Unmasked

Crossed his forties, still a pair of age-related spectacles was missing, for what reason he knew better. His front baldness, some would say added to his personality. When he would ride his scooter sporting a Gandhi cap, he would compel others to envy him. His pair of white trousers would always speak volumes on his gentle nature. His manner of talking was also distinct. He would greet all with small bouts of smiles. Besides all these, he was a gift of gab. He would cause rise and fall in his tone in such a manner that, his talking would flow like the ripples of a serene sea. He was also associated with the All India Radio as a part time feature writer. He would also join Kirtan (Singing, dancing, music and devotion all in one package) as he was a singer. With his long experience and education he knew how to tackle and manage common men. With all these coruscating qualities undoubtedly, Satyabrata Tripathy was a respected gentleman with an enviable and adorable personality. He was the head master of Darbhanga Ashram School, being managed and funded by the Ministry of Tribal Welfare. The inhabitants of the locality were also happy finding such a jewel as the head master of the local school.

Students were given education up to the seventh class in the school. It was a boarding school and for this reason students from far and near would come to the school for study. As per government guidelines the students were provided with free books, dress materials, lodging and boarding, apart from a monthly stipend. Keeping aside affection towards their wards, poor parents would admit their sons in this school. They would feel satisfied that one day their sons would be men of respect in the society. They would leave their wards inside the lovely and green environment of the school and would return consoling their sobbing hearts. It was really difficult for the students at such tender ages to stay away from their parental umbrage. Again at this far away place, where there were no acquaintances of anyone, it was very hard for them to stay in the hostel. There were no mothers to serve love-laced tea, spicy fried rice. No one was there to give a caring hand to massage a dose of balm on the forehead in case of cold or headache. Parents would leave them only giving a small amount of money with their wards. Managing money though happens to be difficult for the matured minds but those students were asked to manage. In other words, they were matured men in their teens. But their management was rather smooth thanks to the presence of Satyabrata as a fatherly heart was palpitating inside his ribs. 

Royal cookers were appointed to cook and to assist them, there were some peons. One would think that there would be no problems for the boarding boys. But the reality was not so rosy. Leaving their works, the peons and cooks would rather teach the boys the gospel of great people like Gandhi, Nehru, Gopabandhu and others of bygone era. They would teach them about the austere life style of freedom fighters. They would always harp on the Gandhian saying, “Do one’s own work.” And the boys would get good lessons on culinary art. 

The curriculum of the school was more or less based on the Gandhian system of Education. Gandhi used to say that the present system of modern education extolled the culture of head and downplayed that of the hands. It was for this reason the boys were given extensive trainings on various works like Carpentry, tailoring etc. 

The night of serenity would break to the crowing of the punctual crow and instead of basking in the golden sunray the boys would start doing a long list of morning activities. First the unwashed silver utensils, buckets and other utensils would stare them for cleaning. Then the scattered filth of rice, pulses and curries of the kitchen would wait the boarding boys to wipe. In order to ensure equality and avoid discrimination all the boys would do such works in turn. This writer was searching the beautiful lady Democracy in other parts of India, but how could he have found, when she was swinging and giggling in the serene atmosphere and the lush greenery of the school. Some would fill the empty pitchers, buckets of the class rooms, teachers’ room and the kitchen, drawing water from the well. The veranda like a human being would take a bath as grains of rice; yellow specks of pulses would attract stray flies if left unwashed. Like the herdsman who bathes his cows everyday the boys would also bath the veranda every morning. Some boys would break big pieces of coal into small pieces. Some would take these small pieces to the coal ovens and burn them to red hot. When the ovens are prepared some would start cooking. The official cookers no doubt would be with them, but would supervise their works. The boys would cut the vegetables, grind spices and do all kinds of culinary activities. It was a training to make them culinary experts, hoping that someday in future, this art might fetch works for them. 

