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Wizkidzcarnival is a beautiful platform to showcase your child’s creative spirit. Recently my child’s story was published in a magazine. Having a child who loves writing is a great thing. If you want to nurture your child’s writing interest, follow Wizkidscarnival. From prose to poetry, fiction to nonfiction, painting to oration, they have a plethora of magazines. As I flipped through the magazine, I was awestruck by the little creative minds. The team is super helpful & offers guidelines for the work to be published. So, if you want your kids to don their creative hats, follow Wizkidscarnival & let your child’s creative work get a way into their magazine.

Wizkids’ newspaper is a brainchild of the magazine. It accommodates short & crispy 2-minute reads. I started reading this newspaper as they are “nuggets “to your creative mind. It is a good read for kids. The content is well-designed and easy to understand. The content of the newspaper is apt for all ages of children. It’s so colorful and eye-catching that children cannot resist exploring the whole newspaper. The design of the newspaper is visually appealing.

It is a very interactive and engaging newspaper. It is an ever-growing magazine in content and layout. The stories the children showcase show that the team is very much in touch with contemporary challenges and the atmosphere around our kids.

I would firmly stay up to date with Wizkidscarnival. The way they are enhancing the content and thoughts is marvelous. Keep Rocking.

My son is an ardent lover of books. I feel that reading books alone will not help improve their vocabulary. They need to express themselves articulately. Wizkidscarnival offers competitions like Master Orator, Tell Your Tale, Recite It, Show and Tell, and Color Wizards helps them express their creative selves. I encourage him to participate in as many competitions as possible. Winning feat was never our priority but bringing out the writer, performer, and the Lil creative master in him was ours.

Ina nutshell,
Transcribe all the disjointed thoughts, arrange them into a list of appropriate categories, put them in a nutshell, and say it is Wizkidscarnival!

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Mobile phones are dear and so is all the information that they provide us with the click of a button; connectivity, news and snippets regarding sports, Bollywood, Hollywood and anecdotes that bring a smile on our faces. In a nutshell, our mobile phones offer entertainment at all places if we have an internet connection. And that is a big ‘IF’. So, instead of getting into the habit of being dependent on our phones, let’s wean ourselves away by keeping our identity separate from our phones. We can do this gradually. I would recommend keeping your phone handy but away from our eyes while travelling. Well, that can be a good start. How?

Let me tempt you. Indian roads are the best entertainers. Yes, they can be dangerous but if you , children, look around while the elders are navigating the chaos, it sure can be interesting. Remember, once you start driving you won’t get this privilege of seeing, staring and smiling. For the beginners, when you are on the highway, remember to read the one liners behind the trucks. They are hilarious. Some examples besides the usual: ‘ Buri nazar vale, tera muh kaala,’ ( May your face be blackened , you , possessor of evil eye)or ‘ Nazar laga, Joota kha’( Glance with an evil eye and I will hit you) are like ‘ Iraq ka pani, aur kitna piyegi raani?’( How much oil , fuel are you going to drink, dear vehicle?) or ‘ Amiro ki zindagi, biscuit or cake par, driver ki zindagi, clutch aur brake par’. (The rich indulge in biscuits and cake, the driver’s meal is clutch and brake.)And don’t be surprised if brake is spelled ‘break’.

Driving inside the city is another experience. My lasting impression of New Delhi is one particular traffic jam where I had plenty to gaze around. When I peered outside the car window, I found one man sleeping soundly on his ‘charpoy’ amidst all the din of the honking and impatient people. As I watched him amazed, I saw three cows plonked comfortably on the pavement while commuters took the brunt of inconvenience. A man stopped by and even fed the cows ‘rotis’. As our car gradually moved, I saw children enjoying a game of cricket. They were of all age groups. While some were involved in the game, others were running around, enjoying themselves in all the heat. They were sweaty but happy. While the children played dangerously close to the moving traffic the women sat gossiping while their hands were kept busy chopping vigorously. It was a world in itself. Very different from ours but it was a complete one. And they seemed happy too amidst all the squalor, poverty and heat. A lesson learnt!

