Bihar Board Class 12th English Group Discussion Important Questions
1. Topic—Nuclear family is a better option them die joint family:
Srikant — Friends, I have just returned after a visit to my maternal grand father in the village where he is living with his two sons and their children. I found that there was a chaos in the house—the children were noisy and indisciplained, the elders passed more time in idle gossip than in meaningful activities. I think all this was due to a joint family system is which number affected the quality of life. A nuclear family in the need of the hour.
Sachin — I cannot agree, friends, with the conclusion of Srikant. He has noticed only the superficialities. In a joint family the bond between the elders and the younger people is stronger. And although children may appear to be
pampered and noisy they learn their duties and responsibilities at an earlier stage. For a long time joint family has prevailed in many countries and in India with great success, making rich contribution to culture and tradition.
Tarun — But Sachin overlooks the needs of the modem age. Since people are working in towns and metropolitan cities they have neither the space nor the resources to run a joint family. And it is not desirable either. The age of competition requires children to be more highly educated which in turn requires more expenses. In a joint family the educational and hygienic needs of the people cannot be taken care of.
Rajendra — What Tarun has said about the compulsions of the modem age is true. But we must understand that the very concept of family requires a combination of the elders and the young people which can be truely maintained in a joint family system.
2. Topic—Story-telling is an effective way of teaching.
Rajendra — Friends, I don think that story-telling can be used as a means of teaching. There are hundreds of subjects for which story-telling cannot be used. For instance, how can a teacher use stories for teaching mathematics, physics and biology ? It would be ridiculous to present scientific facts in the form of stories.
Srikant — I see your point. But stories can be effectively used to convey moral lessons and historical details. I heard a number of stories from my grand mother. I still remember them because in those stories of birds, beasts, princes, gods and goddesses there was always a powerful human appeal. Those were stories which gave me an insight into weaknesses and strength of man. They taught me to be guided by moral considerations in all circumstances.
Tarun — Friends, I would like to remind you of Panchtantra, a book whose stories are found in fables of many countries of world. The book was planned with a purpose of imparting education to four princes who had little inclination for study. It is said that after they heard those stories they were greatly changed. They became men of culture and learning and acquired competence of handling royal administration.
Sachin — The popularity of novels and short stories in this age of science proves the same. We don’t turn to them for the sake of entertainment alone. They give us an account of the changes in the society and the attitude of men and women and shape our sensibility.
3. Topic — The company of Nature is most soothing.
Tarun — Friends, I believe that in order to remove our tensions we must go to places close to mountains, rivers or forests and stay there for a couple of days. The beauty and the silence of such spots fill us with a sense of calm and give strength to us.
Sachin — Absolutely true. Last year we went to Almora where the father of a friend of mine was transferred. The town is surrounded by the peaks of the Himalays and is frill of pine trees. We spent our days just wandering around the forest and the mountains. Their very sight lifted our spirits.
Rajendra – it is no wonder our poets have always tried to capture the beauty of nature in words. Wordsworth, the English poet, lived throughout in the company of nature. The small villages, the rivers, the hills and the wild flowers gave him lofty thoughts. In India also our pilgrimages are located in beautiful natural surroundings. My grand father tells us eloquently about his joumey to Kedamath and Badrinath through icy rivers and hot springs, through cloudy sky arid snow-capped peaks of the Himalayas.
Srikant – So nice of you, Rajendra, to remind me of the pilgrimages. We went to Puri during the last Durga Puja. Of coures, we visited the temple of Sri Jagannath. But the sea fascinated us. We liked to walk on the sands, watch the tides rising and falling, taking dip in the sea. And yet we were not tired of it. There was in it a beauty that we discovered afresh every moment.