The Self - Unseeing (Poem) - Thomas Hardy

 Thomas Hardy (1840-1928), Victorian novelist and poet is best known for his vivid portrayal of rural life and tragic characters.  'Tess of D'Urbervilles' (1891),  'Far from the madding crowd' (1874), 'The Mayor of Caster Bridge' (1886), are his most famous novels.  Apart from these he wrote near around nine hundred poems.  His 'The Self-Unseeing' is a small poem in three stanzas that contemplates memory, loss and the gentle beauty of the bygone days.  He recalls his memory from his childhood days and enkindles the nostalgic feelings in the minds of the readers.

I am a Cat (Film) - Kon Ichikawa

 Kon Ichikawa (1915-2008) is a highly influential Japanese film director.  He was a modernist bridging classical and experimental cinema, famous for literary adaptations and humanist themes. 'The Burmese harp', 'Tokyo Olympiad' and 'I am a Cat' are his best known films.  His 'I am a Cat' was an adaptation of Natsume Soseki's (1867 - 1916) novel 'I am a Cat' in 1975.  The film focuses on the character named Kushami, a school teacher and a cat that observes the teacher and his neighbours in late 19th century Japan.  Kon Ichikawa has excellently used his filmography and directorial vision in assessing societal norms and human behaviour through the effective usage of humour and Irony.

HUMANITIES V/S SCIENCE - S. RADHAKRISHNAN

Dr. Sarvepally Radhakrishnan (1888-1975), President of Indian during 1962-1967, was a great thinker, teacher and public intellectual. His important works are .'Indian Philosophy', 'Science and Culture' and 'Religion and Society'. He is best known for his contributions in the field of education. He was a recipient of many awards including the Bharat Ratna Award. In this essay, 'Humanities v/s Science’, Dr. Radhakrishnan opines that Science without Humanities, in the field of education is just like knowledge without wisdom. As the ultimate goal of education is to help students grow in wisdom and attain self awareness with a human heart, both science and humanities are important.