If you want more convincing to stay away from your phone, make it a point to read the sign posts, banners and the boards on the shops. Internet Surfing takes a new dimension when one finds the board proclaiming ‘Internet Suffering,’ or dye your hair is translated to ‘Die your hair’. Your appetite can either go for a toss or increase manifolds when you read ‘Deliacieous Burjer’ instead of delicious burger. Grocery shopping is boring when Zucchini becomes ‘jugni’ , Avocado is pronounced as ‘Acado’and bell peppers are called ‘lal aur peeli hari mirch’( Red and yellow capsicum). You have to suppress your smile at the comfort of the shopkeeper for clubbing all the varieties of capsicum together but quoting a very high price for the ‘rang-birangi’ (coloured)Shimla Mirch (Capsicum). ‘Badi mehengi hai, madamji,’ he tells your mother.

Lost in the city? Leave the GPS system and ask directions from the vendors and shopkeepers. They are precise with their own unique, local landmarks which can be someone’s house or a famous shop. If you go to a rural area, especially in the rural areas, strangers go out of the way to see that you reach your destination. And the gossip on the way is mind boggling. Details of your family and to whose house you are going are shared unabashedly. Once you reach the destination, your self-proclaimed guide cum saviour does not turn back but accompanies you into the house whose occupants go overboard to thank him. You feel foolish making the long journey to be neglected and ignored. But once you notice the camaraderie , you are amazed at the strong ties and bonds.

You, usually, don’t find people gossiping by the road when you travel abroad. But in India, people meet by chance and end up exchanging the well-being of each other’s families . If you happen to accompany the elders of your family for a walk, you get a peep into another aspect of their personality. They make you notice things which you considered frivolous till that moment. Their chat with the cobbler, the vegetable vendor , the ‘dhobi’ etc. are an eye opener. This is what makes our society a close knit community which is being eroded by too much technology in our lives.

I agree technology has brought entertainment at our doorsteps but let us not allow it to dictate us. Let us enjoy some moments sans technology. Capture moments with the camera in your phone but do capture some moments with your naked eye. The memories that I most cherish are those of the long walks in which I accompanied my maternal grandfather listening to his stories of the city, his life in the army during the World War and how he made me notice houses on the way. Each abandoned house had a story. His narration fed my imagination that translated into my essays and poems that I penned in exam. And I passed with flying colours with my essays and paragraphs being read out aloud in the class to the envy of my competitors. So observe, understand and enjoy! We are lucky to have theatre play in front of our very eyes. No ticket to be bought, no internet connection to be paid!

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Times have evolved and so have childhoods now-a-days. The Digital Age, also known as The Information Age has had a huge impact on the kids. According to UNICEF, youth (ages 15-24) are the most connected age group. The good old television has been replaced by I-pads, computers and smartphones.

Children are born with gadgets in their hands and they are practically living in a virtual world. Habits have evolved drastically for the trend of playing outdoor games has declined and they are glued to their screens. Video games and social media have taken over causing chronic fatigue, sleep deprivation and exhaustion.

According to Anita Tayal, a high school counsellor, owing to vanity-based concepts being shared on social media, there is an unnecessary comparison amongst teens on the basis of height, weight, complexion causing a rise in the cases of cyberbullying.

COVID has made things worse for the students. With classes being held online, and interaction with friends being done the same way to maintain social distancing, it has caused time mis-management. This fact has also been substantiated by the American Academy of Paediatrics. Their study shows “soaring rates of mental health challenges among children, adolescents, and their families over the course of COVID-19 pandemics, exacerbating the situation that existed prior to the pandemic.”

Ekroop Kahlon, a junior school teacher has observed that kids belonging to the age group of 7-12 years “have an extremely limited span of attention. In the beginning, the concept of studying in a classroom and sharing space was alien to them.” She added that a “whole lot of them struggled with making friends and interacting with their classmates. Restlessness and unnecessary whining were very common symptoms among kids.”

Nowadays, both the parents are working, so their own interaction with kids is bare minimum, let alone with the neighbours. Furthermore, the physical interaction of kids with their parents has decreased causing kids to face problems like alienation, borderline depression and loneliness. The trend of social engagement has evolved for children who are not willing to chat face to face, but feel more comfortable within the 4 walls of their rooms simply because they have the option of quitting the chat according to their convenience.

