Assignment Code DCE-2/ TMA/1/2021-2022

Course Code DCE-2

Assignment Name Feature Writing

Year 2021-2022

Verification Status Verified by Professor

Attempt ALL the questions

100 marks

Q 1) Do women sometimes take undue advantage of the laws made to protect them in order to serve their own ends? Write a feature article on this, presenting an unbiased picture. 20

Ans) “To be born a man in India is a crime. And to marry an Indian girl is a heinous crime. And this is because of anti-men laws in the name of laws to protect women.”

Is it an Issue with your EGO or your SPIRIT?

India regularly gets hauled over the coals for its shabby treatment of women but never gave a thought about women harassing a man?

Recently men’s rights activists scored a significant victory in India when the Supreme Court essentially identified them as the victims in domestic violence cases. The judges weren’t making the law gender-neutral, however. They stated that Indian women were filing inaccurate claims of domestic violence.

“Most of such complaints are filed in the heat of the moment over trivial issues”. It went on to state that women were not visualizing the “implications and consequences” of registering a criminal complaint against their abusive husbands. “Uncalled for arrest may ruin the chances of settlement” and because of this sometimes the victims are turned up to be a culprit in this country.

Whereby, an absolutely horrifying case is trending these days from Amity, Noida, where two girls not only asked a gang of 25-30 goons to beat up the victims brutally over a lame parking argument but filed a false molestation case on them, whereas one of the victim has been declared dead and one is still fighting for his life in ICU.

If using the rights given by the Indian constitution for threatening somebody and still being safe is women’s right then I don’t think we were a woman deserve these laws? Women rights are given for protection and these days women are using it as a shield to make the victim sound as their culprit.

This assumed belief leads to disappointments, that courts are places where innocents get harassed, so the only way to get justice is to harass the opponents and thereby that harassment will force them to come to the bargaining table and close the cases.

The only way to stop false cases is to work towards rigorous prosecution of all false cases and false pieces of evidence, including the wrong investigation by police.

Indian society laughs on a man when he says he has been raped. India ridicules any complaint about male rape. Indian feminists and society think that only men are perpetrators of a heinous crime like rape and they don’t get that even women can rape a man. This is so disgusting; Owing to such psyche there are no laws for men who are survivors of rape.

One could list at great length of many problems that afflict men today, including the male suicide epidemic, the paucity of resources for male victims of domestic violence and the falling behind of young men and boys in education. However, there is one fundamental factor related to all these problems that men encounter: there is a lack of mainstream acceptance of systemic men’s issues which is compounded by the absence of male advocacy groups with a broad remit to make the case at a political level and the level of the media.

Men have started sharing their agony, torture, and harassment by women/spouses. It is time to recognize their problem as a social and public health issue and develop appropriate strategies and interventions. They are no longer stronger than women. They need help in crisis and family violence: Particularly violence by a spouse is a crisis. Male victims of violence can be saved/helped through appropriate intervention such as recognition of violence against men by women as a public health issue; helpline for the male victims of violence; and education, awareness, and legal safeguards.

Kindly understand that gender equality is a human issue.

Q 2) Write a review of a thriller you have read recently. Not disclosing too much of the story line or giving out any hint of how the novel might end, let your review create a modicum of suspense to arouse the curiosity of the readers, compelling them to buy the novel. 20

Ans)

One of Us Is Lying

McManus, Karen M.

Review:

One of Us Is Lying is a captivating mystery written from the perspective of four main characters. The author brings you into the lives of four teenagers who have all witnessed the death of a classmate. Each of these kids is suspected of murdering Simon, but having been one of the most hated kids in school it is hard to pin his death on one person. Every page I read I got even more involved in these characters' lives. All their stories were so realistic I felt connected to them through more than just the tragedy that made all their lives change. Secrets are hard to live with and get over, but this book shows how whole schools taken by a gossip site can grow with them or fail to live up to the challenge. The surprising twists and very sincere characters give you a look into how fast life can change because of one person and what secrets can do to people. Karen McManus brought up many difficult topics in this book and melded them with the character's lives showing how they dealt with them and lived through their different hardships. This book leaves you thinking about how anything can happen to you but what happens after and how you react to it is always most important in the end. The feeling of satisfaction and happiness the characters make you feel is rewarding and shows you that it's possible to get through what seems impossible.

