Terrorism The Social Evil 1

Terrorism has become a world wide phenomenon these days. What precisely do the
terrorists prefer to call themselves when they gain nothing by attacking common,
innocent people whose death or maiming does not better the strategic or tactical position
of terrorists. Common man begins to hate them and is ready to denounce them as soon as
he thinks it safe. Thus terrorism becomes a social evil.
Terrorist acts can hardly help their perpetrators towards realizing political plans and
programmes. Unless, of course, the terrorists are funded by outside powers that have no
considerations and sympathy for their slated cause but are interested in destablilising the
victim nation. Today, those governments which support terrorism in adjacent areas and
think that the result would develop into a ietnam like situation, are heading for rude
disillusionment.
Terrorist groups have usually sought to justify their cowardly attacks on uninvolved
persons and destructions by claiming that it is done for the !patriotic purpose of freedom
and sovereignty" #ebate has often tended to centre on ways of looking at it. $n fact, crime
by one is considered as a revolution by the other. This appears to be more and more of
non%sense.
The killing, maiming and kidnapping of innocent and unconcerned persons in terrorist
act, such as recent bomb blasts in #elhi, is just plain crime. United &ations has also now
given its seal of authorization to this view. The bomb blasts are in addition to terrorists
killing by gunfire and destruction of places of worship. There is no reason for the killings
other than, apparently, to create panic and instability in the local administration.
$nnumerable killings by gunfire or bomb e'plosions have taken place in (ssam, )ammu
* +ashmir and in other parts of the north , east, and various other cities.
The evil of terrorism has grown basically in two kinds namely political terrorism and
criminal terrorism. -olitical terrorism seeks to achieve its political gains by spreading
panic and creating fear in the hearts of people on a large scale. Their ultimate aim is to
get political power through there muscle power. Then there is criminal terrorism which
indulges in e'tracting large amounts of money as ransom by kidnappings and hijackings
etc. ery often it is found that terrorists have received their training and guidance in using
various weapons from various terrorists outfits. Terrorists operating in -unjab were found
to have all training, weapons and other forms of material assistance from a neighbouring
country. (lso all terrorist groups, which are active in )ammu * +ashmir, receive their
assistance in all respects from an adjoining country.
The unity and integrity fo our country has always been threatened by the forces of
terrorism. .or dealing with terrorists, our government passed the (nti terrorist (ct which
provides for deterrent punishment for terrorist acts. The (ct has also provision to punish
anyone indulging in !disruptive activities" which may lead to harm the sovereignty or the
territorial integrity of our nation. The use of religious places for political gains, for taking
shelter by anti%social elements and for creating communalism has also been prohibited by
enactment of laws. Terrorists actually continuously change their hide , outs and their
tactics to prevent arrest and punishment. /ven if they get arrested they try to commit
suicide using poisonous capsules or they are killed by their own associates so that, no
information is passed on to the police under severe punishment.
The law enforcing agencies alone cannot curb the acts of terrorism. To remove this social
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evil, terrorism needs to be controlled through negotiations to usher in an era of co%
operation instead of confrontation. The U& 1eneral (ssembly also adopted a twenty ,
four article $nternational Convention for the 2uppression of Terrorist 3ombings by means
of a resolution 4 !Criminal acts intended to provoke terror in the general public or a group
of persons are unjustifiable, whatever be the considerations political, religious, ethnic or
ideological.
To tackle the problem of terrorism in $ndia, it would be worth while to identify its causes
in order to work out a strategy. $t is observed that terrorism is direct action not for
achieving something but for 5uenching the fire of vengeance against those who are
responsible for their misery. ( conciliatory approach is the need of the hour.
Confrontationist measures will not solve the problem in our contry. $t is essential that the
warm , blooded youth, especially those who have a tendency to take to terrorism must be
involved in decision making processes. There should be 5uick and right decisions. &o
injustice should be done with anybody. 1ood e'amples of honesty and integrity will have
to be set forth by the leaders themselves. Their actions must be faithful and above board
in order to inspire confidence in one and all.
6ur whole educational system also needs to be restructured and streamlined. $t should use
each ounce of energy of youth for constructive purposes so that they may not be induced
to adopt violence as their creed and dead.