The Counsellor also added that “due to a shift from joint to nuclear family structure, there is a paucity of company of cousins inside the house and owing to safety concerns, there is a lack of neighbourhood friends outside the house.”

An interesting suggestion by Counsellor Tayal is that schools should have one full day devoted to play time once a week. They should be allowed to spend free time and encouraged to play casually to enforce the fact that “one can enjoy without worrying about any consequence and for pure entertainment.” Formal coaching in sports is a must for it imbibes confidence and healthy competition, but at the same time, she said “it has a sense of responsibility of performing well attached to it.”

The parents can take simple steps like going out for walks, limiting screen time, involving them in basic household chores can work wonders. Making them spend time with their grand-parents just so they know that life can be lived in a different yet enjoyable way is also a solution. Drawing them away from the screen without making the kids feel that it is being done to them forcefully is a good way to parent.

Jasmine Khaira, a working from home mother of 2 kids shared her opinion. In the beginning of the pandemic, when there was uncertainty as to how long it would last, she, like many mothers, noticed a change in the consumption pattern of her kids. To curb the problem of excessive content consumption, she made them watch TV for a particular period of time and joined them in playing outdoors. She said that, both “have been asked to adopt one hobby and pursue it religiously and they are allowed to search for more information online.” She added that “not only will this make them tech savvy, but would also allow them to surf responsibly. The suggestions that pop-up are related to their interests and they are able to get better ideas.”

Being a millennial, “we were exposed to gadgets at a much later stage i.e., around late 20s”. She added that “the problem is with how much content is being consumed and how much of it should be consumed.” Many parents, she said, are not able to “judge as to how much or how little should a child be allowed to spend time on screen and to prevent the side effects, they simply ban use of all gadgets which causes a child to be rebellious. This is not a possibility because if kids are not tech savvy in this digital world, they will feel handicap in the future.”

To spend some “extra time with our kids we have even revived old school trends like playing hide and seek, vish-amrit, house-house (or ghar-ghar) as well as educational non-computer-based games like Name-Place-Animal-Thing which have become obsolete”. Once a month sleepover with cousins to watch a movie or show together in a common room has now become a practice.

When contrasted with informal style of physical activity, old school games are important because running around aimlessly helps in releasing oxytocin in the brain. Counsellor Tayal also added that “it helps in improving emotional, intellectual, and behavioural development.” Nature also plays a major role in the growth of a child. Going out in fresh air, running around aimlessly, chasing random dogs, playing self-invented games with a group of friends had its own charm. Letting one’s imagination run wild is a very important mental exercise.

Now that the world has changed, it is not wise to draw them away from gadgets for that’s how the world will run in future. The need of the hour is to teach them balance i.e., balancing interaction with the physical world vis-à-vis the virtual world so that they can have the best of both worlds.

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The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi also called as Vinayaka Chaturthi is celebrated with lots of fervour and happiness. The elephant headed Lord Ganesh, also known as Hindu God of Beginnings, is a symbol of intellect, wisdom and undiscriminated intelligence.

The 11-day celebration includes fasting, praying, processions and immersing the deities. Every year, hundreds of deities are immersed in the water bodies, raising eyebrows of many environmentalists as these idols, especially those that are made out of Plaster of Paris and most of the decorations are non-bio-degradable.

Here are a few eco-friendly ways to celebrate the festival smartly and responsibly.

1. Using wreaths made of real flowers instead of plastic flowers. They make the place beautiful, fragrant and add to the vibe of festivity.

2. Using idols made of clay or sand. Avoiding the usage of idols of Plaster of Paris as they take years to decompose. They pollute water and harm the marine ecosystem.

3. Playing music at low volume can help avert noise pollution. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, any sound that goes higher than 85 dB can cause loss of hearing. So opting for low volume instruments like tabla or harmonium would protect our ears and add to the festive spirit equally well.

4. By using LED bulbs, one can save a lot of electricity and prevent light pollution. According to NOPEC, an LED bulb can light upto 25,000 hours, whereas a CFL bulb will only go upto 8,000 hours.

