Manahari Sharma
The common diseases we are having in this 21st century is bibliophobia — fear of book burning. The phenomenon prevailing in today’s academia shows the vulnerable symptoms of declining academic excellence through irreparable mistakes we have done. It is a time to heighten the excitement in reading culture from junior classes in school so that entire development of children would be seen with demonstrative effect. The triangular development; mental, emotional and psychological of human being cannot be achieved without comprehensive reading of books.
Learning has become superficial, even the university degree is gained merely by reading notes and guide books. The unusual trend of goggling and social media surfing to complete higher degree has reduced the comprehensive ability of students. Reading fiction is equated with mitigating the existing gap between self and the events, emotions, and experiences with the characters in books. Thus, reading not only involves engrossing in the text rather it also assists how you would realize and react in the particular situation.
These days, young generations are haphazardly plugging into an internet. It has become the daily necessity. No doubt, it has unquestionably revolutionized the world but we should not forget the menacing effects in human life. We are being used by internet and technology and losing concentration. Large amount of our time is spent in social networks; Facebook, twitter, YouTube etc. rather reading and consulting academic books, newspaper, journals necessarily. Being a friend with books switches you on with many emotions. Turning the pages of books steeps you forward developing strong emotions. If you divide the life as the chapters are dividend in the pages of books. Try to make conversation with the characters and be empathetic. Sometimes wrestle with them, sometimes play happily, and situate into their position, they definitely motivate and inspire you towards success. All types of book might not give you solace while reading, but it is sure a great book leaves you with diverse experiences.
Similarly, reading books is an art of living life. The more we read the books, more we get solace and pleasure. Put your pain and pathos at bay. Walk in the thread of story, you will forget mundane satisfaction, money and materials while you sit in front of books, and get transform life into perfection. The sublime pleasure you get if you distract from real world mingling in those script. After having lots of knowledge through different books, it is equally necessary to create storm in brain to supply in-depth knowledge in real life. The different books we read help to develop multiple perspectives, sharpens our mind critically and analytically.
However, reading culture has changed more in the last decade because most of the teenage students have smart electronics devices in their pockets. Traditionally, students would have to read many text books but now education and ways of learning has changed. It has become more important to understand the topics rather than cramming text books. Nowadays with the access of mobile phones and other computer devices, digital reading has become more popular, but very less people know that the solace we feel while interacting with books is no longer achieved in virtual reading.
Generally, there has been a great shift from reading books to social media. For example, teenagers would rather spend time chatting on social media or using other apps, than to read a long text book. Students are less interested in picking up a novel for bedtime reading when they have an option to watch a movie on Netflix. In general students from the age of 12 are spending more of their free time playing games or on social media. This is a different type of learning, encouraging students to become digitally interactive, but too much screen time is counterproductive. By 2016 the average 12th grader said to have spent 5-6 hours a day on social media, screen time has almost doubled since 2006 with most teenagers using social media every day. In 2021, researchers find out, teens spend nine hours a day in front of screen entertaining themselves with playing games, listening music, and streaming videos. Such lengthy screen time may cause mental health issues in the long run.
Students are becoming accustomed of reading short texts. Reading and comprehending longer chapters and complete books take practice and the teenagers are not getting this practice. Reading books and long articles challenges the brain to think critically and to understand complex multiple issues covered. Our learning has changed that we find it easier to process information in bite sizes and bullet points. By reading short texts only, less of our brain is being used and it faced with long multiple complex instructions in a real-life situation, the brain will find it difficult to process lengthy information and may go into a panic mode. It does not mean that reading long text is only a solution of everything. The problem is trying to maintain the balance between different types of learning. The important thing is for the students to read/ understand longer articles and be conscious of their screen time with the digital reading.
Since the world has experienced a pandemic, the dependency of students and teachers on online sites has become a part of teaching and learning. The availability of all exercise and materials, which we use in the classroom, in online is another reason to make them passive. It is believed that every challenge has multiple opportunities, so does the pandemic. This crisis has opened the avenue of juncture in the learning process to a country like Nepal, where online education was proven a hard nut to crack with limited resources. This unavoidable circumstance compelled people to think about life differently. Society switched on into another mood. People have been becoming more techno-friendly: however, in the name of using technology in learning, none can deny the fact of becoming a techno-slave. Technology may keep you apart from society, culture, education and may push you to live a solitary life. It also works as a bridge to connect the whole world to a person. Though avoiding the vulnerability of possible damage caused by new circumstances, we can’t forget who we are.
The way we maintain the level of critical understanding keeping children apart from long script is itself the rhetoric. Schools and colleges can make more of the text books available in digital format and have a library portal. Beside this, to whom we call pathfinders should encourage students start book clubs and post their views on the school library portal, and allocate specific time in school for the students to exchange their views on the books. To encourage students in reading text, academician should made strategic methodologies in classroom from school level for which students would have to read books and thereafter, have a question and answer session on such topics in the classroom. Being moderator, teacher may pave the path to encourage students to write articles as this will be an incentive for reading. Despite several ways we forward, there is no quick fix to improve reading culture. Measures have to be taken to change learning behaviour in cultured way in academia. Students and parents have to become more responsible to limit their screen time and invest more time in reading.
[Manahari Sharma Holds a Master’s degree in English literature from TU.]