In the matter of literacy in India continues to be one of the most backward nations of the world.Till about fifteen years ago, the percentage of literacy in the country was very low. India’s economic and social backwardness is bound to persist , unless speedy measures are adopted to spread literacy among the masses.

There is a lot of noise and propaganda about the removal of illiteracy. The congress and other political parties have been pressing a prominent place for literacy in the development plans.The need of education is stressed both from the press and the platform. No political or social leader makes a speech without referring to this topic and appealing to his countrymen to tackle this problem. But the result of this publicity is far from satisfactory. Adequate provision for the speed of literacy and education has not been yet. If the percentage of literacy could be raised from 10 to 20 in about fifteen years ,then it would take fifty years to achieve hundred percent literacy in the country. Surely we cannot feel happy about such slow progress.

Several difficulties stand in the way of spreading literacy. One of them is the villager’s indifference to it. Literacy does not seem to have any utility or him and hence, he does not feel enthusiastic about it. Generally village boys do not like to remain in villages when they get educated and their desire to seek jobs and migrate to town , creates new problems to the villager. Uneducated children help him in cultivation , but educated ones run away to towns. Hence the prejudice against education.

This prejudice can be removed only in two ways. In the first place, if the villages are developed and educated people can obtain work there, the incentive to move to the town would disappear. Secondly, if special provision is made for instruction in agriculture for village students, they will like to utilize their knowledge on their own fields , rather than seek their fortune in urban areas.

Another difficulty is that large number of village people lapse into illiteracy, even if they receive some education in the beginning. Thus their time and labor are wasted. A comprehensive scheme should be drawn up to ensure that the villager preserves the knowledge of the three Rs which he receives in the primary schools. One of the means to attain this end is to set up small libraries containing simple books on various subjects , particularly agriculture and horticulture. Newspapers and magazines should be supplied in libraries. A system of circulating libraries and occasional lecture tours by teachers on current topics would prove an additional help in this direction.

The task of removing illiteracy ultimately rests with the government, which aims to create a welfare state. Since taxation is being increased in several directions and loans are being taken from the public,the average citizen rightly feels that it is the duty of the state to provide for education and literacy also. A well thought out plan has to be drawn up by government in this sphere and it should utilize all its agencies, including student, teachers, philanthropists, libraries, documentary films, radios etc., for removing the curse of illiteracy from the land.

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People generally talk of school and college education or technical and vocational education. And that is supposed to be the end of matter. But education does not stop here. One has to get something more than a degree or diploma in a particular science or art. She has to be educated in art of being a good citizen. Civil education is more necessary and important than any other education.

Now what is citizenship or a good citizen? In a sense, we all are citizens. In India all adult Indians and many other foreigners who have permanently settled here are citizens.You cannot kill or injure n Indian citizen without becoming liable for punishment. Nor can you take away a citizen’s property without being arrested on the charge of theft. Then again every citizen has to obey the laws of the state, has to pay taxes and in general behave as he is expected to. So long as he does it, he is regarded as a good enough citizen.

But is he really a good citizen and is this all we mean by citizenship? At heart most of us have nothing but contempt for laws and regulations and if there were not the fear of punishment, we would break may of them. Many few persons willingly pay the various taxes they are required to pay. In fact they look upon them as a great nuisance. They want the state to look after their life, property and comforts but they fail to realize and discharge their responsibilities and duties towards the state. Now a good citizen has nothing but respect for the laws of his country. He does not tolerate them as necessary evil but he realizes their value and respects them. He does not cut a neighbors throat because he knows that murder is a crime, something which goes against the laws of the society and not because he knows he would be hanged for it.Similarly he pays taxes because it is his duty to do so and knows that the state cannot look after his welfare unless he and his fellow citizens cooperate in proving the necessary funds.

But why so? Because citizenship teaches that a person must respect the rights of others as much as his own, and that the laws are there to protect people from the attacks on their rights. If you want a privilege for yourself only, and if you want that no one but you should enjoy that privilege, you cannot be regarded as a good citizen. A good citizen knows that in the eyes of law all men are equal, that he cannot claim any superiority and privilege, which is denied to others. Law is the guardian of liberty,and this is never forgotten by a good citizen. He also knows that, as Charles Kingsley says, “There are two freedoms-the false where a man is free to do what he likes; a true, where a man is free to do what he ought.” Citizenship teaches that the latter is much better than the former and that it is this freedom which is conferred on us by law.

