One of the most
underestimated and misunderstood
sections of this society are ‘Children’. We believe that they need to be fed
everything, from food to knowledge. And in this misunderstanding we completely
forget that they have a soul and mind of their own.
We have always believed that we can shape a child the way we
want, however it’s a myth. A child has its own identity that it struggles to
unfurl and understand. All that we need to do is help it grow. And while we do
this, we need to destroy several myths that we have embraced for years
together. One such is the dissemination of knowledge.
In the backdrop of
the International Mother Language Day, its apt that we see language and books
from the point of view of children.
Abhinav Creations, A
south Goa based organisation does book exhibitions from where there is a lot of
learning . There is a stark contrast between the choice of children and parents
or teachers. While the children preferred books with pictures or books that
suit their age groups, parents wanted value for money in terms of quantity.
They wanted books with many stories or some parents did not even appreciate
books with stories. They wanted only educational books for children which
confirmed the belief that the reading habit isn’t dying because of the children
but the elders. Parents were seen asking their two year olds, whether they will
even know how to read books. They were then asked by this writer if they have
ever read out a story to their kid.
One gets the feeling
that parents try to make their children their investment and they want returns
for the investment they have made. They want their children to fulfill the
dreams that they could not. In all this, the basic creativity and thinking of
children is being lost. This is the very reason why reading and things like
stories, poetry look useless to parents. But even as a larger picture seems
gloomy, efforts do not end and such efforts are on at every level in the
country esp. with regards to creating more regional material for children,
something that is now believed to be the biggest vitamin for a child’s growth.
In last few years Konkani
Bhasha Mandal (KBM) has produced six albums of children’s songs titled Shanni
Masti and two albums of patriotic anthems in Konkani, with three books of
children’s rhymes which were than produced in audio form.
Other efforts of the
Konkani Bhasha medal deserve mention. KBM has also developed children’s books
in Konkani language as per the need of the children. KBM has translated over
100 books of Pratham Books, New Delhi for their online platform story-weaver
and also published more than 50 books in Konkani language in the print form. In
addition, itsKBM’s Petul programme held in more than 6 places across Goa
reaches out to more than 50 schools as their kids perform on the various songs
of Shanni Masti while the parents are busy buying books for their kids at the
exhibition organised on its sidelines.
Clearly,
love for the mother tongue has to go beyond lip service, agitations and grants
for primary education. It’s about making children fall in love with the
language by making it the vehicle for their creative lives.