Whatever it may be, as Sunday comes after Saturday, their lunch time would come. All would bring out their silver dishes and coteries. Soon mind travels to the scene of a jail where the jailbirds repeat similar kinds of activities. Who knows if the Ashram was preparing them to face any situation, be it to be jail inhabitants? What is there to feel shame as India’s national father was a prisoner? In order to habituate them to coarse rug, the Ashram also provided black rugs to them. Oh, sorry straying around. Yea, when after dealing out meal to all, they would begin eating; the boys would feel the presence of stale rice gruel in their pulse. It happens, but not very often really a matter of respite for them. But the menu items would seldom change; the same pulse and potato, no non-vegetarian items like egg, mutton or fish. Cruelty towards any living beings like hen, fish or goats are regarded as violence as said by the father of nation. Gandhi, don’t worry you’re honored here. Apart from meals, the government does not provide any breakfast and the hostel boys would arrange the same from out of their own money. Certainly, the Ashram was trying its best to inculcate the value of love in the minds of the boys. It is said and felt that India lags behind, only for the declining value and respect towards labor, among its citizen. But the Ashram was only trying its best to instill the value to its students. 

Leaving all these there were many professional programs like training on cultivation like the art of tilling, weeding, sowing, fertilizer applying and doses and others farm related activities. It is said that Indians cannot live without this culture. Disregarding the mother is not good also. Certainly, their ideals were high. The Agriculture teacher would give every boy chances to learn to avoid any discrimination among them. But the produce like rice or vegetables would enter the houses of the teachers and their children would eat them without any due credit to the boys. 

Then the turn of the Tailoring teacher would come. What happened, if there was no Charkha (Spinning Wheel) they have transformed the Charkha into a Sewing machine. Oh, father cannot you take this as Charkha, one of yours favorite emblems? Oh, come on, India has come as long way leaving aside the tearful memory of the bygone era. This transformed the Charkha with its “Kit, Kit, Kit” rhythm, sings the paeans of weavers, who were weaving the Khadi clothes. The teacher would show his sartorial skill on shirts, trousers of the teachers. The boys would stitch buttons, sews button eyes, mingle them. Oh, stop nonsense. This is not an instance of child labor. 

Carpentry, oh, it was not running well thanks to a ban on cutting trees, imposed by the Ministry of Environment and Forest. There the boys lost a chance to handle adze, hornet, saw and others such tools. Anyway, they would help the teacher in making sofa sets, chairs, beds for the teachers and their relatives. Oh, come on, what if there was a ban, woods were available in black market. The staccatos of adze and saws made them fortunate as the little knowledge can help them adjust to any situation. 

The Peace bell would ring at 4 PM. The boys would get a chance to sip the breeze of open space. They would come in platoons. Some drape in napkins, some would wear the khadi (Coarse cotton clothes) school uniform. Their uniform that was of khadi variety was conspicuous from a distance. Each boy would hang a key from their pant. This reminded of the pendant watch of Gandhi. They would play for sometime with a mended football and would return to the Ashram after answering the evening call of nature. Evening would deepen. After washing or refreshing themselves, they would attend a prayer class that reminded the prayers of Gandhi. The Ram Dhun(Psalm devoted to Lord Ram) would sooth the atmosphere of the school. Gandhi would have been happy, had he been alive. ‘Attention, Peace, here begins the prayer’ a boy would ask all to be attentive. “Come Oh, Lyre in hand, white clad, seated on swan’ the prayer would go seeing psalm of the goddess Saraswati, known to bestow education and knowledge to her devotees. Oh, their tone happened to be delicious and would compel a passer by to stop and listen. 

Oh, I have completely forgotten. But let him relax on a sofa as he has already entered the scene. So, here I go to him right way. You would like to know more about Satyabrata Tripathy. How should I begin? Really, I am confused. If I would like to describe him this way, that way would be left behind. The same predicament of ‘The Road Not Taken.’ Anyway, it is upto you to figure out and make a complete picture of this gentleman. 