The question of having a correct approach to freedom is indeed very important. In society nobody can enjoy which is called unlimited freedom. Personal liberty cannot be enjoyed at the cost of social liberty. It is question of give and take, of mutual accommodation and considerateness. One has to curtail one’s liberty so that others enjoy their liberty. This explains that why in big towns there is only one way traffic on certain roads and motorists are not allowed to use their headlights and horns. These laws may curtail the liberty of the motorists, but they are necessary to maintain the safety of people. Hence one has to respect the laws made by the state in the interest of the greatest good of the greatest number.

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Few things are more dreadful than examination. Even the best among us cannot take them calmly. No matter how thorough our preparation ,our hearts sink as the examination draws near. Gone in our confidence and it is with a heart beating fast that we step into the examination hall. Indeed the old proverb that even gold begins to melt when put to the test fire is true.

Why are examinations such a terror? Perhaps because chance plays such a great part in them. The examination paper is like a lottery-uncertain and undependable. The element of uncertainty and surprise is bound to shake the most confident examinee. Sometimes our nervousness is so great that we seem to forget our best prepared lessons. Before the examination we feel sure of doing well, but once the question paper is before us, our minds become a perfect blank.We fail to recall our best prepared lessons. Some candidates even faint in the examination hall. The question paper springs upon us a complete surprise. None of the ‘sure hints’over which we have spent days and nights , appear in the paper. On the contrary , just those very topics, which we left out as unimportant and unexpected, stare us in the face. In Geography, we prepared the map of Europe but we are required to draw a freehand map of Asia and the question is compulsory. Surely, the fates and their friend , examiner, have played a cruel joke upon us.

Some people believe that we can control the tricks of chance. The moralizing teacher says that if we master every bit of the prescribed course, we can successfully face the worst tricks of the paper setter. But alas! this is easier said than done. The capacity of the human mind is limited, it is not possible to master everything. And even if it were, can everybody remember everything with equal freshness at one and the same time? Examinations do not require understanding as much as cramming. You may be intelligent but if your memory is poor, you are doomed. Courses of study are too large and manageable. Selective reading is necessity. But selection involves uncertainty, and an element of chance is likely to deceive us. Only a genius may master all the courses and take the examinations in perfect ease. To an average student, examinations will always remain a dreadful experience.

Examinations generally make or mar our lives. Though not a true test of ability, they put a seal upon us , which is impossible to change later on. We are classified for all time to come. We may be first class students, but if , owing to illness or any other accident ,we secure a second class , we shall forever be known as mediocre. On the other hand, those students, who obtain by hook or by crook a first class, go about with an air of superiority and attract attention they hardly deserve. The world cares not to see the real merit; it judges us by our examination results. People with academic distinction , deserved or undeserved , often begin life with an advantage, while their less lucky but abler companions are doomed to knocking about.

The truth is that the world is too much guided by examination results. We make too much of the “top boy”,little realizing that passing examinations is a knack which even second or third grade people can acquire. This knack is very different from real intellectual ability. But this important fact is often overlooked. Consequently, our entire approach to study is governed by examination. The examination becomes a God and we do everything to please him. We read subjects which pay in the examinations and not those for which we have a real taste. We study with an eye on the prize ,  the medal and not for the sake of real knowledge. The very purpose of education is thus defeated. The examinations do not bring out what is the best in us. In fact they place a false standard of values. Success in an examination is not sure passport for success in life. Some of the greatest men of the world were poor , or were indifferent students at school and college.

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Modern advertisement is a skillful way of blowing one’s trumpet.To speak highly of one’s goods has been raised to the dignity of art.The most successful businessman is the one who knows the secret of effective advertisement.The real worth of an article is of little importance;what matters is the way in which public attention is drawn towards it.Men do not part their money easily,but the clever advertiser can draw it out of the pocket of even most educated and miserly customer.

Nobody who has not tried his hand at writing an advertisement, can ever realize how difficult an art is. It may be comparatively easy to write a poem ,a  short or a play,for here the artist has unlimited freedom to make his literary masterpiece short or long, easy or difficult. The advertisement writer has no such liberty.The subject is not of his choice and the space at his disposal is strictly limited.Besides he cannot afford to be learned or literary.The meaning of advertisement must flash upon the mind of every reader the moment his eye falls upon it.

