A PSALM OF LIFE BY HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

 

From the pen-APN

 

Some poems work like magic spell and inspire the best in readers to achieve newer heights of humanity."A Psalm of Life" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow is also such a poem that gives a clarion call to make the most of one's time and become the best version of one's self. 

This poem is a part of +2 Syllabus in the state of Odisha. Council of Higher Secondary Education, Odisha has included in the subject English of XII class. 

The link of a video tutorial produced by me is inserted here for the benefit of general public.  If the Video is not visible then CLICK HERE.

Yours Sincerely,

APN

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‘Anna Vs Government’ drama has given us a new hope

Average Indians prefer to live like Zombies. They slumber when Anna fasts; they do nothing more than watching news channels when swami Ramdev is humiliated. They prefer to turn their faces indifferently away from all sorts of mass movements because they are deeply convinced that all such demonstrations are futile. 

The dismal degradation of our national character has bred a generation of selfish and corrupt politicians who lack the earnestness to fathom the sorry plights of the common mass. They frame such laws and use such manipulations that nation’s wealth is pocketed by a coterie of businessmen and politicians (CWG and 2G spectrum scams are the fresh examples) ,which in turn causes inflation and a decline in the common men’s  standards of living.  

Corruption has many forms and its various, known and still unknown, forms evolve with changing times and changing Government laws. It is adaptive and heavily branched. And on the tip of each branch many greedy monkeys sit and grin together. They sit at such a great height that they always remain beyond the reach of common mass and grin slyly at our stupidity. 

Anna would have reaped the same bitter treatment from the Government, which the Government had earlier applied on Sri Ramdev-the ruthless use of force to suppress the voices against the cheaters of nation’s wealth. But this time Government could not garner enough strength because the wind of public support foiled all of their political gimmicks and tricks.    

    

In Indian politics the ideals of true statesmanship is a missing element. Now People have learnt not to expect any sense of loyalty from our MPs or MLAs. However, the colossal leadership vacuum in our political arena persistently threatens us with both political and economic insecurities. 

The ‘Anna Vs Government’ drama has given us a new hope not because the protesting public could bend the elected representatives but because the elected representatives thought about the betterment of the nation rising above individual party lines. However, chances cannot be ruled out that the new-born astuteness of our politicians is a temporary disguise to avert public wrath.

Inflated Condoms

For two months I have not seen my baby. He is happily growing under the care of my wife at his grandfather’s. I am missing his soft touches and the peculiar milky smell that all babies have. I am informed that the baby has attained requisite strength to play with toys and other objects.

I groped my memory and my past experience with the view-point of a kid to choose a good set of toys for the little one. My imaginative retreat into the past when I was very small revealed me that I was most joyous when I inflated condoms and played with them as balloons. I used to demand before my father everyday to bring a lot of NIRODH (a brand of condom but for me it was balloon) by the evenings when he returned from office. I remember that my mother used to warn me not to go outside with those condom-balloons. She used to frighten me that if police would see this type of balloons in my hands they would carry me to the lock up. So my home used to turn into a play ground and I would kick or box those condom-balloons and would see how they rose up and touched the roof. 

I clearly remember that those balloons were far better than other types of balloons available in the market in those days. Today time has changed. In the hi-tech age the children play video-games and there is a variety of electronic gizmos and other entertainments. So who would now pine for condoms as balloons? But till today I certify that the response of inflated condoms to the playful touches of a child will be sheer joy. Try it once if you have a kid. If my words do not hold good, there is nothing to be worried because your condoms can be used otherwise. Of course not with the kid but with ………..

A father in utter frustration

Yesterday I was watching a movie named ‘C COMPANY’. A scene touched my heart where a father entertains the customers of a big shopping mall by playing the part of a cartoon-cock. Poverty makes him jump like a hen. His son is unaware of his identity and when he confronts his father’s status he hates and leaves that place in disgust along with his mother. The father, who has just taken off the mask of the cartoon- cock and stands in utter despair and agony, is all in tears.  The mother and child left him alone in a deep sea of frustration and heartache. He is agonized because he could not prove himself to be a good father-he is a miserable weakling, completely defeated by the ruthlessness of society.

Tears sparkled in my eyes. My heart was purified in such an impeccable presentation of human FAILINGS. I saluted the actor RAMPAL YADAV for his powerful acting skills. He is a dwarfish actor but his size proved to be a strong point in driving the act straight into heart……. SIZE DOES NOT MATTER, WHAT LIES INSIDE DETERMINES THE RESULT.

I would like to spill some of my feelings that have a parallelism with the trampled father. ……………. No I won’t but I must say that I love my wife a lot because with me she has lots of insecurities and no guarantee. Still she is struggling to welcome a fine morning when the sky will glitter with a radiant sun and the birds will be happily flying.