ON WORKING HARD

Jinnah Memorial School,

Gurjat.

January 5, 1994.

Dear Naveed,

Your college report has pained me. I am sad to learn that you are not doing well in your studies. I learn you are more than fond of sport. Games are quite good, but you must not nuglect your studies. Too much of games is as bad as is too much of studies. Remember, too much of anything is bad. By playing too much and not reading at all, as they say, you feed the body but starve the soul. Do not neglect your studies now that your Intermediate Examination is at hand. You passed your Matriculation at a very young age. I hope you will not pass your B.A. in old age. Do not be like the rabbit who went fast in the beginning but then he slept, and the snail soon overtook him. With love and a box of sweets.

Yours Lovingly,

Daddy.

HOW TO HANDLE CHILDERN

Ratan Street,

Sibbi.

January 6 1994.

Dear Hafiz,

I find you are very soft with children. They are getting out of hand. You know the ancient saying, “Spare the rod and spoil the child>>!” No need to write more.

Yours sincerely,

Pirzada.

REPLY TO ABOVE

Rose Villa.

Quetta,

January 7,1994.

Dear Pirzada,

Spare the rod and do not spoil the child. Do not think the ancients were always right. I do not mean to say that the ancients were always wrong. Their sayings were conditioned by their circumstances. Let us not forget the modern circumstances demand new approach. Let us learn who is best in all the ages. Our maxim should be. “Gather ye the wisdom of East and West.” In modern times more children are spoiled by using the rod than by spraying it. If you want to bring up a child well you must treat him as your equal. You must not beat him for everything. Rather beat everything into his head. You must win him over to your ideas. You must convince him about the rightness or wrongness of an action. It will be more fruitful than mere violence. You can force a child to follow you, but you cannot make him your follower by force. Only when he is convinced of the rightness of your advice will he do as you tell him. Logic alone than love. You must always appeal to his heart rather than to his head. To appeal to the long stick in education is to destroy education. It is like burning the house to drive out to rat. Maybe, the house is burnt and yet the rat is not driven out. He sleeps snugly in a hole below the floor and at last burrows his way out of the ashes. So use your head rather than your stick in dealing with a child. Verily, he is more afraid of your tongue than your rod. Even more than the stick, a good tongue can succeed. A gentle understanding eye does ever better than a talkative tongue. A sympathetic silence is the real part of education. An ounce of example, as they say, is worth of ton of precept. Think! Think! Think! Help the child to think and bring out his best.

Yours sincerely,

Mofiz.

CHILD EDUCATION

76, Neelum Park,

Gujranwala.

January 8, 1994.

Dear Rifat,

Nazia, my second is very intelligent at home, but at school she does not seem to have her heart in books. Her heart seems to be only in dance and music, paintbox and flowers. What should I do, I do not know?

Yours Lovingly,

Sadia.

REPLY TO ABOVE

Dear Uncle,

Very much aggrieved at your fears. I am afraid you are unneccessarily bothering yourself about the future of your son. If at all, to our misfortune, the Inevitable comes, believe me, the future of your son will be well guarded. Your hardly need my permission to name me as the Executor of your will.

Yours affectionately,

Hasan.

INFORMING ALL RELATIVES (about death)

Dear ……………

Please note that my uncle, Mr . Khurshid Hasan died on February 5 when seven planets—-Sun, Moon, Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn—-met in the sector Aquarius. “Qul” ceremony will be performed on the 7th February,1993.

Yours affectionately,

Hasan.