Oral stories, comics develop interest in literature: Tharoor

The strong tradition of oral stories in India can be used to develop interest in reading in the country, Union Minister Shashi Tharoor said today.
On the second day of the ongoing three-day international conference "Literacy through Literature", Tharoor touched upon multiple topics like the relevance of comic books and the benefits of digitisation.
"As a child I wanted to read the stories, which my mother used to narrate to me...India has a strong tradition of oral literature and it can be used as an incentive to develop people's interest in literature," Tharoor said.
The minister pointed out that people usually undermine the value of comics but such books with their pictures and graphics help to easily understand a subject.

"Reading helps to transform lives. And reading comics plays an important role in the early formative years," Tharoor said.
Referring to his growing up years, Tharoor said he relied on comics and television to understand the French language, which he was learning.

Tharoor, who has authored many books, which include "The Great Indian Novel" and "The Elephant, the Tiger, and the Cell phone: Reflections on 21st Century India" said that literature could benefit a great deal from the process of digitisation.
"With new media we can read all classic novels for free, can store as many as 100 books in our computer to read... translation and sharing has become easy," he said, adding that digitisation democratised knowledge.

"We should appreciate it and not see it as a threat," he said.
The minister was addressing delegates at the event organised by the Association of Writers and Illustrators for Children (AWIC) and the Indian section of the International Board on Books for the Young (IBBY).
Tharoor also viewed the exhibition "First Steps to Literacy" on books for children from countries like Japan, Malaysia, Australia, France, Slovenia among others.
"The Minister expressed interest in several books. He took some comic books based on Gandhi, Sita, Ravana and Krishna," said the conference convener, Indira Bagchi.
Looking at a display stall showcasing books written by Manorama Jaffa, the Minister exclaimed, "Oh no books on Kerala!" Tharoor is an MP from Thiruvananthapuram.

Delegates from ten countries participated in workshops, storytelling, exhibitions and interaction with children.