5. Another way to avoid over-lighting the house is by using diyas. They can be an excellent substitute for artificial lights and add to festive spirit as they look equally beautiful.

6. Digging a compost pit. The flower wreaths, banana leaves used to serve parsad, half used incense sticks, all natural decoration materials and diyas can be collected on the last day and thrown into the pit. It can later be used as manure for plants.

7. By reusing decorations for next year, not only will one save a lot of money but also be doing one’s bit for the planet. This can exponentially decrease solid waste and burden on the authorities.

8. The 4 Rs( Refuse, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) – By refusing plastic decorations, reducing the number of idols, reusing metal idols made of copper or brass and recycling of flowers to make papers or dried flower products, a lot can be done by us as responsible citizens on a personal and at community level (by Sarvajanik Ganesh Utsav Samitis & Pandals) without missing out on any kind of fun.

India is a country wherein a myriad of religions are followed and every festival is celebrated by the countrymen with equal vigour. By keeping our surroundings clean and celebrating responsibly, not only does one save the planet from unnecessary pollution and reduce the work of authorities, but also makes it easier for the people and the government to make proper arrangements for the next festival.

Ganpatti Bappa Moraya!

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“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.” – Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was an Indian writer, poet, playwright and philosopher while also dabbling into a few other art forms. One of the greatest artists our country has ever produced, the legend went on to win the Nobel prize in literature for his poetry collection ‘Gitanjali’, a highly prestigious one of a kind laurel.

Born on 7 May 1861 in Bengal, Tagore began writing poems since a very young age. He got his first set of poems published while still being a teenager. Later steadily he explored other forms of writing and soon revolutionized the whole setup and patterns in which the art was consumed back then.

Studying at a prestigious law school in London, he opted out of the course and began studying Shakespearan plays. Apart from being a prolific poet, Tagore had literally pioneered the short story genre in Bengali literature back in the day with his first short story named ‘Bhikharini’ in 1877.

His writings focused on stories about common people. Tagore’s observations about society and the poverty, class difference, it’s consequences, their struggles, so on and so forth found a mention in some or the other capacity in his writings consistently. In 1890 another popular poetry collection of his named “Manasi’ was published. It was followed by the highly acclaimed 84 story multi volume composition named ‘Galpaguchchha’ published in 1900.

His regular interactions with the local people turned out to be his major fodder for thought during that era. It paved a way for those socio realism elements to reflect the social state for the time being. Novels like ‘Choker Bali’, ‘Nauka Dubi’, ‘Gora’, etc were later published in early 1900s to great critical acclaim. ‘Ghare Baire’, ‘Shesher Kabita’, ‘Chaturanga’, ‘Jogajog or yogayog’ and ‘Nastanirh’ were the other 5 novels in his 8 novel collection revolving around freedom, nationalism, self exploration, etc.

Some of Tagore’s popular dramas include ‘Dak Ghar’, ‘Chandalika’, ‘Raktakarabi’, etc. ‘Visarjan’ written in 1890 happens to be his most acclaimed play till date.

Tagore also ended up writing thousands of songs. Influenced by Hindustani classical music, these songs became a sensation in the Bengali cultural landscape. Indian national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and Bangladeshi national anthem ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ were also penned by him.

Many films have been made based on his stories. World renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray also made a documentary revolving around the life and works of Rabindranath Tagore by the same name. Also his mention finds a place time and again in countless films in some form or the other as a tribute to the master.

While bestowing Tagore with the Nobel prize in literature, The Academy acknowledged him for “his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West”.

Let’s revisit one of the poetic pieces from ‘Gitanjali’ (the above mentioned Nobel prize winner) :

“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high; Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action – Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.”

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The chirping of birds fell on my ears trying to wake me up from my deep sleep. I looked outside the window. It was still pitch dark. For a moment I thought of going back to sleep. Then it dawned upon me that it was the day I was waiting for…. the first day of my offline schooling after a gap of two years.

All the lethargy vanished in thin air. I quickly got up and sprung into action…. to get ready for my school. I said my goodbyes to my bewildered parents( my excitement level for going to school was their reason for bewilderment) and rushed for the lift.