My Ambition
The e'pression 7(mbition8 is rather vague but, in a nutshell, ambition comprises of what
he9she likes to do, and to achieve what he9she wishes to. $t is 5uite a truth that, ambition
must be within all of us, to keep us steering ahead, in out journey of life. :owever, this
same ambition which is, on the one hand a guiding force, becomes on the other, a road to
doom also. This is because, sometimes, our ambitions take to such an unknown heights
and fly across unknown areas and domains and then boomerang on us. This happens
because in our ambition at times, we also lose track of realities, capacities, and having no
sensitivity to them, fly beyond all precincts of reason. We seem to be desiring or having
ambitions e5uivalent to reaching or handling the moon, and when we do this we get
dumped against disappointment and frustration.
$n order to steer us ahead, ambition should also be backed with some right reasoning and
a sense of practicality, for e'ample, if any human starts having an ambition that, he
should live in the happy realms of human beings and, at the ambition is much too broad
based and too demanding, and so, is bound to crash with a loud thud. ;et us be more
practical when we set our ambitions and goals, then we will see more of success and les
of disappointment.
$t is this very overplaying of ambition in this modern era which is leading to traumatic
ends of people. ;et us see how petty and foolish we can be most of the times, when we
desire foe things. Take the simple case of a modern housewife. 2he visits her industrialist
friend, and sees plush carpets and grand d<cor in her house. This sets her thinking as to
why she should not aspire to have all this. 2he desires to have a rich d<cor, when the
family income cannot even buy her a good sofa set. $f she sets the industrialists8 house as
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her goal and ambition she is bound to face frustration, as, she should know that, she will
never be able to afford that standard of living and style.
&e't very common scene for setting ambition is when parents see other children scoring
good marks, and their own ward not doing as well, they set the high ideals, goals and
ambitions for their ward and themselves. $n this it seems that, little do the parents realize
that all children, or, $8d rather say that all humans have their own optimum. $.>, and so
each individual has a limit to his9her achievements. When these parents set very high
goals for their children, the children often land up as complete failures. This in turn, takes
them to drug addiction to get away from their worries of failures. (ll this disappointment
in the lives of the children and the parents $8d say is just because, ambition is stretched
too far and beyond the approaches of the child. This far fetched e'tension of ambition
leads us nowhere, e'cept to the doors of unhappiness.
The picture is the same dismal on the financial front wherein we see a continuous rat race
for making money more money, and still more money. .or this also, the motive force is
ambition. $t may sometimes goad individuals towards improvement but mostly it is seen
to lead to disaster. This is because, in this modern world of to%day, we have lost all sense
of decency and moral code, we just want to achieve whatever others have, this, not
because we really want it but just because others have it. #oes this not sound ridiculous,
yes it does.
$n the same way, going on a higher plane and moving up from individual8s to the
ambition of a country, here also there have to be practical goals set, looking into the
background and general standard of the country. $f this is not done, disaster is a foregone
conclusion. .or e'ample, if a developing country like $ndia for instance becomes so
ambitious so as to ac5uire e5uality with the U.2.( in all its spheres, $ndia is $8d say living
in a .ool8s -aradise, and inviting doom. $ndia must remember that, progress must, like all
other things start from small beginnings and can be achieved only in a planned manner.
We, on the contrary, are only flying high and giving way to our ambitions of being as if a
progressed country, like the U.2.(., and the results are for all of us to see. $ndia, in
fulfilement of her high flown ambitions has got neck deep in financial debts, while its
teaming millions are not getting even one s5uare meal a day. $s this not being over
ambitious?
$8d say whether it be an individual or a country, there has to be some logic and semblance
of practicability in our ambitions. (mbitions must not be mere day dreaming, for such
ambitions are sure to remain unfulfilled and result in frustration, unhappiness and then
crime. $t is wonderful and correct to have ambition as, this is the driving force that pushes
us to work towards our goal but, at the same time, ambition should not propel us so far
that, we climb high on wings of ambition and then crash down and become dust.
Child Labour in India
Child ;abour is a phenomena prevalent mostly in developing countries of (sia and
(frica. This is not to be seen in the advanced countries of the West. The reason for this is
very obvious, those who feel the need for financial support of the children only allow
them to work and earn. $n the Western countries, where education is compulsory, the
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5uestion of children found working does not arise.
;et us analyse in some detail why, this child labour is commonly found in $ndia, or for
that matter in any if the developing countries. $t is these only which have teaming
millions of poor people. These poor people have to make every member work for his9her
own food. With the earnings of all the members of the family, they are able to make their
two ends meet. This same situation prevails in all the developing countries. $ do wonder if
any parents prefer to see their little children work for their food, instead of enjoying at
school. When the school can only be a dream for the poor, we find the little boys at tea
stalls, small restaurants, in mechanic shops, cleaning cars and working as shoeshines.