Satyabrata, was the only son of an affluent father. In other words speaking, he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was adept in managing the Ashram affairs. First of all, taking the help of his affluence and acquaintances, he was able to increase the number of seats in the hostel. But by and by, school opened in every village or two or three villages. Further, as school came near, no parents wanted to send their wards to hostel. You might think that it was a problem for Satyabrata to fill the seats of the hostel. But in reality it was not a problem rather a way to the land of prosperity. What happened could not make out any thing? Don’t worry you cannot also. Let me make the things clear for you. The increase in seats meant increase in the amount of stipend, quantity of rice and pulse supply, contingency grant and clothes for uniform. To ensure others golden support, local boys not belonging to the earmarked class were permitted admission, flouting the norms of the school. Serving stale rice, gruel mixed pulse, tomatoes without any vegetables; the Head Master was able to appropriate a lot of money by selling the garrison in the market. If someone would remain absent, it was also an opportunity for him, as no one in paper was absent. Absence always happens to be a part and parcel of school life. Boys, who go to their houses, would never return, before the end of vacation or leaves. Truly, a boy of ten or eleven years old cannot forget his parental love. If someone would fall ill or contacts a contagious disease, as happen to be a regular feature of hostel life, the class teacher would always deliberately leave the square in the Attendance Register, blank for future manipulation. The government also earmarks funds for oil and soap, but these were never provided to the boys. Small boys cannot protest and their docile and simpleton nature was the cause of Satyabrata’s affluence. 

The stipend, Satybrata would ensure, are not paid in full. The number of stipendiary students was more than the number of actual students paid. The balance amount would go to the coffer of the Head Master. What, you said alone? No, no, you made a mistake on your part. It is said that, it is very hard to swallow the traditional rice mill (Dhinki) without Narada’s knowledge. (Narada, a son of God Brahma would always travel the world, seating on a Dhinki) And he was also paid a part of the rapacity to keep shut his ears, mouth and eyes. Ah, like the three monkeys of Gandhi’s drawing room. When auditors would come to the school, they would be served with roasted hen, maintaining a ratio of one is to one. They would fell for this institution and would frequent the compound, solely to satisfy their salivating mouths and minds. Narada and Satyabrata would shuffle the draughts of chess board at their will. He would want docile and pliable colleagues in his Ashram to perpetuate his regime. Further, all would fear him, as he was a close friend of Narada. If he would like, he would send any teacher to count the pug marks of tigers in a remote tiger sanctuary. 

Pabitra joined the Ashram as an agriculture teacher. He was himself a hostel boy in his school days. He knew very well about the rat excreta mixed pulses and gravelly double boiled rice. When he came to know about this kind of exploitation, his Ashram made blood boiled. In sheer anger, he warned Satyabrata to stop all these exploitation of poor students. Satyabrata would think, ‘Truly a freedom fighter has incarnated. I thought a malleable soil creature. Wait, my son wait.’ And true to his word, Pabitra got a transfer order to a high school, after two months of his stint here. It took no time for Pabitra to know the involvement of the corrupt Satyabrata. Pabitra joined in the new school, meekly. 

Joining there, Pabitra could not sit idle and silently. ‘What to be done and how’ he would question his mind. There came an effective way. He informed the Central Bureau of Investigation office giving all details. In the greenery and clearly sky of the Ashram, a canopy of cumulus cloud was seen enveloping with off and on sparkling. Suspension after suspensions followed. First of all Krishna (A powerful incarnation of God of Hindu pantheon) clad Satyabrata was shown the way. All registers were seized and combed. Millions of rupee were found missing. Satyabrata was charged with malfeasance and embezzlement of government funds and sent to custody for further inquiry. But he was filling lonely and bored for the absence of Narada’s lyre and music. He would mumble, ‘Narada, Narada.’ God finally melted and to relieve him from further loneliness and boredom, God arranged to send Narada to Satyabrata. Narada draped in a prisoner’s apparel, with the traditional silver dish and bowl came to join him. The irony was that Satyabra lived in an environment that he enforced in the Ashram. One night they started dancing and singing psalms of God but no one took care of this twosome. And their sound just faded in the four walls of the prison.

Respledence of Learning: Darkness Vanquished

“Look, look the chimney is going out, perhaps running out of fuel.  Oops, electricity eludes like the sun in a cloudy day,” said a despondent voice from inside a room.

