but what all the students think is "Another lecture". When
the Social Science teacher delivers an Economics lecture ,everyone find it
boring and dull but my student cum friend might be wishing to attend the
class.And if this class had been delivered to the old man, the scene could be
different.And he would have been earning money with respect.
Today in the 2013 we hear the ministers saying ''Dont worry! Telangana
will earn its position soon'' .But I dont think anyone has heard a minister
saying Don't worry I will make it sure that education is for all. Today the
Americans are rising at a constant speed and we the Indians are watching the
movie of their growth. 'Literacy' is the cause of this difference.It was
literacy which made an english doctor to cure the mughal emperor's injury.But
it was the emperor's illiteracy which made him to reward the doctor with
permission of trade in India.If he had been a little smarter the Indian history
could have been a lot better. S.Bhagat Singh could have lived longer.If the
Indians would have valued literacy more than gold coins, then the 'Kohinoor'
woud have been ours. If literacy could have become the most important thing,
then India could have been the richest country economically and SENSIBLY.
Simran Kaur
(Class
10th, 2013-14, La Foundation School, Sangrur, Punjab)
posted by y o g e s h @ Tuesday, August 27, 2013
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