Dear Jayaohan,
I watched your video about encouraging our children to read serious books. I have tried many ways to motivate my children to read. I bought numerous comic books and simple children’s books, hoping to entice them with gifts, but it was a total failure.
The current environment is completely against reading, and I find it challenging to draw them away from social media, computer games, and countless consumer goods. The school, their circle of friends, and everything around them seem to discourage reading.
I used to read a lot, and I believe that reading is the secret to my success. However, I struggle to communicate this to the next generation because the idols they follow on social media and other platforms are not avid readers. They rarely promote or even mention books, with the notable exception of Kamal Hassan. Most others attribute their success to their humble beginnings, hard work, and luck, while some cite their devotion to various deities.
During my six years in the USA before my marriage, I noticed that almost every important person referenced some book in their conversations; it seemed to be a trend there. The books mentioned by Bill Gates often become bestsellers. For instance, Yuval Noah Harari’s works gained global popularity after being mentioned by him. Imagine the change we could see if our industrialists, celebrities, and leaders began to reference books in their interviews!
Unfortunately, this is not happening here. Even the Prime Minister of India has never mentioned a book in his speeches. While he acknowledges many social service activists and important figures, he overlooks books from both Indian traditional literature and modern literature. There is no prominent role model for the younger generation to guide them toward reading and writing. How can we encourage them to read in such an environment? No one is presenting themselves as a good reader, and the modern generation lacks ideal figures who advocate for reading.
Naturally, we cannot influence them because we are ordinary individuals. We are not the major idols of our generation. In the past, parents, especially fathers, served as primary role models for their children. My father remains my idol and hero. However, today, children are exposed to social media and other forms of media from a very young age, and their idols are often celebrities in those arenas. Unless I become a celebrated writer like you, I feel I cannot inspire my children. As a simple businessman, my children see me as merely a money-earning machine, nothing more.
K.R. Rajasekar