This is but a typical sentence.  And the consequence of such a sentence results in filling such chimneys with fuel.  But there is another light that shows no such problem and one would not hear typical sentence like the one quoted above.  Yes, haven’t you heard the famous phrase ‘[cÒjÐ cÐ ÒSÔÐ[ÞNàc¯Æ’ ‘From Darkness to light?’  Oh, come on, you’ve heard that.  Here the writer has compared the lack of learning or cerebral incapacity to judge, what is right and what is wrong in different contexts.  

Human being is bestowed with such amazing prowess by the Almighty to siphon the right from the wrong.  Among the creations of the Almighty,  human being is the only living being who has got not only the ability to express his thoughts to other fellow beings but also the capacity to make others follow suit.  In ancient time, we had some crude forms of languages like the language of signs, symbols, signals and picture.  But there were some important problems of such language of signals. There was lack of uniformity among people in using those signals or symbols.  Further, not every idea had signals or symbols, yet another lacuna. This lack of uniformity was the stumbling block in conveying a required meaning or command to other fellow beings.    Simultaneously, it was seen that various streams of signal language were being used by different people in the same society or a particular locality.  It was also seen that a particular sign meant different things to different people.  It was not also available in written form or we may say a written form was yet to be evolved.  

Oh, there was yet another problem, that of fading of ideas.  With the passage of time spoken words get erased from memory and we rue for the erosion.  In other words speaking, ideas were not available for back referencing or future reading.  As time elapsed, human being felt the need of some devices or some strategy to record their ideas for future reading or archiving for next generation.  In order to make such spoken ideas perpetual and not subject to erosion with the passage of time, written form was evolved.   

To institutionalize such learning process, we have got institutions that we all know as school and those who impart such learning are called Teachers.  This is not that easy as many think it to be.  A school, some teachers, a vast modern organizational and hierarchical set up to manage the teachers or tutors and pupils, really gigantic and far away from the simple thinking of common men. 

Till this phase of simplicity, the learning process was manageable but when the villain of Marks and Gradation system entered the scene, the complete set up received a setback and became complex.  No doubt, we have had enough discussions, arguments and counter arguments regarding the quality of Learning.  Do you think; a student scoring highest marks and declared as better than the best, has got learning of the highest quality?  Or do you think a student not among marks has not got quality learning?  This is a bit tricky question but not that difficult to answer.  Mark is but a criterion; remember a criterion among criteria, simply to judge a student’s level of learning.  But what if someone resorts to memorizing or taking the help of mal-practices, only to score higher marks in a prescribed examination?  Here the complete mark system earns the wrath and criticism of the Pro-quality group.  Memorizing or resorting to mal-practice is not learning in the right sense but a sham as well as a shame towards the magnanimous system of learning.  It is called temporary learning, as such knowledge and information tends to erase from memory faster than the process of memorizing.  That knowledge that becomes inherent part of brain, heart and body is the greatest learning that never fades from memory and always rescues someone in time of crises in every walk of the life.  We should rather inch forward towards such a system of quality learning that instills confidence in the mind of the learners.   

It is seen that Mark and Division have become our sole goals while in school.  But that should not be the only goals.  A complete package of learning that takes care of every part of a student from heart to mind is the need of hour.  What is the use of marks when one is incapable of judging right from wrong in different contexts?  What is the use of division or grades, when one is incapable of expressing one’s ideas forcefully to a crowd?  Learning that is imparted with practical examples through activities tends to be more fruitful and effective than learning by books.  Books are but a collection of imaginary or real examples.  In other words, we may describe books as ready examples in digest form.  The solution of a good and effective learning system lies, both in books and learning by doing or learning by examples.  

Our goal should be to develop a complete statue, embellished with all forms of knowledge to allow one to walk in the crowd distinctly, without any fear, with ready solutions for every occasion.   It is this form of light that never goes out, not subject to anything like the vagaries of time or nature, ravages, subjugation, suppression and slavery.  Knowledge or information that we gain or gather with the passage of time that we call experience, always helps effectively.  These experiences in written forms are compiled as a book.  

The precursor of the present day school that we call as Gurukula, was taking care of every part of life to make a man out of an ass, to make a man to live in the society and for the society, to make a man of character and knowledge.  Coming out from such an institution one was able to make living gracefully without any kind of problems.  

