LEARNING IS LIFE

  Remembering Neta Ji Subhash Chandra Bose on His Death Anniversary The death anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is observed on August 18, marking the reported day in 1945 when his overloaded plane crashed in Taihoku ,Taipei, Taiwan. Bose remains a monumental icon of the Indian Independence Movement, widely celebrated for organizing the Indian National Army (Azad Hind Fauj) and his legendary war cries like "Jai Hind" and "Give me blood, and I will give you freedom". A Poem Inspired by Life and Wisdom of Neta Ji Bose Freedom's fire, it's not a gift, Netaji's words, a powerful shift. We must seize it, take our stand, Not wait for it from any hand. To yield to wrong, a wicked stain, A deeper hurt, a sharper pain. To bend to lies, to bow to might, Is to extinguish freedom's light. The cost of liberty, a heavy toll, Paid in hot blood, soul by soul. No gentle talk, no reasoned plea, Can break the chains and set us free. Through struggle's heat, ...

 Dark Horizons: Slavery and Despair Beneath a Ruthless Rule A heavy hand, a silent dread, Words unspoken, futures bled. No laughter rings, no colours bright, Just shadowed days and starless night. Schools are shut, apart they keep, Tests get leaked, promises sleep. The joy is gone, the songs are mute, A bleak future, no ripening fruit. Chains are forged, though not of steel, The spirit bound, no chance to heal. Just endless toil, a weary sigh, Beneath a gray and watchful eye. For what is lost when freedom flees, And spirits bow on bended knees. A world of gloom, a lonely plight, Lost in the dark, without a light.

 Right to Dissent: The Pillar of Thriving Democracies QUINTETS A voice that cries out, "This is wrong!" Can make the mighty feel less strong. For when we speak, The truth we seek, And help the laws be right and long. A voice that dared to shout, "No more!" Challenged what came before. Old ways had to bend, A new path to transcend, For progress, we all adore. To call dissenters "unpatriotic," Is a thoughtless, rather idiotic, Narrative they spin, A hollow din, Their reasoning, quite idiotic. When leaders grow a bit too grand, And power slips right from their hand, The right to speak, Makes their flaws peek, And keeps them in check throughout the land.

Sumit Sarkar (1939-2026) was an Indian historian and author of Swadeshi Movement and authority on Social History He was a founding member of the Subaltern Studies Group as well as one of its most important critics.  He was born in 1939 and died and died on 13 August 2026 at an age of 87 years.   QUINTETS INSPIRED BY HIS THOUGHTS ON TRUE NATIONALISM   A nation, in fervour and pride, With symbols held deeply inside, Can blind with its might, And darken the light, Where reason 'n empathy subside.   A nation where all can find their place, With fairness and a smiling face. Democracy's bright light, Equity shining bright, Justice for all, in every race.

  NO KINGS MOVEMENT TAKES WINGS ACROSS GLOBE In the States, a loud chant did take wing, "No Kings!" did the people all sing. "Constitution, not liege!" Against Trump's growing siege, For democracy, their hearts did spring. 'No Kings' rallies loudly proclaim, "Our courts must stay free from blame!" With rights they will fight, For truth and for light, And hold power to account, that's their aim. In India, a chant arose, "No kings!" and power's sway it chose. No one man's decree, For all eyes to see, Accountability, it bestows. The firms with wealth, quite a big sway, Made education go astray. Prices shot up, jobs took flight, Monarch ruled day and night, So voices cried, "No Kings Today!" Gen-Z protest arose, loud  'n bold, For schools were not teaching, we're told. With prices so high, And tests gone awry, And kings in their castles of gold.

  Ideology and Conflict: Voices Under Fire Limericks A fellow, quite staunch extreme right, Called thinking a terrible blight. With a furious frown, He'd shout the world down, "No thought! Just my furious might!" A leader, quite grand, in his seat, Said, "Naxals of thought, we must meet! Like the armed ones of old, Their influence bold, Must be finished, completely, discreet!"