It felt like eternity for the lift to come from the ground floor to the seventh floor. I finally exited the lift and reached the bus pick up point. I was the first one to arrive. Soon, my friends joined me. We all were grinning from ear to ear. Our eyes shone with the same excitement of attending offline school. We started our talks and soon were engrossed in discussing what we would do upon reaching the school.

The loud honking of our school bus stopped our chit chat. It was a great feeling to meet everyone after a gap of two years. The constant pleas of our bus supervisor to maintain some level of decorum in the bus fell on deaf ears. We all were chatting, yelling and celebrating as our bus was nearing our school.

On our way we had to cross a busy highway and we could see a long queue of vehicles on both sides of the highway. It was an ominous sign. My mind was filled with all kinds of thoughts. What if we are stuck for the whole day? What if we miss school altogether? I voiced my opinion and realized that all were in panic mode. Our bus supervisor went down to enquire. It was just a normal traffic signal jam. We all heaved a sigh of relief. The two years of Corona break had made us forget about our Mumbai traffic. Guess, we were back to offline life.

On our side of the road, the traffic moved at a snail’s pace. Finally, we took the right turn towards our school. I had goosebumps and a sea of questions. Would the school building have changed? Would it be painted new to welcome us after two years? Would we meet the same Security uncles from two years ago, who were our good friends? Which teachers would be waiting to welcome us? Which staircase would we take to go to the 4th floor – the one near the canteen or the one near the labs?

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realise the bus halted. We were asked to get down in a line. I came out of my thoughts when my friends literally pushed me! ( Thank God! I didn’t fall and embarrass myself. So much for besties).

I was greeted by the sight of the familiar school gate and the smiling faces of our Security uncles. The building was much the same, only painted fresh. It too seemed to welcome me to the secondary section. We reached the porch. A few teachers stood at short distances to guide us to our respective rooms. There were many familiar faces. I was ecstatic to see all my teachers. My joy knew no bounds on seeing my favourite teacher Seema Miss. I just ran towards her but was stopped as I was breaking the queue. Nothing had changed. The school rules were the same( reality was slowly making its presence known to me!).

I was mildly scolded by our P.T. teacher for setting a bad example for my juniors by not following the rules. It dawned on me that I had to be a responsible senior. Being a senior was not fun alone. I just waved at my favourite teacher and proceeded in the line. The aroma of different snacks welcomed me as I passed from the nearby staircase. Oh! It was so fun to be back. I had a bounce in my steps as I climbed the hallowed stairs and reached the fourth floor corridor.

Finally, the moment had arrived! I was at a place that I had dreamt for so long. I looked at the class names and right in front of me I saw the board 7H – my class. With excitement I took further steps. As I was walking, I heard the murmur of juniors praising our classrooms as to how big they were, how beautiful they looked and I couldn’t agree more. The other thing that struck me was the adoration in the juniors’ eyes for us seniors. They looked at us like we were their saviours. Oh! What a great feeling it was!! With my head held high I joined my other batchmates.

It was surreal to be in offline learning mode again. The whiteboard, the display corner, the small benches – I missed those. Being able to chit chat with my friends face to face and not through a screen brought a different level of happiness.We were getting used to the atmosphere when our class teacher entered the class.She too was happy to see us after two years. She congratulated us on becoming the senior batch. She had a detailed interaction with us of our duties and responsibilities as representatives of our school and as mentors of our junior batchmates.

The reiteration of us being allowed to visit the canteen twice a week, using the lab facility and access to more sports equipment as compared to primary sections was music to my ears. As we started the sessions all of us got engrossed in studies.

Lunchtime was a whole different atmosphere. We thoroughly enjoyed each other’s tiffins that we could not do in online mode. Pranking each other and studying hard, the school was over.

The day I had been waiting for so eagerly was over and I couldn’t be happier. Now this was going to be my daily life and I looked forward to it. The increased studies, additional responsibilities as seniors, more curricular activities and sports, oh! the list seemed so welcoming. I headed toward the school bus with happiness and content for my dream was realised just the way I had dreamt it.

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Hi friends, I read a book – The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson.

The Gruffalo

The Gruffalo
What I like the most about the book is the story about the little mouse who uses quick thinking to solve his problems and avoids being eaten by many dangerous wild animals.