Innumerable are the forms of advertisement.It can be both crude and subtle. Advertisements are often a fine mixture of sound and color;a joint appeal is made to the eye ,ear and mind of the public.A vulgar illustration is offered by a cinema hawker’who goes about in a multi colored coat,with a feathery conical cap on the head,shouting the name of the picture-palace and the picture it is showing.Among the finer methods ,one may remember the modern ice-cream vendor who plies his wooden thermos box on wheels which bears on its sides the painted slogan “Stop me and buy one”.Who can disobey this order to buy ice creams?

Advertisements, like the almighty , seem to be present everywhere.Turn your eye where you may,you are bound to see some advertisement.Posters and handbills are posted on the walls and roads ;huge signboards glare at you in the market.There is hardly a page in the newspaper or the magazine in which an advertisement is not found.Trains,cars,buses and now even metro rails-everywhere is a dash of color in water paint,oil or enamel.For instance, as you walk up and down the platform of Delhi metro :”Horlicks make you taller ,stronger and sharper”;”OLX pe bech de” ; “Kitkat break banta hai” and so on.Again when you see a movie ,you are sure to see a number of advertisement reels and slides before the movie and during the interval.

Advertisement is a game of patience.It must appear again and again. The businessman must get his things advertised repeatedly and constantly.Prosperous firms book in advance the front , back and the other prominent pages of leading papers and journals as well as popular TV channels.Repeated advertisement is a sort of education for the average man,the only danger being over advertisement and false advertisement.

Advertisements must repeat themselves but not monotonously.The same article must be advertised in a fresh and attractive way.At one time Gillette razor blade company used to bring out pictures of well shaved English writers like Dickens and Shakespeare,with the comment that these artists would never have grown beards if they had convenience of Gillette blades.But now the company advertises “The best the man can get”.

Some advertisements linger long in our memory. For instance, the famous ad of Parle-G where G is for Genius ;”Dairy Milk-Kuch meetha ho jaaye” ; the sweet little boy saying “I love you Rasna” ; the old uncle in MDH masaale ” Asli masaale sach sach MDH MDH “.In certain cases the advertisements take form of a happy pun and sometimes prizes are awarded for suggesting the best slogan for an article .

Advertisements are indispensable for trade and commerce.They are a great source of income to newspapers and televisions. Incidentally the also reflect the culture of the people.Advertising develops a relationship between the consumer and the brand. It adds to the reputation,meaning and the value brand name or symbol has acquired overtime.

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Indians are often blamed for lack of a definite goal in life.They are supposed to drift aimlessly and take up whatever comes their way.An Indian student ,for instance,does not know what he is going to do in life and what kind of education he should receive.He just passes one examination after another and having finished his college or university education,often finds himself fit for no particular line.

Undoubtedly ,there is considerable truth in the above view.It is an unfortunate thing for man to work without any plan or definite aim in view.Everything in life requires careful planning and preparation,if it is to be a success.How then it is possible to achieve success for those for those who do not think of their future and plan their line of activity in advance?Lives of great men show that they succeeded because of their clear cut aims and singleness of purpose.

What a man is fit for and what career he should choose,are questions which should be decided as early as possible in one’s life.All men are not fit for all kinds of work.Minds,like men differ greatly.If one is interested in mechanics,another loves intellectual pursuits.Science attracts some,while the fine arts inspire others.One may do well in business,but fail miserably in the study of literature.

Modern science ,particularly psychology,has thrown much valuable light on the mental capacity of man.If a man gets the work he is best fitted for he will be very successful.Otherwise ,his mental gifts will not blossom.Therefore modern psychology has devised various tests to determine a person’s aptitude and mental capacity.This is particularly valuable for small boys at school.School going boys and girls can be guided by means of such tests to choose their career for which they are best suited.Such intelligence and aptitude tests are quite common and fruitful in advanced countries like USA, UK and Russia.Unfortunately,in our country these things are still in a very elementary stage.

The choice of a suitable career,however,is no easy matter.This is particularly true in countries like ours,where people do not have equality of opportunity.How often man’s life in this land is governed by poverty,unfortunate circumstances and cruel chance!How many brilliant young men of our country get absorbed in Government service every year ,so their ideal creative powers never blossom.Again scores of talented boys and girls never get a chance to receive proper education and show their true worth.Necessity and circumstances have often driven man into lines of work,he never likes or expects to do.