We also see small girls engaged in industries like match making, candle making etc., $ am
sure that, given a choice, all these parents would love to see these little slogging children
enjoy their childhood at home or at school, but how , is the moot point. The children who
are working are adding their little mite to the family income, and it may be so that, if they
do not work, they may not be blessed with even one s5uare meal a day.
3esides this, if the child does not go to school, what does he do throughout the day. Time
will be wasted, and he will only learn wrong things of life, as, !an idle brain is a devil8s
workshop". 2o, in this situation, $ personally feel that, though the condition is deplorable
it is the lesser evil, and in the bargain the child gets food to eat. .rom the side of the child
also, it is a certainty that, if he9she is asked for a preference, it will be for going to school.
2o when both, the parents and the children would prefer going to school then why this
labour. $t is obvious that they are thus working due to compulsions and not out of choice.
The compulsion is of course, the meager income of the family, who cannot afford to even
feed the children if they do not work, and besides this a lot more comes into play for
creating this unhappy situation. 6ur 1overnmental agencies, private agencies and &16s,
often shout from rooftops regarding this menace of child labour. This is a menace is
accepted by all and sundry but, by shouting about it and passing legislations for it, we do
not reach anywhere near the solution of the problem. &o one has, as yet suggested some
solution of the problem. When it is amply clear that, the children work to get their basic
needs fulfilled, no one can say that, it is wrong.
The practical approach to the problem would be that we attempt to find some means for
providing for them, and then, the children can be forced to attend 1overnment schools. $n
the absence of a practical alternative arrangement it is no use just shouting about the
problem. $ personally feel that the 1overnment should first provide for such families by
means of subsidies, free ration and free education. 6nly after such provisions are made,
and the 1overnment gets the confirmation of the solution working smoothly and
honestly, can we e'pect children to get out of the rut of working to earn a living from an
early age when they should be enjoying and playing and of course, studying and learning.
(nother point closely linked with the problem of child labour comes to the fore, when
these young labourers grow up into suffering adults. They are absolutely hardened and
most of them tend to become anti%social. Their feeling is, and rightly so that, why should
they bother about any social norms, as, what has society given to them. With this attitude,
when they enter the adult world they tend to take up professions that are tained with
crime. They become, smugglers, hardened criminals robbers and murderers. With such
children having lost their childhood at the altar of poverty being to believe and rightly so,
that in this world what really counts is riches. With this forethought, they enter the world
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of crime, to become rich and enjoy. Thus we may say that these criminals, are usually the
creation of unhappy childhoods. 2o let us understand that, child labour is not an isolated
problem that has to be dealt with as a single problem but, it brings in its trail a host of
more complicated problems which are the offshoot of this one. The biggest problem that
follows the problem of child labour is the creation of a force of criminals, and thus an
increased crime rate.
The only practical and feasible solution to this problem of child labour which can be
conceivable in the present scenario is provided necessitis to the families and making free
education compulsory for all children. 3efore providing the essentials, no one can tell the
poor that they should not allow their children to work, for, if they do not work, who will
feed them isn8t this a pertinent 5uestion.
Child labour is not a problem that can be tackled by just talking and debating about it on
various platforms. &either can it be dealt with by making it illegal, as, no law can ban a
person big or small from earning his bread. (ll this drama will not be able to fill the
hungry stomachs of the poor. We must deal with the problem with a more practical
approach and provide what the child earns for. $ am sure no child does this labour for fun.
$t is their necessity which makes them work. &o one can deny that, fulfillment of
necessities has to be tackled before doing anything else. When the necessities are
provided for, $ am sure that, the problem that is defying a solution will automatically get
solved by itself. ;et us all get together and pledge to make the 1overnment and other
agencies take up a more authentic approach to this problem, and, $ am sure, a solution
will be at hand.
Value of Sports
2ports are a great asset for us all. These include a number of outdoor games and indoor
games. Bainly outdoor games, like hockey, football and cricket etc. are an interesting
form of e'ercise, which helps in maintaining a good physi5ue and good health.
The basic utility of games is undoubtedly helping us to maintain our body, beautiful and
healthy. This applies to all of us. (ll children for e'ample with delicate and fragile body
frames should be encouraged, and if necessary, even forced to play games. This will help
them at least breathe in fresh air if they are encouraged to have e'ercise, or play in the
open field. 2uch sports build up the muscles of the child and he develops a healthy and an
attractive body. Binor ailments like cough, headaches, and fevers remain at a distance
from sportsmen. 2ports provide a systematic and regular e'ercise in a pleasing way and
provide enjoyment together with sufficient physical strain. Children with poor state of
health must participate in sports as this will ensure good health and an improvement in
the building of the body.
