Essays

During these days when browsing the net, passing and receiving non-stop SMSs seem to be the order of the day, reading a book peacefully in home has become outdated for most people. While technology has taken a steady control over individual lives, the reading habit has also vanished fast. The city libraries are a silent witness to this. They present a dismal picture of the gradual depletion of voracious readers who used to flock the libraries every evening. Apart from a few elderly people and a handful of students, the libraries wear a deserted look the time.

These libraries are very poorly maintained. Books lie on the shelves gathering dust, and most of them remain ungrouped. Librarians blame it on the lack of staff and proper funds for renovation.

With the gradual advent of globalization and nuclear family structures, has become mechanical and money oriented. Students are constantly being whipped for performance and the concept of ethical and moral values addition has become an odd idea.

Sadly, the reading habit is on the decline among children as well. Thought The  Harry Potter mania is gripping children these days, it could Just be another ephemeral phase withering away sooner or later.

 But should we blame it on the kids for all this wean-off from reading culture. It is the parents and the present culture that are responsible for this. Parents blame on the mounting pressure on the children in schools and tuition classes.

Children hardly get time to read story books. In the little time they get after finishing the home work, all they want to do is watch the cartoon channel or play video games these days. The other problem is that there is a tremendous pressure upon students to perform and excel. The situation is no better among college students. Library for them becomes popular only before the final examination. It is then that the students, in a panic state, just browse through their course related books- More often than not, students visit the libraries for their research work rather than reading a book for their own pleasure.

But what is the reason behind this wean-off from reading attitude? Parent have become so psyched about the future of their children that most of the times it is they who discourage their wards from reading any other book than their textbook Tough and intense competition has further deepened the insecurity among the middle class families. They fail to understand that for an all-round development of an individual, reading habit is very essential. If at the primary level, the habit of reading books is not cultivated among children, then at the college level it become

Very difficult to develop the habit. That is why extra reading should be made compulsory at the school level for the overall development of the children.

Some assert that reading is not a diversion from serious tasks; rather it contributes to the fulfillment of those tasks. At a time when it is not rare to find students using dubious means and short-cuts to pass examinations, the reading skill if instilled in them, will make them savour learning and also increase their faith in themselves and their abilities.

In spite of such refrains, books continue to find their way to the right readers. Libraries in the city may not boast of good attendance, but they do attract ardent readers, who still exist somewhere in the midst of this discouraging scenario. That many contemporary writers are coming out with masterpieces on different subjects

is an indicator to this fact. At a time when recreation, enjoyment and mechanical learning have become operative words, it is reassuring to find that bibliophiles are there. It does not matter whether these such booklovers access books on-line or browse them physically, before buying them.

Vocabulary

1. vanish—evaporate, dissipate, disperse; 2. dismal—woebegone, forlorn, lugubrious; 3. depletion—using up, consumption, expenditure; 4. tough—leathery, gristly, stringy; 5. diversion—fun. relaxation, game; 6. dubious—uncertain, unsure, hesitant; 7. savour—taste, enjoy, spice, piquancy; 8. scenario—rundown, storyline, structure;

9. voracious—insatiate, unquenchable, prodigious; 10. gathering—band. knot, crowd, flock; 11. ethical—just, fair, right, correct; 12. decline—lessen, decrease, diminish; 13. ephemeral—evanescent, fugitive, fugacious; 14. tremendous—massive, vast, colossal; I5.psyc/i(v)—unsettle, upset, agitate.