Making friends with words: A packed book-reading session at a city bookstore

Dinabandhu Mukherjee,
Behala

The sales of J.K. Rowling?s works are proof of their popularity. But it is too early to say that they have taken the children back to books. The habit of reading must be cultivated from a young age, but most parents are content if their little-ones read text books and nothing else. It is almost impossible for one or two writers to interest an entire generation in reading. The price barrier also comes in the way of developing a habit.

Santosh Chakravarty,
Unique Park

The media hype has forced vulnerable children to badger their parents into buying them the Harry Potter books. But it is quite obvious that printed matter does not hold the attention of kids any longer. If Harry Potter has indeed interested the youngsters in books, why haven?t the sales of kids? books in regional languages registered a spurt? However, one must admit that interesting books for children are rarely produced these days.

Prahlad Agarwala,
Majdia, Nadia

Harry Potter has generated tremendous interest among children and teenagers, especially of English-medium schools. One can definitely conclude that boy wizard has taken a generation back to books.

Sachindra Nath Mitra,
Beleghata

There is no alternative to good books but children these days are addicted to electronic entertainment. We have to give the Harry Potter phenomenon some more time before declaring that the boy wizard has taken children back to books.

Shikha Kotecha,
Howrah

The Harry Potter films generate more interest than the novels, so it cannot be said that they have taken the children back to books. The market of books is yet to be expanded.

arpita chowdhury,
East Sinthi Road

Parents play a vital role in the growth of reading habit among children, but unfortunately few adults read these days. How can Harry Potter take kids back to books when their parents are glued to television all the time? It is quite sad that despite having the treasure trove of Bengali literature at our disposal, we have to depend on Harry Potter to interest children in reading.

Mehjibin Yunus,
Bright Street

Harry Potter has undoubtedly taken children back to books. The pressure of studies were beginning to take a toll on the reading habit of kids until J.K. Rowling came along. However, all parents will not be able to afford the books because of their high price.

Sukanta Pachal,
Howrah

These days, children are more interested in electronic entertainment than books. Even the Harry Potter films and games have detracted the attention of youngsters from the novels. The long queues at the launch of the books merely reveal temporary craze and nothing more. Even if they loved to, the children would be hard-pressed to find the time to read, given the pressure of studies.

Joydeep Chatterjee,
Shyambazar

There were always kids who were addicted to books. According to me, what Harry Potter has done is attract the non-readers to books.

Atif Ayaz,
Serampore

Children now unwind by reading story books, thanks to J.K. Rowling. That is no mean achievement considering the pressure of studies. The fact that Harry Potter has taken youngsters back to books is apparent from the sales figures of the novels.

Bhupen Bose,
Dum Dum

Children studying in vernacular-medium schools haven?t even heard of Harry Potter. However, the craze for J.K. Rowling?s works have reached a peak among students of English-medium schools, most of whom come from privileged backgrounds.

Debashis saha,
Anath Nath Deb Lane

Yes. Harry Potter has taken children back to books only to an extent. The actual credit should go to the media and those who market the novels. There are many Indian books that are far superior to those of Harry Potter, but they are neglected by the media due to lack of glamour.

Sanchita Roy Chowdhury,
Salt Lake

The kids can identify with Harry Potter and hence love to read his adventures. However, the young wizard is yet to cast his spells on the rural children. Harry Potter films and games are as popular as the books, but it is certainly better to be a Potter buff than a couch potato.

Rahul Roy,
Dum Dum

The Potter mania is unlikely to last. If children had indeed become more interested in reading, the sale of the all-time classics would also have gone up. Moreover, the price of the Harry Potter novels puts them out of the reach of most parents.