A Scene At a Railway Station

Pakistan has a rich railway heritage spanning almost 200 years which it owes the British.It was in 1847 when the first railway was imagined but it was not until 1861 when it came into existence in the form of the railway built from Karachi to Kotri. Pakistan has stayed true to this rich heritage because since rail transport is possibly the most popular mode of non-independent transport in Pakistan.

Pakistan railways is a national state owned rail transport service of Pakistan,headquartered in Lahore.It is administered by the federal government under the ministry of railways.Pakistan railways provide an important mode of transportation throughout Pakistan.It is commonly referred to as the "Life line of the country" by aiding in large-scale movement of people and freight throughout Pakistan. At the time of independence ,1947 route miles (3133 km) of north western railways were transferred to India, leaving 5048 route miles(8124 km) to Pakistan.In 1954, the railway line was extended to Mardan and Charsada.

The railway station presents an interesting scene.There is a great rush at the booking windows.There is also a great rush of passengers at the inquiry office.The coolies are seen sitting in a row.As soon as a train arrives towards it. Vendors shout their wares at the top of their voices.When a train arrives,there is a lot of noise and confusion.There is a great rush at the doors of the compartments.Everyone wants to get in first.Many passengers get down from the train and many get in.After sometime,the guard blows the whistle and waves the green flag.The train moves and leaves the platform.Those who have come to receive or see off their relatives leave for home.Soon the platform wears a deserted look.

The British invented the railway and the locomotive.The rail track was laid for the trains to connect different towns and villages on the route.The train, drawn by heavy engine,would stop briefly for the passengers at places called railway station. There are obviously typical scenes at a railway station.The smart,uniformed stationmaster and his staff hurriedly move about when some train arrives or is about to leave.The platform is thronged with passengers,men ,women and children.Some stay close to their piles of luggage;others just walk about looking at colorful ads.The vendors do a roaring trade.Their brightly lit stalls or carts at different points attract passengers.There is noise and clamor all around.Meals,fruits,books,magazines,souvenirs and knick knacks sell like hot cakes.The prospect of long,arduous and tiring journey ahead worries the passengers,in summer pitchers and fans are in great demand.Water coolers and taps are the busiest spots. Such a bustle follows when the train pulls in at the platform.Some people pick their way politely along the crowded platform while others bump into one another as they go hurriedly from one compartment to other. The porters in their red shirts are seen bustling about.A hawker hurries from door to door,crying,"The Jang","The news","The nation". Such are some of the scenes at the railway station.

The Uses Of Libraries

A library is a collection of books on various subjects.A private library belongs to an individual .A public library is meant for the use of all people who pay subscription to it and are enrolled as members.There are also free public libraries.A private library reflects the taste or the personal likes and dislikes of its owner.Here books are selected according to the owner's judgement and requirements.Hence it usually has a bias in favor of some particular subject or subjects.Often a good library is donated to the people after the owner's death.

A library has many uses and it is the duty of everyone to be attached to a library.We,in India,have a bad reputation as readers of books.In our schools and colleges we generally confine ourselves to the study of textbooks.Sometimes we do read books outside the syllabus,but they are usually novels.If we are members of a good library,we may be attracted by a variety of books.List of new books published by a library are a perpetual temptation to its readers.There is also the librarian,one of whose duties is to guide the readers in the choice of books.

A library provides all sorts of books on different subjects.We can read many different types of books on the same subject by various writers.Thus,for reading the ideas of different writers on the same subject or for comparing their ideas the library is the best place.For example,a student or scholar may like to read the ideas of different writers on democracy.He finds perhaps hundreds of books on the history and working of democracy by foreign writers and our own.He canteen write fine essays or even books on democracy and other systems of government himself.A person cannot normally buy a large number of books on a subject.Even if he can but most of them,he cannot keep them all the time in his house.He cannot change his rooms into a library.

A library provides different newspapers in different languages.We can read any newspapers we like and then compare the news and views in one with those in others.We cannot practically buy so many newspapers each day.A library makes available so many magazines coming from different parts of the country and from all corners of the world.We may be able to borrow them at times.

Modern libraries now provide videocassettes and films on arts and science subjects.We can view them in the library itself.Or sometimes we can borrow them for use at home or in school or college.We can thus combine the pleasures of reading with listening and watching films on the mini screen of tv.

Libraries have a very proper atmosphere or situation for studies.We can sit there for hours on end without being disturbed by any noise or talk.If we become a regular visitor to a library,we can get into the habit of studying regularly.Then we can improve our general knowledge and the knowledge of our courses of study easily. We should have useful and well equipped libraries in every part of the country.