The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : The Printed Word’s Portal

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Saturday, Jul 05, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu

The Printed Word’s Portal

How many parents must be praying for a power cut during summer holidays so that their offspring can be away from the television and the computer! A pair of unnerved parents had even called out, “Give the television and the computer some rest”.

This could probably explain the complete dependence of children on electronic gizmos. Another set of parents explained that the iPod and the laptop are slowly elbowing out the television and desktop computer. “When our children cross the street they don’t bother to unplug their ears. We are sick of warning them. The laptop is used also as a play station and we can’t keep vigil all the time”, most parents plead their helplessness.

To such harassed parents, the very mention of books comes as a shock. They know how allergic their kids are to this fountain of learning and entertainment. From the age of 14 to 24, youngsters prefer to pick up those books, which have been turned or are already being turned into films. Most parents feel that the visual media has completely taken over the printed word and they can as well donate whatever books they have in the house.

Whether collected over generations or bought during one’s lifetime books occupy a special place in the heart of 40+ generations. Should we then conclude that the next generation will have no use for books?

According to some, there is no escape from ‘printed matter’. A well-established critic and professor of social sciences argued recently that youngsters are forced to read ‘printed matter’ that is pasted on websites. Bestsellers, which still have not hit the local bookstores but are partially available on the NET are an irresistible attraction for young people. Thus, the reading habit exists in a different form altogether.

School-going and young college students are so oppressed by textbooks that they treat great classics as either redundant or as a burden on their scant time. Sometimes parents do not understand that their children may not be able to appreciate the socio-cultural values promoted by the classics they had read and cherished. Times have altered drastically and parents have to offer something, which is contemporary and yet stamped by age-old values.

If you see your twenty+ offspring grab glossy magazines or books don’t suggest that he can use his time more fruitfully. This could very well be the beginning of the formation of good reading habits.

However, some parents insist on their children reading only ‘useful stuff’ and this scares them from picking up books on all subject-matters. How can there be a prohibitory order on reading books of different kinds? In spite of being highly-educated and articulate, such parents feel that getting into extra-curricular habits or even part-time social work can be more rewarding than reading books not connected with their future profession. In other words, parents equate reading with the notion of profitability. A management expert would demand to know why his child reads stories and legends when he can learn mathematical formulas. Adolescents need the freedom and the right socio-cultural milieu to think of the enduring importance of books.

Once an engineering student went to his classmate’s house and was surprised to see the vast collection of books on a number of diverse subjects. The friend’s mother, a professor of comparative literature, was reading a basic book on human anatomy and physiology. Amazed, the young visitor asked why she was struggling with a subject that had no immediate relevance for her. According to her, it not only helped her to lead a more healthy and vigorous life but also widened her range of understanding. A simple set of question and answer became an eye-opener for him. “Do you restrict your eating at this age?” she asked him and received a negative reply. “Since your digestive powers are great at this age you don’t bother. Fortunately, the mind’s capacity to store highly-complex knowledge remains infinite all through our life and you can read as much as you like.

Thus, at every turning point of our life there is a companion in the form of books to help us overcome both ignorance and monotony!

Rita Nath Keshari

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