Value of Sports in Character-Building After defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington visited his old school at Eton and while addressing the students he said: “The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton.” By this, he meant that the sense of discipline and the spirit of comradeship which he had imbibed on the sports ground had stood him in good stead in...

Real Happiness Since time immemorial, man has been searching for happiness in mountains, forests, ashrams, clubs and cinemas. But where is happiness? Just to escape for a while from the boredom and monotony of everyday existence can hardly be termed happiness. Our life may be a round of pleasures but pleasures too, have their sting no less than pain. Happiness is a lasting state of mind, whereas pleasures are short-lived. Happiness...

Indian Festivals and Their Significance India is a land of fairs, fetes, feasts and festivals, and every religious community has its own list. But the Hindus observe, by far, the largest number of them. Among the more prominent of the Hindu festivals, mention may be made of Diwali, Dussehra, Holi, Janmashtmi, etc. The principal festivals of the Muslims are the Muharram and the Id. The Christian community has its Easter and...

The Rainy Season Broadly speaking, there are four seasons in a year-summer, rainy, winter, and autumn. Summer season means hot months. The rainy season brings rains after the heat of the summer. Then comes the winter season of cold months. It is followed by autumn when leaves of the trees fall off and replace them with new ones. While people in the cities do not like the rainy season, it is...

My Favourite Author My favorite author is the Victorian novelist, Charles Dickens. My first acquaintance with him dates back to my early boyhood when I saw a film version of his famous novel A Tale of Two Cities which made a deep impression on my mind. As I grew up, I read the original novel. My interest in Dickens deepened and in the course of a few years, I read his...

An Indian Village The name of my village is Chhatera. It is situated at a distance of about 20 km from Delhi. It is a model village which is visited even by foreigners. So, our government has tried to beautify this village and provide all sorts of facilities for the villagers there. The government is trying to provide all the amenities which are enjoyed by the people living in the cities....

Wedding Ceremony Which I Have Attended Marriage is a bond which binds two in a permanent and life-long companionship. It is an unforgettable event in the family and is full of feast, pleasures, displays of wealth, and excitement. This year in the month of April, I went to Kanpur to attend the marriage of my elder brother. We started for Kanpur by Kalka Mail. About forty people were going with the...

Visit to A Circus Apollo Circus came to our town last month. The proprietor of the circus rented the maidan in the Parade Ground. There he put up a huge circular tent. One night my friend took me to the circus. He bought two second-class tickets and we went in. The circus tent was brilliantly illuminated with electric lights. A band was playing outside to attract visitors. Seats were arranged in...