Of ghosts and schools

Two different stories on the same day (July 17) *

---

KOLKATA: A three-day holiday has been declared for the Bujrugdighi High School in West Bengal’s Bardhaman district after several girl students fell ill over the past few days as word spread about the presence of “ghosts” on the school premises.

----

Nearly 200 students learn their lessons in Urdu Primary school inside a graveyard at Kohari village, Bihar.

----
What a pity that the lads should learn rhymes at such a place!

Young ones do not know fear could be the view taken by some.

This will instill fearlessness at a tender age!

The Government and the institution should be taken to task.

----

Do ghosts exist at all!

The grown-ups, especially girls, are panicky about such things as ghosts.

What is happening at the school during night?

It's great stuff for a writer or film maker.

-----

* Why updated this one on Nov. 17 was an interlude about ghosts while at work prompted me to think about it. The desktop theme I had on the day was that of a beautiful woman (the jacket of a book). She looks graceful and beautiful like a moon in a white sari. But as I was thinking about the ghost factor I viewed her as a ghost suddenly! What a terrible thought! Ghosts are in our minds only I felt.

Nearly 200 students learn their lessons in Urdu Primary school inside a graveyard at Kohari village, Bihar.

What the students will become is a matter of conjecture.

How civil it is?

What is a civil society group? This coinage by the print media in recent months relates to NGOs and other organisations and associations who work for the public interest. Some of them are just paper tigers working their way to recognition, awards, prizes and further elite interests.

My question how is it that they only are civil? Does that mean there are no other groups or organisations that are civil in outlook and functioning? For me, a small informal group working for a particular cause is as civil, perhaps more so, as one that is well organised by educated elites.

These groups can be simply called societal groups, social organisations or public interest organisations depending upon their status and work. Or could be specific to their nature or function such as farmers' group, environmental body, Gandhian panel and car users' forum.

Of helmets

With Tamil Nadu undergoing another experiment with the compulsory wearing of helmet, my thoughts go back to a few years ago when the joke was played. I was taking my mother on a two-wheeler on the Chetput bridge when we saw a youth lying dead, apparently from an accident.
The next day we read in the paper that he had gone to pay the fine that day for not wearing helmet. It shook me.

Of course, I had been wearing helmet seriously for long years to the extent that my hair had started falling turning a patch a bald. When I say this to others they say that at least your head is there!
Thank the helmet!

What we have to in the present context is to make it compulsory for the youth. Because it is they who drive fast and crazy without any regard for others and even themselves. On the highways away from the city it should be made compulsory for all drivers.

The Government would do well to provide helmets free of cost for the poor and needy. When they can give a television for entertainment why not a helmet for the head of the family?

Helmet or Meet Hell! -- this is my contribution as a journalist!

Sooner than later

How soon is soon? When I said that I will hit the blogroad soon, after starting it and successfully posting a couple, in Feb. 07 I didn't realise
I will be able to do so only in April. Sure, I do not want to make all of you April fools.
When Indian officials and politicians say something will be done soon you can well make out that
it will take a long while. When they consider something, or plan it, newspapers catch up with them and announce them proudly. Usually, they don't follow it up.
Like Indian monsoon they play truant.
Often one gets the urge to do something sooner than later. But in daily grindings of life they get washed away. Even thoughts too. One might be tempted to conclude. But thoughts once sown have a peculiar way of sprouting later -- often when one no longer bothers about it or sometimes it could be timely benefiting the person.
It's better that one gets back to hidden thoughts sooner than later. For there is the danger of loss of thoughts or dilution of them.

Violation of mind

If at all one were to give vent to his spleen it will be uncomfortable to many, on any given day. It depends upon so many things like mood, physical circumstance, attitude, others' attitude and behaviour and the thought process as a whole. Based on these factors one has to analyse what went wrong, why one went wrong or got prompted to do an unusual thing. This relates to the mind processes.

One has to be careful about this in order not to be a botheration to others or society as a whole.
Take the Virginia shootings for example. It is deduced that the killer Cho Seng-Hui had been suppressed and oppressed. And his mind took over nurturing ill will and hatred. And the result was a shock to a decent cultured society.

The next moment is not the same. It is not always decided by you. The wiser ones will reflect on happenings to learn a thing or two. The harmonious functioning of a group or society is the responsibility of all involved.

This is me in 2006

This is me in the year 2006. Of course, some more hair has fallen now but it has charm of its own. I do not let my hair and mush appear white, dyeing it weekly. I do shave on alternate day. My mom used to tell me to shave often as she liked me if clean shaven. I continue her advice even after her untimely death in Feb. 1993. Speaking of my mother will be a big topic itself. Shall do soon.