The funniest part of the story is that later he really sees a Gurafflo, exactly the way he had imagined and described to fool the fox, owl and snake. Later this witty little mouse fools the Gurafflo too, and is able to save himself from him.

The most surprising thing in the story is that the Gurafflo is supposed to be ugly, but to me he looks very cute! I never get tired of reading this book.

What I learnt from this book is that if we don’t go too far away from home all alone we would always stay safe from dangerous creatures; and that we must use our intelligence when we are in some problem.

The story also has short rhymes, which are very interesting.

Dear friends, do take out time to read this book. You will find it very cute and interesting!

Happy reading!

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Do you feel a writer, a poet, or someone else trapped inside you? Do you feel a plethora of emotions but are unable to express those the way you want, to your imagination’s full extent?

There’s a simple solution to this – Read.

Read more. And more and more and more, till you start living those books, those stories, those poems, and you’d find yourself creating your own.

You’d realise how words by accomplished writers and poets create detailed visuals in your mind, how their words transport you into situations about which they have written in a way that you cannot stay a mere audience, but becomes the doer , the protagonist!

Gradually, you’d find your groove as a writer.

It’s a rich world out there and to visit every place, experience each culture, live a different life is not possible, but a book takes you to all places faster than any plane, the stories let you soak in different cultures deeper than any dye and the characters let you live a thousand lives in your one lifetime.

Reading widens your horizon, enriches your vocabulary, enhances your vision and most importantly, it lets you explore your inner self.

It makes you rise above ordinary.

Good books are those leather bound chests inside which words of wisdom, like jewels have been treasured in their frail brittle pages since time immemorial. These are those glass bottles with messages inside them, which are floating in the vast ocean of life, bobbing on the waves and are found by many , but the life altering messages are intercepted only by those who are truly blessed.

Once this habit is cultivated then finding a good book is quite simple ; the one which defies time periods, geography, culture and language; one which appeals to different genders, ages alike around the globe is a good book or – a classic. Such books never age and if they do, they do it gracefully. And, you like them. Forever.

Why, there’s always a place for a Malory Towers term along with Harry Potter’s, ‘The Secret Garden’ blooms under ‘The Room Above the Roof’, Dr. Dolittle, Velveteen Rabbit, are happy beiny partners with Matilda and Anne of the Green Gables, and Alice sitting at the base of the Faraway Tree wonders ‘Where the Wild Things Are’?

‘A Tale of Two Cities’, The Old Man and the Sea’, ‘ To Kill a Mockingbird’ share shelf-space with ‘The Help’, ‘The Alchemist’, and ‘The Kite-maker’, and ‘The Midnight’s Children’, ‘The Birth of Venus’ sit adjacent to ‘The Northern Lights’ and ‘Chocolat’ without anyone of these losing any of their relevance, razzmtazz or respect!

Enjoyed and revered by all generations, these are passed on as beacons of wisdom, bonds of affection, as parts of heritage from a parent to child and at times as piece of one’s soul. Such is their timelessness, charisma and enchantment that these become an integral part of a reader’s life not just affecting his philosophy and outlook, but at times the nuances of his actions, decisions and perceptions.

So, as parents, educators and elders it’s our duty to introduce our younger lot to these amazing experiences and guide them as they explore the world through these. We must help them in befriending these seemingly mundane articles and make them understand how books are their friends and guides, how paper is always more patient than man and how reading can help them and us all to evolve not just as better writers, but as better humans too.

We have the responsibility to enable the child to understand stories, to enjoy poems and apply the learnings, spread the joyfulness, and practice empathy in real life while making sure that the world of books is to be a part of the child’s life and not the other way round.

We must shoulder the responsibility to nourish young minds with a healthy diet of articles and anecdotes, verses and tales ; early inculcation of which develops patience, imagination, analytical powers, enriches vocabulary enhancing their creative side.

