Dear Jeyamohan Sir,
It is wonderful to see birdwatching and art classes scheduled once again for the Pooja holidays as part of the Unified Wisdom programs. We have visited Vellimalai three times—twice for birdwatching and once for plant watching—and I have previously shared detailed accounts of our wonderful experiences there.
I am writing to inquire if there are any reading classes planned for children. My nine-year-old daughter has maintained a consistent habit of reading daily for the past four years. Her recent reads include Totto-chan, Chasing the Yeti, Satyajit Ray’s Feluda collection, Tintin comics, and Harry Potter. I have also read Udayal to her.
While she reads regularly, I am seeking guidance on how to ensure she truly retains and processes the material. Having watched your videos regarding reading techniques, I believe children would greatly benefit from learning how to accumulate thoughts, take notes, and organize ideas after finishing a book.
I am aware of your reading workshops for adults and plan to join the next session this year. Are there any plans to introduce a children’s reading program? Ideally, such program can include story reading, group discussions, an introduction to literature suitable for pre-teens, and post-reading reflections. I am reaching out to you because I know of no other organization that can deliver a workshop of this standard.
Thank you for your time and continuous guidance.
Regards,
Sivakumar Seenirajan
Bangalore
Dear Sir,
I know that our children face a serious problem with reading today. The first difficulty is that they find it hard to concentrate on a book for a long time, largely because of the constant distractions of social media and other forms of entertainment.
The second problem is that reading can make them feel isolated. Most of their friends are engaged in social media activities or computer games, so children who read books often have nobody with whom they can discuss what they are reading.
The third problem is that our educational institutions do not sufficiently encourage either reading habits or the broader intellectual interests of students. Even when a child has a genuine interest in reading, it can gradually disappear because of this environment.
I believe the most effective way to help them develop and sustain a reading habit is to create small reading groups and discussion forums. First, they need to be taught how to read attentively, how to discuss a book, and how to make brief and meaningful notes from what they read. If they are interested, they can also make short videos about the books they have read. These activities around reading can strengthen their interest and encourage them to engage more deeply with books and ideas.
We are therefore planning to begin something along these lines. For such a programme, it would be useful to bring the students together in a relatively remote place like ours, where they can temporarily disconnect from social media and other digital distractions. We would need at least three or four days to immerse them properly in reading-related activities. If we have five days, we could do much more.
Five-day reading camps and similar programmes are conducted in different parts of the world to encourage reading, particularly among students. However, it is difficult for us to organise such a programme on weekdays. We would need a long holiday to conduct it properly.
We are therefore planning to organise a programme in May. I have already conducted a class for students on how to read, understand and discuss books, and I would like to develop that experience into a more comprehensive programme in the coming May.
If there is sufficient interest among students in conducting something during December as well, we can certainly consider organising another programme then.
Regards,
Jeyamohan
