By Vijay Phanshikar :
 
My daughter is always with some or the other book. She as if ‘eats’ books. My son, barely 12 years in age, also does the same. And he loves picking up fat books and takes pride in finishing those.   
- The mother of a college-going 
daughter and a school-going son. 

l My daughter is always with some or the other book. She as if ‘eats’ books. My son, barely 12 years in age, also does the same. And he loves picking up fat books and takes pride in finishing those. - The mother of a college-going daughter and a school-going son. EVEN in these days when elders generally complain that children do not like reading books, such examples do emerge from the larger society to make us sense a ray of hope. For, reading books has always been treated as an important input for polishing of human personality.

 

It is a universal experience that those who take to reading books are different in many ways from others. Even thinking about such kids -- as mentioned above -- brings a crack of a smile to our faces. Conversing with such kids -- with wide exposure to reading in tender age -- is always a pleasure. For, they are quick to understand nuanced expressions and metaphorical references. They also show the ability to pick up the unstated meanings of words and phrases. And more importantly, if encouraged properly, such children also seen able to frame new expressions that go well beyond their normal circles of experience. At a recent annual Spelling Bee contest for school-children, the honourable judge commented that the quality of spelling among competing children had gone down -- possibly because the kids were losing the good habit of reading books. Everybody in the capacity audience in the auditorium seemed to agree with him instantly.

 

For, as the spelling contest went on, competitors kept messing up with even simple words as they possibly had never heard those or read those. Even commonplace words were misspelt -- mostly because those were not understood correctly. That, too, showed lack of general and wide reading on different subjects. With this latest experience popping up in memory, the loud-thinker happened to meet a few children known for their good habit of voracious reading. Most of them appeared to be interested in reading on all subjects besides their studies. The result was that discussing with them any issues and any subject appeared to be an easy affair. Their general comprehension was very high and they understood even the unstated aspects of the subject under discussion.

 

“My reading makes this difference”, a boy in the group said. The loud-thinker can testify to this -- from his own experience. His wide-ranging reading has taken him to places beyond common imagination all over the world. He has earned positions primacy in various activities -- professional or otherwise -- mainly because he could supplement his inputs gleaned from wide and deep reading on all possible subjects all the time. We must admit that everybody in school and college education knows this -- the importance of sincere reading. Yet, no sincere efforts are not being made to introduce children to reading and helping them develop the habit. Much to the contrary, the complaint that the kids do not read sees to come up from the ground every now and then. That surprises the loud-thinker no end. For, when schools, colleges -- and, of course, homes -- fail to help the youngsters acquire the habit -- and hobby -- of reading, then it is time to admit that something serious is amiss in our eco-system of education and the teaching-learning process. When the larger society knows the obvious and tremendous benefits of reading, it should be able to find ways and means to introduce the kids to the glorious habit of reading of books. And when exactly that does not happen, then the loud-thinker feels disgusted.