Children who read a lot are more expressive in their thoughts as reading well written stories, beautiful poems coming from diverse cultures nudge their dormant dreams and nurture their budding abilities. The habit of reading be it Grandma’s tales, Sindbad’s stories, the mythological epics, folktales, bedtime prayer books, or the adventurous saga of Huckleberry Finn, good books help young writers burgeon into sensitive story tellers with excellent command over language, emotions and content. While growing up, the habit of self reading helps such children to visualise characters and situations , dwell in that mental image, feel it and later re-create their own versions of life and surroundings. As they create better versions, they pave way for not just new stories, but inventions and advancements too.This, reading is the first step not just towards writing, the birth of a poem or a story, but also towards the germination an idea, a hypothesis, an invention – a brave new world. So, if you still feel that someone is trapped inside you, read.

If you feel you have a lot to say , you have your own version, a different perception, a bold vision but you are unable to express, well read more.

Read diverse. And you might find a writer, a poet, a scientist, a revolutionary, a reformer, an altogether different person bursting out.

Don’t hold back. Read.

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“A child who reads will be an adult who thinks.” This 10 word proverb conveys something very profound, something that even a page long essay wouldn’t be able to. The precision here in itself makes this an excellently written minimalistic piece on the art of reading. It’s a cycle. It becomes far too important a habit if one is even a tiny bit interested in writing as an artform. Needless to say the list of countless pros which come tagged along could just go on and on.

Keeping the precision of the proverb we begin with in mind, let’s dive deep into how this beautiful habit of reading rewards us in ways we can’t even imagine. Before we begin with the finite list of advantages of reading and how it helps us from an all round perspective, it is important to understand that the ways in which the habit of reading helps an individual largely varies from person to person depending on many different aspects. But for now we would try to understand what are the very basic building blocks which lay the foundation for us to build upon as a reader.

– Helps us explore writing as a medium of storytelling

It goes without saying. If you aspire to be a writer, by default developing a habit of reading is the starting point for the journey. The more you get acquainted with the artform, the better you understand it. And nothing could help you do that better than the habit of reading. You explore one classic piece of writing after the other and it would open newer unexplored horizons for you to become better equipped and more aware writer from an all round perspective.

– Contributes to our intellectual growth

Literature happens to be one of the oldest and the most respected professions. To be more specific, it can even be called a way of life. We have all learnt almost all of the things that today we are aware of across all walks of life through some or the other kind of text. We read, we think, we learn, we grow. Our intellectual capacity widens. Our mental strength to understand and interpret the world we live in grows manifold.

– Helps us master language

Reading helps us master language. Language happens to be a major medium of communication today. So in the larger scheme of things we end up becoming better communicators. Our vocabulary pool widens, we get introduced to newer linguistic elements which help us communicate better on a day to day basis.

– Helps us in expression

It becomes extremely important for us to understand ourselves. Reading helps us do that. The more we read, the better we are prepared to express ourselves. Our emotional understanding slowly and steadily becomes precise and clear. We start seeking comfort in books and the world within. It largely helps us in manifestation and expression.

– Helps us understand the world we live in

Books bridge the gap created by cultural, geographical, historical and social barriers. Through fictional as well as non-fictional literature, we understand the world we inhabit in a more crystal clear manner. It’s practically impossible to explore every single thing existing in this world or which existed centuries back, may it be something materialistic or just something thought and ideology driven. But it’s still possible to explore it virtually since it is all archived in the form of books, and more importantly it has all been preserved for centuries after centuries through text.

– Acts as a mental exercise

The way we exercise for our physical growth and betterment, similarly even our mind needs one such exercise. As we read we subconsciously make our mind work. The system within becomes more polished and starts working like a well oiled machine. It prepares us to become better versions of ourselves mentally.

– Acts as a therapy

Picking up a book leaves behind all of your worries. And needless to say even children might have their own set of problems to deal with. Spending some time reading on a routine basis will set your mind free. It will calm you down. You would feel as if you have immersed yourself in a beautiful imaginary slowed down version of your own little world.

– Helps us explore our own distinct voice

Books help us identify our own likings. These likings, preferences and tastes go beyond literature and become a part of our life. It just becomes an extended version of our personality. We start identifying and exploring our inner selves. Irrespective of whether you want to be an artist or not, exploring your own voice is a highly satisfactory feeling and is also extremely vital for an individual’s growth.