There is yet another side of the picture.Despite all our psychological researches it is not always possible to find out properly the capacity of man.What a man is really fit for,passes our comprehension.Again why should a man be fit to do only one thing?This rigidity is not very desirable;one would like to be versatile to a certain extent.If one can succeed in law,there is no reason why he should fail ,if he studies medicine or engineering.There are many striking examples of persons ,who could do equally well in science and arts. Aldous Huxley at first ,was a promising student of science but when he had to give up on account of bad eye sight,he did extraordinarily well as a novelist and story writer.Some civil service men have been both good administrators as well as men of letters.But these considerations apply to exceptional people,to geniuses for the average boy or girl the choice of a suitable career is a sound maxim.

One can choose one’s career best in a state of society,which provides both economic and social equality.In such a society citizens will have the common good of society at heart.The state,on the other hand,will strive to get the best out of each individual ,no matter to which class,community or race  he belongs.Therefore,the state will so arrange matters that everybody is given a chance to do the work nature has made him fit for. This is largely borne out by the state of affairs prevailing in socialist and communist states.

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Travelling is undoubtedly a great experience in life. Those who can afford to travel should never miss to do so.And there are various types of travelling.Some travel for the sake of business,others for sightseeing,some for sheer necessity,many for seeing the wonders of the world.A few travel from a sense of social vanity.Travelling places them in a slightly superior position in the society.And this is the distinction they proudly display before others.Whatever the motive inspiring the traveller,he is bound to derive some benefits from his visits to foreign land and people.

In the past slow and unsafe means of communication stood in the way of travelling. There was also prejudice in our land against foreign travel.People crossing the high seas were threatened with social boycott.Men like Raja Ram Mohan Roy and even Gandhiji had to face bitter opposition from the people from people of their communities on account of their journeys to England.The prejudice ,however, has now completely disappeared.On the contrary people now encourage foreign travel and a widely travelled man commands great respect.

“Travelling” says Bacon, “in the younger sort is a part of education,in the older a part of experience”.The educative value of travel is also well expressed in the Shakespearean saying ” Home-speaking youths have homely wits”. Hence those who have the ability of sharpening their wits must go beyond the narrow limits of their native place and their motherland.Travelling removes one’s shyness,lack of confidence and narrow outlook. It broadens one’s outlook,produces a great measure of understanding and tolerance for others and sharpens one’s intelligence.People come to realize that it requires all sorts of persons to make the world and the beliefs and ways of life of a particular community or nation are not necessarily the best.Each nation has its own way of thought and action,its customs and manners,food and clothing and it is necessary to show consideration for them, if one wants to be friendly with other people.

Travelling is a much better teacher than books. The former speaks to all the senses,the latter only to the mind.What is seen and heard leaves a deeper and more lasting impression than what is read in books.History, Geography,Sociology, Economics and Arts are best taught through trips and tours.For instance, a trip to Fatehpur Sikri or Mohenjo Daro or Sarnth is both education and entertainment.Again book knowledge is theoretical,whereas travelling trains us in the practical side of life.It gives us courage,confidence,real knowledge of men and things.It removes narrow communal,sectional or religious prejudices.

In the middle ages and down the Eighteenth century, travelling was regarded as necessary part of one’s education in Europe. A nobleman’s son or even other well-to-do people in England would make it a point to visit Europe,to go on the Grand Tour,as they put it. Even today high diplomatic personnel in every administration consists of widely traveled people.

If education means cultivation of one’s nobler sentiments and aspirations, there is nothing that satisfies this need more than travelling.For instance, travelling gives us an opportunity of promoting international goodwill and peace. It cannot be denied that most international conflicts arise largely from ignorance.If nations know one another intimately, most of the misunderstandings are likely to disappear. In course of time ,the gulf between the various cultures will become narrow and a sort of international culture may spring up. What can be more educative than to see and realize by means of travelling, how different people look at different problems and how a common way of thinking can be evolved.

Today there are greater opportunities for travelling that ever before in the past. One can go round the world in a few weeks. Air services are cheap enough for men of ordinary means also. People can take advantages of these services and can see as much of the world they like. This is particularly necessary in the world of today when so much false propaganda,hatred and tension prevail against one another.

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