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BACKPACKER'S
b
USHA RAMAN
anvof ntv fricnrls in thc.
teaching fratcrnity
,ti
were happl, to hcar author r\nritar, (lhosh tell
a vounA u'orrrarr that
the bcst ;rd','icu lte, Irad llrr a rvliter.tn-the'nraking \l'ils "to rearl." It's
sornetlring u'e kccJr tellirrg our.
:.{
irfl$-
ow'n students, but (we tt:rrd to
think) it is onc uclvicc that is ilis-
rcgardcd the n)ost. Ilut tlrcn,
t]rose sanrc studelrts rvould ask,
arcn't rve rcading all tlc tintc?
\\'hlt. othcl than rcadirrg, ale \!'r,
doirrg e a<rh tinrc rve grick up ir book
t') stu(iv tot .rrr t.x;rtninlrtiorr r,r:r
tcst':'Il 1,orr st'arclr orrlinL. lol thc
distinctron lrrtrvecn thc tt'rnts, us
I.1ust dicl. r,ou'ti lrr harcl plcsscd to
find a clt':rr,rnc. 'Slutly'ing is urr
rrdvanct:d forrn of reading," sirys
one c'otrtrillutor otr (luofu.coln.
Wikipedia dcfirrcs lcrtlirrg as "thc
act or'llrrrccss ol studying."
But lct r,rs sct asidc tlrosr aca,
dcrnic or dictionarl' distirrctions,
lirr the tinrc bcing. and get to what
I mearr by' r'eading. Not strrdving.
Not sivottirrg ft'otn notcs for
arr
cx:rnt. Not goirrg river and over thc
textlrot>k tt) nrerrrorise rlt:flnitions
or dt'scripl ions. \gt ppt'itr! pr,t.r lr
rcfcrcncc tt:xt in r;rdct' to :rrlrl to
tht'c l;rssroortt let ture .
With a ll the irr fir lnra t io n
art>und us, \\'('arc spcrlding lnore
ti.
)i(
;(
C
k'.
i.
;l'
l:'F,r
Reading develops one's ability
to look
talkirrg uboul thc hurr-rerl sc;rn
Iring of'hcadlinrs on l)Al)t:r ()f
screen that ntost ttf us do ltcfirrc
wc nrsh oul t:ach ntornirrg. Irrrl u
a cliflcrencc bctu'ecn tlris:rnrl
we click rrn vidco links an<l laugli
lt vistrul and vcrbal rnerncs that
comc our \r'ay, wc lrlok at ar-ti<:les
titat our friends sharc so that',r'c
can cither Iikc thcni rtr add u contrrtcnt, thus lnarking otrr paltir;ipa,
kin<Js lcirds to knou lcrlgc gairr irr
tlrc Iorrg rurr (lnuclr olu,lr;rI I krrorv
.rlrorrt lil'c in tht, Ilornan lr)11)ir('
cott'tcs frorn thc ;\stt.rix cornics).
Whcrr vorr str.rdy, tlrclc is a ccr.tuirr
tiotr in tht:. grclt onlinc
social
But rvhert rvas thc last tirne you
picked up a book or a rnagazine for
1>urc ltleasrrle antl curiosity, with
()ut )'orrr lingcrs itr:hing to hit a
"likc" or a "sharc" or type in a
srrart c0rnmcntl'Again, I am not
rcuding for Llre p[rrl)os(: ol krrow]
l','oulcl
- irltlrouglr
.
I
rrguc that rcuding ol'rrll
lunxicty that kecps you lircu.st.rl
ottly on what is nece sstn' for that
cxan) or tcst. I)urlrosive rclding
(to lcarn, to undclstand, to rr:nrcmbe r) is linritcd by its purpose.
When vou rcad without that anx.
icty, yor.rr rnintl is frce to rvande r
about and rtrake connections u'ith
other things you'r,e; rcarl, to relatc
)( :il1 :l texr tluicklv rurd g|asJr
its
wirlr'rrt to' rnuch difl'irrltr'. we r';,. figu.t' ,ut *'hich
lrrls.f tJrt text u't' irnportant
rrtl wlrich o.('s,r'c,rrly support''t'. \!lrile rt':rtlirrg u rro,"cl, for inLir)({', we krr.w'llrirt dc-scliption
; Lrs.tl to st'r :r sccrrc whilc'ae ti,lr
rrrl
rrr.vc lhc 1ll.t frlr.tli;rlo4rt.'
'.r(1, ( )vcl rrn(:, us r,vc rcud rrr'r'c
wl
rrrrtlerstarrcl
wlrt'r'rr [,
')\'(ls.
;r,\ .rll\'14{}n, rvhcrc to tlrvt:ll orr
rc uor dSf rrtl wlterc lr, skirrr o',,t'r'
rt.rr \\/{fir I the p)ot t'r'e n rf *e
,rrr'l :rlwts gt:t tht'details.
I lr:rte f, thi'k tlrrrt I anr ad)(rtl)1.{.rtitdtng tol pleasure as a
rr1,. l. 1{111'1.yye. (}nc s. ability to
,rrrl irr'.rdlnricrllV--- thlt would
.r rrr to
)c sclf-dcfeatirrg! Thc
rrlrt' is thht cvcn if pcople begin
'rrdirr11
they think it is
-becausc
it'lrrl. they'
r,r'if l btgin t' c.j'y it
rr ils rrwD sakc!
)
rt:;rrrirr11
sitting.rlow'rr
subrrrersion in words.
I{cading for ils ou'n -srrkc is u,lrrrt
u'tr arc talking about hcrt,.'l'ht:r'e is
cdgc acqrrisition
spacc.
Itrtlyirrg. \\'t, bct ome nrore cll'i
i.rrI r.a<ic.s bccausc we arc ablc
n)ore sustained,
anrl more tinre engagirrg u'ith
tcxts of ditlcrcnt kind.s. We scan
I'acebook posts and T*'ittcr feeds,
-i'
beyond the surface. pxoro G,I). SAMPATH KI]MAR
of
(ir.urrtt.tl, tltc time wt, lrlrvc lirr
xtnr-crrr.r.it rrlar reading is qr.lrtlually being clrte r) awav lrV .tlrt,r.
srrpposcrilr, t.",,." uig",ir rusks
e
(like nrovirrg t, thc next l,.vr.l ,rr
our favourrr. ,{illrlng lrl)l) or.
catching up orr.s'cill med:,,j. BLrt
wc also have nr.r.c rcadinu rrrlrtcrial available t<.r us tr>day rlrrrn at
any point of tinrc in lhc
Books arc easicr to
1le
1last.
t, mr>rt,'Dco,
plc are writing about more iub-
jccts,rrndthcyarcals.availablein
e _books
rrntl urrdioltooks. 'i'hat u,ould inrp-
lr vur.icty <lf for.lns sut.lt as
ly llrirl rrrore pcg1;11. are readirig.
So, Pcr.haps my collclgucr; ancl i
arc\.\'r.ongaboJty,u.gpeoplen't
reatling. So, maybe it,s not so
nruch about whethcr people are
reading, but about how they are
reading?
The autltrtr teaches
ut
tltt:
LJnit,ersit),tl'Hyderobud und edits
'feacher plus mogozinr:. Entail:
usha.bpglltijtglntail.com