Q 3) You are a member of a study group visiting a tribal area to collect data about its topography, and the life, art and culture of the tribals living there. Write a travel article that informs and guides prospective visitors on how to reach that area, what is of interest to see there and how to deal with the locals. 20

Ans)  The Garos are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group from the Indian subcontinent, notably found in the Indian states of Meghalaya, Assam, Tripura, Nagaland, and some neighboring areas of Bangladesh, notably Madhupur, Mymensingh, Netrokona, Jamalpur, Sherpur and Sylhet, Rangamati who call themselves A·chik Mande (literally "hill people," from a·chik "bite soil" + mande "people") or simply A·chik or Mande - the name "Garo" being given to them and used by non-Garos. Historically, Garo name was used for wide range of people in southern bank of Brahmaputra but today, Garo means Hill tribes who call themselves A'chik Mande. They are the second-largest tribe in Meghalaya after the Khasi and comprise about a third of the local population. The Garos are one of the few remaining matrilineal societies in the world.

The Garos are mainly distributed over the Garo Hills, Khasi Hills, Ri-Bhoi Districts in Meghalaya, Kamrup, Goalpara, Sivasagar, Karbi Anglong districts of Assam, Khasi Hills in Meghalaya and Dimapur (Nagaland State), lesser numbers (about 200,000) are found in Mymensingh (Jamalpur, Sherpur, Netrakona, Mymensingh) and capital Dhaka, Sylhet, and Moulovibazar districts of Bangladesh.

Traditional practices

The original language of the Garos belongs to the Tibeto-Burman language family. There is, though, no formal script of the language that exists today. Most of the age-old customs, beliefs and traditions were passed down from generation to generation orally. Their traditional religion, Songsarek, is on the decline, practised only in some remote pockets. Replete with various beliefs, it practises animal sacrifice to appease the deities.

The traditional dress of both men and women is colourful and they adorn themselves with elaborate jewellery, which includes chunky necklaces made from the elongated beads of cornelian or red glass called ripok, earrings made from silver, waist bands made from conch shells and headgear made from feathers called pilne. The headgear is worn by women during festive dances. They used weapons like spears, swords, bows and arrows, which were all useful during hunting.

Things to see and do

Na•kam Bitchi: A palate cleanser, Na•kam Bitchi is a popular soup consumed before meals and served to guests. Na•kam is a special kind of dry fish, which is sun-dried or fire-dried. The fish is then fried and boiled in water, to make a thick, rich soup. It is then flavored with many chillies and peppers to make it tasty and tangy, suitable for the Meghalayan weather. There are also various cuisines. These are Do•o kapa / Chicken Garo style, Na•kam Baring belati Chutney / Dry Fish Chutney with Roasted Tomatoes, Na•kam Bitchi / Dry Fish Soup, Na•kam Chutney / Dryfish Chutney, Wak Jo•krapa / Pork Fried with Tomatoes, Do•o Modipol (Chicken with Raw Papaya, Na•kam Chutney Rasin ming/ Dryfish Chutney with Onions,Wak Jo•krapa, Wak Pura, Gal•da Na•kam/ Dry Fish with a tangy green vegetable.

Festivals:

Most Garo festivals are based on the agricultural cycle of crops. The harvesting festival Wangala is the biggest celebration of the tribe happening in the month of October or November every year. It is the thanksgiving after harvest in the honor of the god Saljong, provider of nature's bounties. Other festivals include Gal·mak Goa, Agalmaka, etc.

Asanang Wangala

There is a celebration of the 100-drum festival in Asanang near Tura in West Garo Hills, Meghalaya, India usually in October or November. Thousands of people, especially young people, gather at Asanang and celebrate Wangala. Garo girls known as nomil and boys pante take part in 'Wangala' festivals. The pantes beat a kind of long drum called dama in groups and play bamboo flute. The nomils with colorful costumes dance to the tune of dama and folk songs in a circle.

Ahaia Winter Festival

The annual festival, conceptualised in 2008, is aimed to promote and brand this part of the region as a popular tourist destination by giving an opportunity for the local people to showcase their skills and expertise. The three-day fest features a gala event with carnival, cultural show, food festival, rock concert, wine festival, angling competition, ethnic wear competition, children's fancy dress, DJ Nite, exhibitions, housie housie, and other games. The entry forms for carnival and other events are available at the Tourist Office, Tura.