So it is again the journey from darkness to light.  Time has come to do a review and an overhauling of our entire system of drudgery that develops a student to land onto a job.  It is really, ridiculous and thought provoking that Teaching as a job is the last resort of people.  Everyone wants to be a man but no one wants to be a man-maker is really a matter of pondering.  Human resource development cell should take this sordid fact into account and come forward with a completely new system that would take care of all these aspects so that we can have quality human resources to serve our nation in different capacity.   

So let the light spread far and wide to every nooks and crannies of our world and benefit all and sundry.  Don’t let the light go out or demand a refill, otherwise the road to the dungeon of darkness will be crystal clear without light! Let the light spread and no one be left without letters.  Let everyone get enlightened by the eternal light of learning and let they light others.  Let this chain, relays to all and every one runs his part in the marathon of knowledge.  

Let ye scatter the resplendence of learning wherever ye can, to keep the flame of learning burning, before ye may have no one to show the iridescence.  Amen!

                                                      

This article was published In January, 2009, in a souvenir entitled “Uchhab” brought out on the occasion of silver jubilee celebration of my High school.

Thanks

A Funny Conversation

 Here is a funny telephonic conversation between a Telephone operator and a caller. Interestingly, this blogger has collected this from a children magazine distributed by an English daily. When he first read he could not but laugh. So, here this blogger wishes you a bout of laughing.

Caller: Can I speak to Annie Wan, please? 

Operator: Yes, you can speak to me.

Caller: No, I only want to speak to Annie Wan.

Operator: Yes, I understand you want to speak to anyone.

Caller: I'm Sam Wan and I'd like to speak to Annie Wan.  It's urgent.

Operator: I know you're someone and you'd like to speak t anyone! But what's this urgent matter all about?

Caller: Just tell my sister, Annie Wan, that Noe Wan met with an accident.  Noe Wan got injured and Noe wan is being sent to the hospital.  Right now, Avery Wan is on the way to the hospital. 

Operator: Look, if no one is injured and no one has been sent to the hospital, then why do you say this urgent?  You may think it's funny but I certainly don't!

Caller: You're rude!  Who are you?

Operator: I am Saw Ree.

Caller: You should be sorry!  Now, tell me your name.

Operator: That's what i said.  I'm Saw Ree.

Caller: Oh, God.

Thanks

Present Simple

Sub + Verb 1 (I drive)

We use the Present simple to describe the following situations.

(A) A present Event: 

• Chima passes the ball to Baichung and Baichung scores a goal. ( Sport Commentary)

• The managing director declares the meeting closed (Announcement) 

• I pick a card from this deck and place that under a piece of paper. (Demonstration) 

• I beg your pardon. 

N.B: Here the event begins and ends at the very moment of speech. 

(B) A present State: 

• I am thirsty. 

• Chinu’s brother is ill. 

• I have no time to go through your paper. 

• We live in the country side. • Do you know German? 

• I don’t like curd. 

(C) Present Habit: 

• He works in the Wipro BPO. 

• I often tour the country side.

• It rains a lot in July. 

• The Paper boy comes at 7 a.m. 

• She speaks French well. 

• How often do you use soap? 

A state is a condition that continues over a period of time. A habit is of repetition of events over a period of time. 

(D) Scientific Facts (known by experiment)

• Gas goes upward. 

• Water freezes at 0 degree C.

• Ice melts when heated. 

(E) General Truth 

• The Indian grow a lot of rice. 

• The Sun rises in the east. 

• The moon revolves round the earth. 

• The Narmada flows into the Arabian Sea. 

• Deer eats grass. 

In D and E the states or phenomena covers a period of time that includes the present moment and they are also true always.

We say: 

• Where do you come from? (Residential sense)

• Or where are you from? (Not where are coming from?) 

• What makes you so gloomy? • What brings you here? 

• He talks like a professional. 

This much for today. Thanks

Present Progressive

There are three kinds of tenses like Present, Past and Future.  Again these tenses are divided into four sub groups like Simple, Progressive, Perfect Progressive and Perfect. Let’s discuss about a short lesson on the Progressive form of present tense.  Present progressive is a popular form of tense. In this series of knowledge on tense, let me discuss about the present progressive or continuous.  