2ports also play a vital role in infusing discipline in players. ( sportsman while at the
field has always to act according to the rules of the game, with set norms of discipline of
the game. This inculcates in the individual a sense of working in accordance to rules and
regulations always, whether he be at home, at the games field or at his office. Thus, this
working as per rules gets translated into all spheres of life of the sportsman, with ease and
convenience. :e learns to work as per schedule complete command of whatever job he
takes in hand, as he always works in complete obedience of the rules set for the work.
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(nother important value imbibed in a sportsman is the sense of team spirit which is
essential concomitant for success in later life. 6ne learns to accommodate and adjust with
all others, may be even of opposite temperaments, because, without this adjustment of the
team, they cannot present a united front against the opponent and so never win a game. (
sportsman knows how to deal with people who are very irritating for him as, he knows
that adjustment with every member of the team is absolutely necessary and a key to any
success. ;earning this great art of adjusting, sportsman a is bound to be on the list of
successful adults. :e has learnt the great art of working together in harmony with others
who may as individuals even be very repulsive to him, but nonetheless, he cannot afford a
show of temper to any member of his team because he very well knows the fact that
success is never a single person8s achievement, it is a group effort, so the group must be
kept in good humour, if the work is to be done successfully, and with grace.
( sportsman on the games field also develops a sense of selflessness and a fellow feeling.
:e learns that no matter what position he holds in the games field, he often has to
sacrifice for his fellow players. :e has to remember that if the game has to be won, it has
to be so with the help and co%operation of all the players, no player is big or small.
ictory if achieved is a credit to be shared by all the players e5ually. &o matter how great
the achievement of one single player may have been, victory has to be attributed to the
team and not the player. This teaches each individual on the field, the art of sharing even
name and fame, credit and appreciation.
(nother great 5uality that sportsman imbibe is his acceptance with a smile the mistakes
and drawbacks of other players of his team. $nstead of fighting or abusing a co%player for
a mistake he might have made, a sportsman accepts mistakes of others and forgives them
all, as he would understand and justify his own mistakes. This makes a sportsman very
accommodating and considerate.
The greatest of all 5ualities in a sportsman is the 5uality of his having a sportsman8s
spirit. :e learns how to win with grace, and also to lose with cheer. :e learns the hard
fact of any game Deven of lifeE that once he sets to play, there is AFG chance of winning
and of course AFG of losing too. 2o he is always prepared to face the hardships of losing
a game. :e never becomes proud after a victory nor does he ever feel disappointed after a
loss in a game. This is because if he is a winner once, he may be the loser ne't time and
also, if he is a loser this time, he may win the ne't. :e learns by being a sportsman that,
winning and losing are never a permanent feature for anyone and that is why he
maintains a balance of behaviour in every situation. This understanding of the spirit of the
game makes a sportsman a little different from all others. .or human as we all are, we are
apt to become proud of our victories and ashamed of our defeats, but, this is all together
different in a sportsman, as he learns the rules of the game that there is no reason to be
proud or ashamed, for situations keep changing for all. :e realizes that victory and defeat
are two sides of the same coin.
Thus we can conclude that sports are an essential attribute of life. 2ports build us up
physically, mentally and even spiritually to some e'tent, as we learn to take gains and
losses in the same stride. We are able to face the onslaughts of the world if we are good
sportsmen, because we have all the ingredients of successful and happy individuals. We
have in the bargain developed so many great 5ualities of head and heart that, when these
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are translated into action outside the games field also we score much above others who
have not been able to come to the higher level of human e'istence, and still continue to
possess all the weaknesses of humans. These weaknesses the sportsmen also had but, by
entering the sports field, they have had to shed lower feelings and sentiments of us
humans.
We have a lot in praise of sports but, that does not mean that, sports are without any
disadvantages. $t has often been seen that, children who are seriously interested in sports
get away from studies and even from other e'tra curricular activities of their school or
colleges. This makes them develop into singular personalities instead of towering
rounded personalities.
(fter studying the value of sports in its totality, if is thought that sports must be
encouraged as, they teach us a lot of good 5ualities which no other art can imbibe in us.
2tatus of Women in $ndia % Today
When we talk of status, we understand that it implies the social and legal position of an
individual or, an individual8s standing vis%I%vis others. $ do wonder why, in a country
where women were at once time, D and even today E worshipped as incarnations of
goddesses, there should be any problem of status for women. :owever, this is the irony
of the fate of $ndian women that their status which should have been an identity to reckon
with, has become a topic of debate. This situation has emerged in $ndia during the period
of Buslim domination wherein was set the purdah system with all its concomitants.
