The Tiger and The Fox

Once upon a time there was a fox chased by a tiger in a forest. He ran as fast as he could in order to save his life. But suddenly, he fell into a well which was covered with shrubs that obstructed his vision, as he was running. He could not come out of the well. Now the fox knew that death had been waiting for him in that well. He was sad.

Soon the fox heard a goat bleating nearby. He shouted loudly from inside the well to call the goat. The goat came near the well and asked him, "Friend, what are you doing there in the well?"

The fox said, "Friend, have you not heard that a drought is soon coming in the country, and there will be no water anywhere? So I've come here to enjoy the sweet water of this well. The water is so tasty that I do not even feel hun­gry. Why don't you join me, friend? Just jump into the well, and give me a pleasant company!"

The foolish goat believed the fox and agreed to join her friend. As she jumped, the clever fox placed one of his feet on her horn and escaped from the well. Now the poor goat was inside the well. She cried, "Friend, why do you leave me here alone? Come back."

The fox said, "Friend, you should have looked before you had leaped into the well to see if it was possible for you to come out of it. You did not do that, and hence let you suffer."

The fox left the place, and the goat lay in the well counting the days for her inevitable death.

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The Wind and The Sun

Once upon a time there was a beautiful contest happened between the sun and the wind. It was to see which of the two was stronger than the other.

The wind was very proud of itself and its prowess. It said, "Even the mighty clouds bow before me. They know that I can drive them away.

And the clouds can envelop you. So you are a small thing before me." The sun said, "It is the time that will tell you who is stronger of the two."

Soon they saw a man who was wearing a coat. The sun said, "Let us see who makes the man to take off his coat."

The wind tried first. It blew harder and harder. But the man instead of removing his coat, wrapped it more and more. So, the wind failed.

Now it was the turn of the sun to try its strength. It began to shine. It became hotter and hotter.

Fiercer and fiercer. Ultimately, the man felt obliged to remove the coat. The wind lost and the sun won.

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Responsibilities of a Citizen for his/her country

We are all citizens of one country of India. We acquire citizenship of our country generally by virtue of our birth. But to be a good citizen requires a lot of training and understanding. As the subject of a country, every citizen has some duties and he enjoys at the same time certain rights. All of us have a right to take part in the legislative as well as judicial activities of this country and can give free expression to our views and opinions from the platform and through the press.

A good citizen, therefore, is one who is always broad minded. He must, if living in India, consider himself an Indian first and anything else afterwards. He is ready even to shed his blood for the honour and glory of his country. A good citizen has the good of his country at heart. To raise his country to a higher level of civilization must be his aim. He must not forget that the future, no less than the present, is always lined with the past.

A good citizen must keep the welfare of his town or city or village foremost in his mind at the time of elections. He should understand the existing educational and other institutions of his country and make efforts to bring about desirable improvements. He must love his neighbours. He must be sympathetic, broad-minded and generous.

In this way, a good citizen should always be ready to forget and forgive. In a word, he should be a perfect gentleman.

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Mahatma Gandhi: Most Popular Person in India

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in the town of Porbander in the state of Gujarat on 2nd October 1869. He had his schooling in nearby Rajkot, where his father served as the adviser to the local ruler. 

Though India was then under British rule, over 500 kingdoms, principalities, and states were allowed autonomy in domestic and internal affairs: these were the so-called 'native states'. Rajkot was one such state.

Mahatma Gandhi was an Indian lawyer, politician, social activist, and writer who became the leader of the nationalist movement against the British rule of India. As such, he came to be considered the father of India. Gandhi is internationally esteemed for his doctrine of nonviolent protest (Satyagraha) to achieve political and social progress.

In the eyes of millions of his fellow Indians, Gandhi was the Mahatma (“Great Soul”). The unthinking adoration of the huge crowds that gathered to see him all along the route of his tours made them a severe ordeal; he could hardly work during the day or rest at night. “The woes of the Mahatmas,” he wrote, “are known only to the Mahatmas.” His fame spread worldwide during his lifetime and only increased after his death. The name Mahatma Gandhi is now one of the most universally recognized on earth.

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Bheem Rao Ambedkar: Most popular person in India

B. R. Ambedkar was born on April 14, 1891 at Ambedkar village in Ratnagiri District of Maharashtra state. His father was Ramji. He was the 14th son of his father. He is known as Bheem Rao Ambedkar.

Ambedkar was a brilliant child. His teacher at school, who noticed this, was impressed and added a surname to him. It is also said that his earlier name was Bheemrao Ambedkar and it was his teacher who made it Ambedkar and gave him the full name as Bheemrao Ramji Ambedkar.

After leaving school, Ambedkar studied F.A., at the Elphinstone College, Bombay (Mumbai). With the help of the Rajah of Baroda, Ambedkar went to Colombia University, America and completed his B.A., and M.A., degrees, in 1912 and 1913 respectively. For his M.A. degree he Zwrote a research paper “Commerce in India”. He wrote many more research essays while staying at Colombia. They are:

(1) Religious in India and their origin, (2) Nationalists in India-a historical study. For the latter research paper he was awarded Ph.D., by the Colombia University. With this he became Dr. Ambedkar.

He went to England to study law. Along with law, he studied Economics and political Science. He acquired the degree of Barrister-at-law and also M.Sc. degree simultaneously. Dr. Ambedkar hails from the community of Mahars who are condemned as untouchables. On this account Dr. Ambedkar had to face a number of problems. He was looked down upon and ill-treated. Hence he wanted to agitate against untouchability.

In 1918, he took up a job as a professor in a college and in 1920 he took part in the first meet of the Depressed Classes held at Nagpur. In 1923, he started practice at Bombay High Court. In 1924, he started a paper “Bahishkrita hitakarini”. He took up the cause of the Depressed Classes before the Simon Commission which visited India in 1928. He attended the First Round Table Conference held at London and argued that the Depressed Classes should have voting rights and the right to elect their own leaders.

Dr. Ambedkar had a sharp mind. He said that all men are equal in all matters. Once he entered the Veereswar temple where Mahars were not allowed. A case was field against him by the temple authorities. The court justified the action of Dr. Ambedkar. Dr. Ambedkar could not reconcile to the domination of upper castes. It was Mahatma Gandhi who could convince Dr. Ambedkar against this and bring him back to the mainstream.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was first Law Minister of India after we got Independence in 1947. He was also the chairman of the drafting committee of our Constitution and in fact, he is one of the main architects of our Constitution. As a brilliant law minister and an intelligent person, he could include in the Constitution, the required safeguards for the depressed Classes. On November 1, 1949 the Draft Constitution was approved by the Government and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar was since then called, the “Modern Manu of India”.

The caste system in Hinduism forced Dr. B.R. Ambedkar to embrace Buddhism along with 5 lakhs of other Depressed Class people. He attended a conference of Buddhists in Sri Lanka in 1950. He was a lover of books. On a visit to New York, it is said that he purchased as many as 2000 books. Dr. B.R. Ambedkar passed away on December 6, 1956.

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s life is an example to others. He had shown how men born in humble surroundings could rise up in life, by sheer hard-work, sincerity and steadfastness. 

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