Am/is/are+ verb+ing or present participle.

The form indicates that an activity is going on now or at the very moment of speaking.

• What are you doing? (Right now)
• I'm writing a letter. 
• Let's go out.  It is not raining any more.
• Where's Harsh?
• He is in the garden watering the plants. 
• Don't disturb me.  I am trying to hear him carefully. 

 A series of actions has been started and is in progress (going on and around now) although the doer may not be performing the action himself at the time of speaking. 

• They're building a new house near the institution.
• Simple is five years old and going to school.
• A.P.J is writing a new novel.

A series of actions or a temporary situation is being performed temporarily. (Something which is true at the moment of speaking, but which may be true later.) It is concerned with habitual activity but habitual activity over a limited period of time. 

• We are staying in a makeshift house as our new house is under construction.
• I am getting up at seven every day this week. 
• He goes to work in train but he is now going to work by car these days. 

With Always/ Forever/ Constantly etc. 

This form is sometimes used with Always (More rarely with Continually, forever etc. ) to emphasize the frequency with which an action is repeated: the speaker wishes to show that, in his opinion, this action occurs more frequently than normal, and the feeling is usually one of Surprise, Irritation or Criticism. 

• I am always watching this happen in restaurants.
• Sophie is constantly making mistakes nowadays.
• The postman is always delivering my letters to my colleague.

Changing situations: 

·         The weather is getting colder.

·         The population of India is rising very rapidly.

·         Your English is deteriorating day by day, what's the problem with you.  

In this series of Tense and their uses, this blogger will be writing a number of articles.  Wait and watch and keep tab.  For today this much only.  

Thanks

A Commentary on Comment

“Good post, Keep it up, Nice post, Good work,” all blogger are more or less known to such comment clichés. Blog is nothing but a personal or professional statement and a medium of interactions among like minded people. It is like an informal forum for furthering knowledge, fun or research or friendship. Every blogger maintains a comment form for easy interaction or healthy dissenting arguments. A blogger with a lot of research comes up with a post on a given theme. Straightway, the URL or link of the same post is pinged to all social medium like Facebook, Twitter, friendfeed, blogcatalog, mybloglog, stumble upon, technorati and Google reader. All come to know that so and so blog has posted a new post. Then like minded people or friends come to the blog to go through the new post.

Many kinds of readers come to the blog and those can be categorized as Unserious or Whimsical and Serious. Serious readers read the post with right earnest and after grasping the content they leave their thoughtful comments. They happen to be sincere and always follow their favorite blogs. They also bookmark the post in various sites. Some serious readers write long and relevant comments related to the post and these kinds of comments enhance the contents of the blog post. Sometimes, they also resort to Delicious spamming and leave such a comment. Some also analyze the post from a critical angle and provide extra or additional materials related to the posts are always welcome. 

Comments like good post, keep it up, good work, congratulation are called Delicious Spamming as they happen to be sweet and don’t in any way enhance the interaction or irritate the blogger. These kinds of comments also can be said as neutral, doing nothing substantial other than generating a bubbly feeling in the minds of blogger. Some even try to register their comments in a hurry and end up with writing something with grammatical or spelling mistakes or leave their comments in vernacular language which is not understandable by the blogger or reader. (T9 errors is an exception) This kind of readers comes in the category of un-serious readers. 

Of course, in vernacular language blogs, vernacular comments are always welcome. But in English language blog vernacular comments should not be made. There is a valid cause for this. Comment after submitting becomes the property of the blog and its readers. If one’s comments written in vernacular languages other that of English then one will be breaking the interaction and the same comment will be left out by the blogger or readers. Further one’s link will not be chased by any readers. In that case one shall be doing a disservice to one’s blog as very often these traces become a source of traffic to a blog. One should ensure that what one says is understood by all. At times vernacular language is used to leave something irritating. 

Comments serve many purposes. Some of them are:

• Extempore statement or reaction. 

• Signature link or comment luv links for traffic. 

• A way for widening the friendship. 

• Back links for Google page rank. 

