The Hindu : Kerala News : ‘Literate State’ lacks books for children

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Thursday, Dec 27, 2007
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Kerala

Kerala

‘Literate State’ lacks books for children

Buying is ruled
out, thanks to prohibitive prices. How will children improve their ‘English skills,’ wonder parents.

Is there a famine in Kerala? Not the kind that would bother the Civil Supplies Department, but is there a dearth of books in the most literate State in India? That too books in English for children?

For many years now, parents who have faced insatiable demands from their children for good reading material in English and children themselves who are discerning readers are forced to live with this ‘book famine.’ True, bookstalls have sto cks of books for children, but their price tags often force parents to return them to the shelves after some quick mental math on the monthly household budget.

Now that the British Council has shocked the reading public with its decision to pull the shutters down on the British Library, Thiruvananthapuram, the well-stocked ‘Wonderland’ of children’s books may well become a fond memory; particularly for those who thought they could gain access to hundreds of world-quality books at Rs.1,000-odd a year. What will such readers do now? Where will they turn to for quality books for children?

The State Institute of Children’s Literature has put in place some plans to try and partly tackle this famine. The Institute recently brought out a set of books in Malayalam and is also eyeing the Swedish book market for children’s stories. Very soon, children in the State can feast their eyes on these stories. But then, all this is small comfort for those looking for books in English; those that do not burn holes in pockets.

Educationists, cultural leaders and even those heading the Department of Education have time and again spoken about the need to re-kindle the reading habit among children and youth. Many such ‘leaders’ often sing dirges on the ‘English language skills’ of students in Kerala. All this, read together with the famine has left many parents wondering whether such “skills” can be acquired by accident.

And then there are those book lovers who point out that the situation vis-À-vis price tags is not different in the case of books for adults. Is anyone thinking of a ‘rehabilitation package’ for the reading public?

G. Mahadevan

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