The earlier one starts reading, the greater impact it’s going to have on an individual. After a point the process of reading will start feeling effortless. You will seek comfort in those pages, in those words, you will find a new home to reside. A book is like a companion, a close friend who champions you and helps you grow in life from an all round perspective. Time to befriend one and many!

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“Life is an exam where the syllabus is unknown and the question papers are not set. Nor are there model answer papers.” Classic Sudha Murthy at her wisest. The superwoman has given us life lessons for years and decades. Every word, every sentence penned by her has immense amount of warmth, love and wisdom in it.

Entrepreneur, philanthropist and a prolific writer, Sudha Murthy was born on 19th August 1950 in Karnataka, India. From enrolling herself to the predominantly male driven engineering course (back in the day women aspiring to be engineers was almost unheard of), to becoming the first female engineer hired at Tata Engineering and Locomotive company, Murthy broke all gender barriers left, right and centre. At such a young age she dreamt big, and more importantly pursued her ambitions fearlessly. She later went on to start Infosys foundation and did immense amount of social service. It can all be learnt in depth through her beautiful and intimate book named ‘Three Thousand Stitches’.

Lady has had a writing career one can just dream of. Characterized with a simple straightforward writing style devoid of any kind of unnecessary sophistication or fancy language, Murthy made her writings accessible to one and all. Her vast body of work includes a lot of children’s books, novels, travelogues, technical books, academic books, non-fiction books and short story collections. Her literary world is usually built through a very simple, intimate lens. The conflicts are all very relatable with many of them being just simple hurdles which become a part and parcel of one’s routine life in some capacity or the other. She places a major emphasis on tiny, little lifelike elements in her stories; and her characters are all highly nuanced making them human in every possible way. Most of her stories feel very local with regular usage of regional terms. There’s a cultural backdrop to her writings. Her stories are brilliantly Indianized retaining all the authenticity along, while yet being universal in appeal. Also most of her characters come from a middle class background. To the point description, recurring local cultural references, an easy to follow narrative and a beautiful universal appeal make her writings one of a kind.

‘How I taught my grandmother to read and stories’ is a collection of short stories. This happens to be one of her earliest and most profound works. The saga continues with the acclaimed and quite personal ‘Wise and Otherwise’, a collection of observation based non-fiction writings. ‘Mahashweta’, ‘Gently falls The Bakula’, ‘Dollar Bahu’, ‘The day I stopped drinking milk’, ‘The mother I never knew’, ‘Three Thousand stitches’; the list doesn’t end. Writings filled with sensibilities exhibit love all round. Her other children’s books include ‘Grandma’s bag of stories’, ‘The magic of the lost temple’, ‘The bird with golden wings : stories of wit and magic’ and the 3 book series ‘Gopi Diaries’.

“When you come across difficulties, you have to grow bigger than the problem. You have that capacity within you, but you are not aware of it. If you become bigger, difficulties will look smaller than you, and you can solve them easily. If you become smaller than the difficulties, they will look like mountains and crush you. This is the theory I have followed in life.” Words uttered by the woman herself. This highly inspirational excerpt from ‘How I Taught My Grandmother to Read and Other Stories’ is filled with a very simple yet an important thought. And Mrs Murthy weaving the magic with her words make it sound a notch more impactful.

Other than the prestigious Padma Shri title, the legend has been bestowed with countless number of awards, recognitions, honorary doctorates and endless amounts of love. Her writings have also resonated with readers abroad, thus helping Indian Literature as a whole grow by leaps and bounds.

Despite reaching newer heights and pulling off achievements one after the other for decades, the woman has stuck to her roots firmly. Other than her invaluable contribution to the Indian Literature, she has been working tirelessly for the underprivileged and marginalized communities. Wearing a simple saree paired with a gajra, donning a beautiful smile throughout, Murthy redefines humility. In her book ‘The Day I Stopped Drinking Milk: Life Lessons from Here and There’ she educates us, “With my experience in life, I want to tell you that having good relationships, compassion and peace of mind is much more important than achievements, awards, degrees or money.”

A lot of love, affection, beauty, joy, celebration and wisdom awaits you as you pick the next Sudha Murthy book. Feel it, inherit it and smile a bit.