Q 4) Imagine you are to interview a female social activist currently denouncing lapses on the part of the Indian Film Censor Board for allowing some objectionable scenes and songs in a Bollywood movie. Frame 10 questions and their possible answers, with you provoking her with leading questions and she rising to the bait and answering them angerily. Try and inject some humour in your questions to soften her severe mood.20

Ans)

Q 5) Write a short feature on any one of the following topics:

c) Two wrongs do not make a right.

Ans) justified to do something illegal, inhumane, unfair or fraudulent if you have been a victim to one of these malpractices. As violence begets violence, in the similar manners, responding to a wrong doing with an equally wrong behavior will only make things worst and brings nothing but chaos and anarchy.

There is this common saying that also happens to be known as the golden rule of living life, ‘Treat people as you want to be treated’.  A lot of people believe that if one follows this rule, his life would become easier. But, nowadays, many people think oppositely and believe in the saying ‘Treat how others treat you’.

If someone is kind and treats you well then, well and good, do the same but if one does wrong to you, you do worse to them. Persons believe that, in today’s world, this is how you survive. But nothing in the world is entirely true. Yes, it’s true that to lead a good life in this era, you need to raise your voice:  to stand up in front others. In life, there come many situations, when we have to fight for our rights. But doing wrong to someone just because they first did something bad to you never correct the situation.

Imagine, someone did something wrong to you, then, in revenge or anger, you avenged by doing something bad to them. What happened? Nothing except the hatred increased and the game of revenge initiated which will continue through generations to come. The situation only got worse. A somewhat similar situation gives way to a never ending disputes among families, and nations. These estrangements among families turn into hostilities and as violence begins, the results can be seen in terms of deaths and destructions. There comes a time when the conflicting sides wish that they would have acted with sanity and patience but they find it useless to cry over spilled milk.

Now imagine, if any person mistreated you but you chose to be calm, even if it’s the hardest thing, and with compassion and respect you tried to talk to the person to understand why he did that. What’s the outcome? First you tackled the situation, second, you cleared the misunderstandings instead of making them complex by fighting back.

Now imagine, if any person mistreated you but you chose to be calm, even if it’s the hardest thing, and with compassion and respect you tried to talk to the person to understand why he did that. What’s the outcome? First you tackled the situation, second, you cleared the misunderstandings instead of making them complex by fighting back.

There come many circumstances in life that force the bad guy in you to come out. But once you lose temper, there remains no difference between you and the one you are fighting with. Remember that by adopting the similar path to take revenge, you just annihilate your own self-respect and reputation. You never know the reasons behind the actions of other people. Maybe your action of doing something good in return of bad motivates them to do the same.

Let’s look at some examples to prove our point that ‘Two wrongs don’t make a right’

History brings testimony to the fact that two wrongs don’t make a right. The life of prophets is an emphatic example of this phenomenon. Prophets faced the worst circumstances and violent oppressions from their opponents. Instead of answering violence with violence, their divine prudence and love for the humanity motivated them to not only pray for the guidance of their oppressors but also to forgive them when they rose to the corridors of power. The life of the Prophet Jesus, the Holy Prophet Muhammad(Peace be upon him) and others is full of such incidents where they forgave their worst enemies and established peace in the society.

For illustration, assume that I was busy scratching my head in the office and one of my jolly and careless colleagues came and pinched me hard.  I became so furious, that without realizing that he pinch me in fun, I turned and punched him. And then there was horrifying silence.  Everyone got shocked at what just happened. So in real two things happened. He pinched me in fun when he knew how busy I am. I felt he disturbed me while I was working. Whereas on his stance he was trying to break the ice and to turn the cold situation into a jubilant one. Now I, somehow, worsened the situation. But if I had done the opposite, like telling him in relaxed manners to not to do it again, as I was already exhausted, he could have understood and the conversation ended politely, that’s it.

The following saying defines the above situations,

‘An evil can’t be corrected with more evil’

I would choose to end this essay with Lou Holtz‘s famous saying

Life is ten percent what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it

Maybe it’s not in your hand to change things that happen but, it’s totally up to you how to deal with them. If you respond to bad things and bad attitude of people with positive attitude, there are chances that they turn out to be in your favor.