Kolkata :
What if you had to read a Kakababu or Feluda story and get marks for reviewing it as part of a test in school?
Reading habit in Bengali is on a sharp decline for several years now and cinema has become the driving force behind book sales, especially when it comes to children. To stem this dip, Birla High School has come up with an innovative strategy — students can opt for a Bengali literature club as part of the curriculum. The last period is dedicated to a session of script-writing, reading, voice modulation, recitation and reviewing of stories, all in Bengali. And yes, they get marks for it too.
“If we didn’t have this strategy, we would lose the handful students who still have reading habits in Bengali. But students today don’t have the energy or time to explore the world of Bengali literature. So we made it part of the curriculum. Students can opt to join a club — Bengali, photography or something else — and they have responded positively to the book club. Even students, whose mother tongue isn’t Bengali, are opting for Bengali as the second language and joining the club. We have a junior section and the senior one is from Classes VI-X,” said Mandira Banerjee, a Bengali teacher.
Earlier, the clamour for special Puja editions of magazines used to start over a month ahead of the festival. But those days are long gone. College Street booksellers say whereas earlier individuals bought multiple copies to send to relatives and friends based out of the state, now the demand is at an all-time low. “But to ensure that students don’t miss out on the fun and flavour of Pujabarshiki issues, we give out copies and evaluate students based on their reviews,” added Joyita Basu of the Bengali department.
Saswat Banerjee, a Class IX student, said: “I’ve been a member of the club since Class VI. Here we are trained in drama, extempore, enunciation and summarizing stories in Bengali. We are also encouraged to write stories in Bengali.” However, the teenager admitted that since the last few years, the culture of exchanging Bengali books with classmates has gone down sharply.
The cast and director of ‘Gogoler Kirti’, a film based on the Samaresh Basu-created child sleuth, were present at a discussion at the school on Monday. Singer Paroma Banerji, who anchored the show, said: “The habit of reading Bengali books is dying. As parents, it is our duty to ensure our children don’t miss out on the books we grew up reading. We have now veered towards audio-visual over text. But cinema is a totally different medium. It can’t reproduce the exact story and a lot of improvisations are added to the script. Similarly, just because you know the story doesn’t mean you should avoid reading the original story.”
Actress Shakuntala Barua rued that the days when children would badger grandmothers for stories were gone. “For children, cinema is the easier option. But I’ve ensured my grandson develops a love for Bengali books by reading out to him and making him part of the storytelling sessions.”
source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Kolkata / TNN / September 09th, 2014