My news paper delivery guy is a senile old man who is stubborn af like every old person out there. Let's call him X. He's in his late 80's and has been delivering newspaper to our family since before my father was even born. He's has been delivering newspaper on a bicycle for at least 50 years. Or longer, who tf knows. I personally have asked him at least 3 times to stop delivering newspaper. He always has the same excuse that it helps him sleep better. His daughter also bought him a tvs luna a couple of years ago, and he met an accident while driving that. I know that my neighbor's daughter in law has also asked him to stop delivering newspaper in his current state. Same excuse.

He hasn't been delivering newspaper for a month, and honestly, i didn't even notice that. Today, a different guy knocked on my door to collect dues for him. He told me that he's is here on X's behalf because X hasn't been feeling well for a month now. I asked him what happened and he said some throat infection that just wouldn't heal. I asked, and he gave me the contact number of X. Yeah, 50 fucking years the same person delivered newspaper to our house and not one family member of mine has his number. Hell, nobody even noticed him missing. And I am no different. Anyway, his daughter answered the call and told me that it is throat cancer. They're not sure but the biopsy will confirm it because their first doctor suspected it. So after all this hardship, he has another losing battle lined up for him. I think of myself as a hard, realistic person. i know it is the circle of life and all that. I still can't not think about what the fuck is the point of any of this. He never ever smoked in his life.

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Posted by12 hours ago

Politics

Rahul Gandhi: Call us whatever you want, Mr. Modi. We are INDIA. We will help heal Manipur and wipe the tears of every woman and child. We will bring back love and peace for all her people. We will rebuild the idea of India in Manipur.

twitter.com/RahulG...

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Posted by8 hours ago

Law & Courts

Supreme Court blasts Centre for not acting against BJP-ruled states: ‘Extreme stands for other states, none for yours’

indiatoday.in/law/st...

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Posted by16 hours ago

Non Political

The alarming "coaching" trend in india

Yesterday, I found out that my sister, who lives in Lucknow, has hired a tutor to prepare my 3-year-old niece for LKG admissions. I was taken aback and questioned the need for a tutor at such a young age, especially for LKG admission. However, my sister explained that getting admission into prestigious schools has become highly competitive, even at the LKG level. These schools conduct multiple rounds of interviews for both children and parents, and only after “careful” consideration, the child is selected. This surprised me, so I decided to discuss it with some friends in Lucknow, who confirmed that many parents are indeed hiring tutors to prepare their kids for KG admissions due to competition. Who would have thought that KG admissions would become as competitive as IIT preparations?

This situation reminded me of an incident a couple of months ago. Near my home, there is an MBA coaching institute where I noticed a few young kids coming out of classes. Curious about their education, I struck up a conversation with them and learned that they were in 10th standard. The coaching institute was preparing these 10th standard students for MBA exams! I expressed my concern about whether it was too early to start preparing for a graduate-level exam, but they justified it by saying that exams are becoming increasingly competitive, and being an "early bird" gives them an advantage.

There is a noticeable surge in students preparing for competitive exams like our beloved IIT JEE, NEET, and other challenging tests from a very young age (thanks to Kota, Allen, Akash). Additionally, the trend of teaching coding to children as early as 6th standard has gained momentum, with platforms like WhiteHat JR and BYJUS taking the lead. These institutes often charge a hefty sum of money out of gullible parents (these fees can amount to lakhs).

In China, young students attend cram schools, where they are taught for almost 12 hours a day. If we leave things as they are, it won't be long before coaching institutes implement something similar in India. Imagine your kid “working” 12 hrs a day.

I am genuinely concerned about the direction our society is taking. With these early preparations and intense competition, children may no longer be treated as human beings but rather as machines, programmed for academic success.

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