This system so deteriorated, as time passed that the status of women became an issue to
be discussed on several platforms. The last few decades have seen a mushroom growth of
organizations struggling to get for women their dues, and these organizations have also
made great headway in this direction, but, how far has this helped in the improvement of
the status of women in the home, in society in office, or in the country as a whole, is still
a debatable issue.
The last few decades have no doubt seen women coming out in the open and joining the
mainstream of development of the country. /ver, it is to be seen whether this has helped
them in achieving a status for themselves, in the minds of people at large. Can we
consider women now e5ual to men in status, at least those who are working with men?
&o, $ really don8t think this has been achieved.
Women are today, found in every field of man8s working, and several have even become
economically independent but has even that enhanced our status? 6n the countrary, with
this onward march on the one hand, we can see a mushroom growth of crimes against
women, never heard of ever before. (t one time a young girl only was an item of lust for
men, but with this advent of so called women8s lib, infant girls of four to five years and
even less, or ladies of si'ty and above are becoming objects of man8s lust. $t is high time
that we analyse the cause of all this, for if our achievements on the one side result is such
chaos on the other, we will have to weigh the advantages accrued to women against the
holocaust set for them.
The last fifty years the $ndependence of $ndia, we have seen women coming out to be
educated, to do jobs, to make careers, yet the perception that women are second to men
has not been erased. &ow thus it is time to study and analyse the anomaly that, though
she work shoulder to shoulder with men, she still remain second % why ?
We women are fighting in the wrong way. Why do we, women feel that it is only by
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entering into the domain of men can we bring succour to our pained nerves, and does
e'perience of the last fifty years justify this by our achievement in the field of stauts? $
feel that, the more we are going out, the more we are prone to dangers, and the more we
are destroying our images, and the more we are making men feel adamant against us,
women. This is because we enter their domains, thus causing of working outside the
home but that should not be our sole objective, because when we do that, we are
trampling on men8s toes. 6ur women8s objective should be to e'cel in our own domain,
instead of entering the domain of men.
6ur field of work is no mean task, it is to bring up the family and rear children, bringing
up a happy &ation and a happy future. We should not consider this as a meagre task, if we
have such a tremendous task, then why do we have to try to emulate men and get into
their avenues of work. $ feel that even though continuing to achieve a greater spectrum
for ourselves to work upon, we should also need to change our attitudes to our targets.
:appiness for women obviously does not lie in emulating men, but in doing our own
tasks with e'cellence and continuing our onward march towards e5uality with men in
status. We must remember that, when we educate a woman, we educate a family. 2o this
is clear that, our present march forward should continue but our attitudes to the matter
should change for, our status will not change only by entering the world of men, but by
creating a niche for ourselves, as best as we can.
$ do not vouchsafe that women should not enter jobs etc, no, it is not so, but if we e'pect
only this to produce results, $8m afraid, the past e'perience of fifty years has shown that
this is not enough. We must realize that, first and foremost, how many of us women can
become financially independent, and if at all we do so, the point to be then considered is
that after achieving financial independence, do we women start feeling e5ual to men, or,
do start getting treatment like men? $f not then women are putting in a fruitless effort. (re
we getting any e'tra honour and respect at home in society, and from the would at large,
if not then what have we done, where have we gone wrong? 6ur pursuit of status for
ourselves is obviously not giving the desired results, so $ feel that we women need to
change our attitudes in order to achieve our goals, and the men too must be made to feel
differently. Ben have to feel that women are their e5ual partners, only with different
attributes and different assignments. 6n the other hand, women must understand and
different assignments. 6n the other hand, women must understand that, by emulating men
we will not become their e5uals, instead, they will start taking us as their rivals and so
never cooperate with us. We must realize that our women status depends a lot on how we
carry ourselves in this male dominated society. Two people having different assignments
can be e5ual only if they have a clear perception of their roles. 3y interchanging or
e'changing roles we achieve nothing tangible, we only trample each other8s feet, and call
for an altercation instead of amity.
2o now, after five decades of trying to emulate men it is time for us women to take stock
of the situation and make a more rigorous effort to fight for out rights and e5uality with
men with men with a changed attitude, and not only a change of assignment or
appearance. Two people with different assignment can surely be e5uals so, why do we
women have to hanker for stepping into men8s shoes and take up the roles of men. ;et us
now change our strategy of the struggle and not only stamp men but create for ourselves a
new horizon.