Comments can be both Negative as well as Positive. Positive comments are always welcome by all and sundry. But not all give equal treatment to negative comments. Positive comments to praise or cajole the blogger or to be in the good book of the blogger are nothing but a kind of spam that I referred earlier as Delicious spamming. This kind of comment is made to show that “I am also here, hey I am here, don’t forget me.” They don’t serve any purpose or in any way contribute anything to the blog post. 

   

Negative comments or that falls on the guillotine. 

• Placing nonsense links. 

• Selling furniture or erotica. 

• Promoting one’s blog arrogantly. 

• Writing something Greek and Latin. 

• User name without any name but a combination of numeric and Shift key characters. (2601\\*&^ %) 

• Promising huge number of hits or money or promoting affiliate links. 

• Leaving a personal or semi personal message to the blogger. (many bloggers don’t leave their mail id, or maintain a contact me/us link, causes this) If even after these alternatives available one writes personal message then the message should go to the guillotine right way. 

Comment in vernacular blog is vital as they don’t enjoy search engine traffic. They always rely on organic traffic. Friends, fellow bloggers or connoisseurs known to the blogger or college friends or others visit these blogs and leave their comments. People tend to search keywords in the global site and in that case their keyword fails to come in the first or second page. If the same keyword is searched in local search engines then chances are there for their links to come up. But culture cannot be changed as global search engines have become brand name. No doubt local sites are also faring very well. 

Literary sites don’t fare well as they cannot be content writing and focus on a particular keyword. Further keyword density cannot be increased for obvious reason of tampering with the essence of a short story of poem. 

‘You comment, I follow’ ‘Leave a comment on the Above Blog’ These kinds of pressure tactics are but sham as comments are but spontaneous reaction of a reader or person in reaction to a stimulant that is a blog post. The spontaneity is the essential factor. Comments are not made doing research on Wikipedia or other such sites like blog posts. Obviously, they happen to a sudden reaction to an action if spoken in Archimedes way. Comment cannot be driven or flogged or pushed by a master or ordinance and streamlined or bought or traded. If such things are done then certainly the veracity of such comments are questioned. 

Comments go a long way in encouraging a bloggers and it should be the culmination of reading. Reading without comments shows that either the readers didn’t like the post or they lack time like millions of readers. An age has come now as people complain to themselves, “Oh I lack time.” But they lack time is not the truth as they happen to surf the net for more than four or five or even 10 hours. People go to Facebook and do some farces. They go to Orkut, myspace, hi5 or other such sites and participate in threads like ‘One letter changing game.’ They twit a lot about their hobbies or daily chores. They also play games in the internet. But sadly they also complain about the lack of time. Placing nonsense links on others blog posts selling some erotica or furniture or calicos as if this is also a game or good time pass. 

Commenting is a healthy culture which should be encouraged and aroused in the minds of the readers. Blogs heavily rely on comments. But blog posts should be that appealing, qualitative and thought provoking. There would be no comments on Pay per post or eulogy of a nonsense affiliate link. Do write something valuable posts for the community and engage some like minded people or fellow blogger for a fruitful blogging environment. 

Comment but don’t cajole or coat your comment with sugar. Be polite in dissenting. One must leaves his foot prints on the sand of a post that appeals one. In writing a post or article a lot of time is devoted towards searching relevant materials and weaving them into a single thread. A blog owner should reciprocate the commentator personally and should provide the subscription link to the comment so that personal or subsequent views are mailed to all commentators. This enhances the chain and interaction. This also ensures the return of the commentators that is good for the health of the blog and an encouragement for the blog owner for blogging consistently. Now it is up to you to consider in which category you fall. 

Ask some questions to your self. 

• Do you want people to comment on your blog post? 

• Do you comment regularly? 

• If not then how you cherish comments. 

• If yes then good and feel elated. 

• If want comments on your posts. 

• Comments consistently.

• Write good original contents. 

• Visits others blog regularly. 

Don’t comment to attract comment but comment on the merit of the content. Don’t cajole any blogger. Read when you have got spare time so that you can grasp the matter and there will be a spontaneous and sagacious response or reaction in your mind. So, do comment and get comment. Good luck and good bye.