Recently on June 19th, National Readers Day was celebrated to remind people about the value of reading books even in an era dominated by Internet Of Things (IOA).Every year nation celebrates this day as a mark of tribute to PN Panicker, a revolutionary personality in the field education as he is rightly referred as ‘The Father of the Library Movement in India .This day marks the death anniversary of PN Panicker. The National Education Policy (NEP2020) strongly advocates the importance of repositories of school libraries and digital libraries to maximize the objectives of foundational literacy for all children by the year 2025. A sound reading routine not only enables a strong language foundation but also catalyzes cognitive faculties in children. The early a child is introduced to capitalize on book reading habit, the more likely it is for him/her to become fond of books and reading. It is quite obvious that reading is a skill that matters, but in our part of the world, least percentage of learners understand the significance of reading skills, as we have not prioritized this important skill at the institutional as well as at the family level. The inhabitants of the modern societies like those belonging to developed countries such as U.S.A, England and European Union consider reading as an integral part of their lives and that is the reason we come across foreigners at the airports and other places primarily reading books on varied subjects and also inculcate such habits in their kids as well and that is how the firm foundation of modern societies is laid. Numerous studies have revealed that children who are passionate readers and are aware of the positive consequences of reading are way ahead in building their careers . Reading as a leisure activity used to be an indispensable part of student’s life in the pre-smart phone era as students thoroughly cherished reading diverse content to upgrade their level of comprehension, get acquainted with the happening at the national and international level and more importantly increase their vocabulary and word bank so as to have firm grip over varied communication channels. The introduction of smart phones and other electronic gadgets has shifted the focus of the learner from being a passionate and self paced reader to be a slave of digital tools as they remain glued and absorbed in handling these tools for a considerable period and at times comes across the content which is unfiltered and filthy and thus inappropriate for the learner ,which not only affects his/her studies in the longer run but also infests moral turpitude among them which is proving to be quite detrimental for the society and thus causes irreparable damage to the social fabric.
The educational institutions need to create dedicated reading corners with proper grading of books as per level of class to render the reading habit an inclusive event. There should be proper slot for library classes in the time table and that will motivate the students to visit the library and get grossly engaged in reading books on diverse subjects.
Everlasting positive consequences of book reading:
1. Reading plays a pivotal role in effectively facilitating communication skills as it up scales reader’s word bank and grammar and therefore can render the reader as a vibrant communicator.
2. The habit of reading enables readers to assimilate new thoughts, perspectives, ideas, and information that can positively mediate expansion of knowledge on varied topics. With the addition of new knowledge contours, the reader becomes more receptive and accommodative and in a way accepts and respects other’s point of view .Furthermore, renewed knowledge pool helps a reader to differentiate between noise and information. It truly helps to overcome ones faults, weaknesses and scary situations in life.
3. Reading facilitates development of cognitive abilities to a greater extent. Dynamic reading improves ones concentration, memory and critical thinking. Furthermore factual knowledge scales up cognitive processes like reasoning and problem solving attitude.
4.Reading is the best remedy to overcome stress especially among budding learners. One who has inculcated habit of regular reading and understands the importance of reading will surely have reduced stress and in multiple ways benefit the reader such as elevated mood, better sleep pattern, reduced anxiety.
5. A reader who reads diverse content is exposed to diverse experiences and perspectives and that greatly helps him/her to develop empathy and understanding for others and infuses a degree of tolerance and self-discipline among the readers.
6. Regular reading exposes reader to new perspectives and ideas and thereby ignites creativity and imagination. Creativity enables a reader to understand and solve problems differently, more openly and with innovation
7. Realizing the significance of reading and practicing it regularly can help improve reader’s ability to analyze and interpret information with a positive frame of mind.
8. Understanding the significance of reading and nurturing the skill of reading can provide insights and information to guide the reader to make informed decisions. Result oriented decision making will truly lead to a more satisfying life by helping the reader achieve desired goals.
9. Reading skills can expose a reader to varied cultures and ways of life , promoting a more tolerant and accepting mind set. Cultural awareness in a long way can teach a disciplined reader how to appreciate and respect those who are different and in turn will help/her break down cultural barriers and establish bridges.
10. Regular reading skills can certainly improve academic performance by enriching knowledge acquisition and critical thinking skills.
Conclusion: Reading skills can truly foster a love of learning and encourage lifelong learning as learning is a lifelong process that keeps evolving with time. This helps discover new interests, builds confidence, helps learn practical skills and facilitates adaptability. Unfortunately the habit of self –paced reading is not central in our educational institutions. However a number of schools have taken lead initiatives to imbibe the reading skill values among the school going children. One such school is HSS Salia, Mattan which has made a good progression in this regard as the school has well established school library with books on diverse subjects and students can access the library as per their convenience to read books as per their liking and taste. The school under the dynamic leadership of Head of the Institution, Mrs Rifat Vaaid has a robust, multi-layered, highly sequentiated and properly organized physical library. The concept of reading books needs to percolate to each and every school to actively engage students in transformative learning which can go a long way in building successful careers. The educational institutions need to create dedicated reading corners with proper grading of books as per level of class to render the reading habit an inclusive event. There should be proper slot for library classes in the time table and that will motivate the students to visit the library and get grossly engaged in reading books on diverse subjects.
(The author is a freelancer. The views, opinions, facts, assumptions, presumptions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”.)
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