Eternal Conflict

The ABVP raised a furore over the alleged session at some convent in Lucknow claiming that the school officials were trying to convert kids by doing all sorts of mumbo-jumbo.. whatever might have actually happened at the school, certain questions have arisen out of this incident.. Should schools really indulge in religious education?? Should they make/ask students to follow religious practices (of their own religion or that of the school)?
Considering the fact that we cant vote till we are aged 18, I wonder if nudging kids towards a specific religion in school is correct!! Of course, none of them would even come close to agreeing that they were doing anything wrong!

Now, i've known (hindu) friends who've developed a kind of aversion to sporting a Bindhi or flowers in their hair quite simply because their schools (christian mission schools) forbade them to do so.. This might seem trivial but in essence it does lead to changing the kids' mindset towards 'its own religion'more later.. apms acalling..

Pissing it all Away!!!

Anybody who has been in India for a stretch of time would have seen one striking feature of the ppl here! the propensity of ppl, irrespective of caste, creed, religion, age and sex, to enrich the street corners and dust bins with their... ahem.. holy water, shall we say.. From the time that i can remember, ppl here have been using the streets as if they were their personal lavatories! utter lack of public and personal hygiene... no wonder so many diseases spread so frequently and freely in our cities and towns.. and if it rains! god help us! we all know how effective our drains are in taking away rainwater.. and when everything mixes to form an effectively sewer substitute and enters households during heavy rains, well, obv ppl will succumb to diseases.
I wonder why neither the police nor the public raises any concerns regarding this... it is after all their own city/town and their own streets.. shouldnt they be the ones who tell ppl not to commit such nuisance!! even police personnel are guilty of such a 'crime'... wonder when ppl will grow up and start using streets for the purpose they're supposed to serve..
The only way these utterly deplorable practices can be stopped is by educating people about the hazards involved and basic hygiene.. will it be done?? or as almost every other matter of public interest, will it be continue to be ignored till it rears up in a big way one day and catches us unawares!