On Friday, one section of IIT-Madras was a riot of colours and schoolchildren with books.
Students from 1,000 schools in the country had arrived, to celebrate the pleasures of reading at the ‘One Nation Reading Together’ event, organised by Scholastic India across the nation. Over 5,000 students from various parts of the city were among the participants.
Hamza Murtuza Vakharia, a class VIII student said, “Reading books is part of our life. Without books, we will be alone.” He wants to read about technological innovations and contribute to mechanical engineering in the future.
Sai Kishore, another student said he was developing the habit of reading to achieve his goal of becoming a cricketer. “I can learn various aspects about cricket by reading books. I want to know about Don Bradman and Kapil Dev,” he said.
An array of authors and teachers scrambled to optimise the attention of the students through motivating speeches. The last two lines of the 95-word Scholastic Reading Pledge 2013 administered on the occasion raised attentions to a new level. The lines read: “I have many questions, I need some answers soon. Give me a book, and I’ll be over the moon!”
Students also carried placards stressing the need and significance of reading for the technological, cultural and social development of the nation.
“Books make our lives richer, brighter and better. With ‘One Nation Reading Together’, Scholastic reaffirms its commitment to bringing the joy of reading to children all over the country,” said Neeraj Jain, managing director, Scholastic India.
The programme will also facilitate the distribution of two lakh books to organisations working with less privileged students across the country.
