My Experience of a Storm Outline: First sign of an impending storm – the fury of the storm – the unfortunate fishermen – the aftermath of the storm. Monsoons in our country are generally heralded by cyclones or storms. It happened to be a day early in the month of June. There was peculiar stillness in the air; not a leaf stirred, not whiff of wind blew. It looked like calm...

I Experience an Earthquake Outline: Introduction – my strange experience – we rushed out – the havoc caused by the earthquake – man’s control over nature is incomplete. Who can forget what happened in the small hours of the 30th September 1993? On the previous day I had gone to bed, expecting tomorrow to be like the so many tomorrows that had followed one another in weary succession. But the day,...

I Witness an Election Outline: India is a democracy — the propaganda before the election — the day of the election and-impressions and observations. It is a matter of pride that India is a democracy, while in many neighboring countries dictatorship has reared its ugly head. In a democracy the people elect their rulers who remain in power only so long as they retain the confidence of the electorate. Democracy is...

An Embarrassing Moment in My Life   Outline: Introduction — The walking tour from Pune to Mumbai — encounter with 1 policeman — the embarrassing situation. There is no man who has not gone through an embarrassing experience in his life. In fact, one can recall several such experiences in one’s life, for they usually occur through chance or misunderstanding which cannot be foreseen or controlled. So long as they last,...

The Worst Journey I Have Ever Made Outline: Introduction — how I missed the train — the inconveniences of travelling by the next train — some other bitter experiences. It is said that when misfortunes come, they come in battalions. I experienced, in a minor way, the truth of this dictum when I happened to travel to Delhi last year. As I was feeling bored during the Diwali vacation, I decided...

An Hour in a Library Outline: The importance of libraries — what I owe to the public library in my town — my hourly routine in the library. Libraries are important means of disseminating knowledge. “A good collection of books” says Carlyle, “is the true university of our days”. The formal education received in schools and colleges is not of much value, unless it is supplemented by as wide a reading...

When I First Took Part in a Debate Outline: My ambition to become a great orator – preparations for the first speech – my first speech was a flop – yet I was determined to be an orator. One’s first experiences are usually memorable, whether they are pleasant or unpleasant. One of my ambitions as a boy was to become a great orator. In my day—dreams I often used to imagine...