Wednesday 14 February 2007

A Declining Passion

Came across this rhyme in 'Charlie and the Chocolate factory'..
It echos my views on today's book-reading and TV watching habits.

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Oh,books, what books they used to know,
Those children living long ago !
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall.


Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Ignoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And Children hitting you with sticks -
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll now begin to feel the need
Of having something good to read.


And once they start - oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowing growing joy
That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.


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P.S. My idea of a little heaven..(from the same poem)

"One half their lives was reading books!
The nursery shelves held books galore!
Books cluttered up the nursery floor!
And in the bedroom, by the bed,
More books were waiting to be read!
Such wonderous, fine, fantastic tales
Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales! "
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8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very True !

Sree's Views said...

Merci beaucoup
ma/mon ami !!!

Thanks you V !!
:)

Ravi said...

Sree, I still have this passion for books - whether I read it or not is a different question. I used to spend endless time in book stores and libraries - just the sight of books piled up and arranged in shelves gives me a "kick". But yes, the TV, in a way has affected the reading habit in children and indirectly curbed their imagination powers.

Sree's Views said...

Hello Ravi,
I agree that whether we read or not...the very sight of books makes some of us very happy...We have a good collection..but if you ask me if I have read them all..hmm..the answer is NO.
Just browsing throo the piles of books in itself is a great pleasure :)
I really hope today's kids do not miss out on that :)

Thanks for your comment !

Srikanth said...

naanum VBR ai vazhi mozhigiren.

enaku regional books pidichaa alavuku en foreign publications pidikalainu theriyala... may be antha nativity miss aagutho enavo..

:)

Sree's Views said...

Hey Srikanth,
I feel that we get a great deal of happiness when we are in familiar surroundings.
And we also like to have a sense of 'being with the author' while reading a book.
If we dont get that feeing, it's more like studying.
So nothing to beat our regional publications.
But some foreign books are good too..
Have you tried novels by Bengali authors ? It has a unique style.
I think each region has its own flavor.
Thanks for giving your view, Srikanth.

Anonymous said...

Hahahaha...Sree ithai padichathathum En Friend than yabagama varathu..

Ore nal en friend veetukku porenthen..pudhusa veedu vangiirukkan..vanna koopitan..

Ponan..partha very big show case athula Sidney Shlden,Karen Robards irunnthu Scott walter,jane austen variakkum collections vaithirunthen...
apparam anthe endlu ore Red wine bottle inthe endlula ore Apple rum bottle inside the show case..

Initial thgt, bottle irrukirathai kudithalum "podhai" varum, intha books padithalum "podhai" varumnu sollama solliriunthan..

then went to his office room, ange avanoda wife net la "Mum Mum Kungumam" padichittu iruntthanga..

initial thgt, "Sorkka me endralum athu namma oru pola varuma.." appadithan irunthathu avanga "Kungumam" padithathu..

Ana onnu unmai Sree, whatever kidsa irukkirappa Ambullimama chandamama books padithatu mathiri varathu....

Sree's Views said...

Hmm enna Bala,
Indha bodhai yum andha bodhaiyum onnuiniteenga....
Adhu oru confusing bodhai pola..books maathram oru thelivana bodhai...
hmm ya childhood books were great..even now I like children's books. Read Roald Dahl books...soooper !!!