IT WAS A pleasant surprise to see how Moira's SFX High School is taking ahead the idea of promoting the reading habit in schools. Just at the entrance to the school, one saw a large board, with a number of new and not-so-new magazines tucked onto it. It read: "Read and replace".
What this means is that the magazines are being made more accessible to the average student. They no longer have to visit a library to get access to them. Now, these are available at the very entrance to the school. In addition, it is also sending out the 'we trust you to read it and keep it back' message to students.... What a nice way of doing things. If any Moidekars out there would like to further spur on the reading habit in your village, don't hesitate to get in touch with the school and offer your support in whatever way. (Our calculation shows that a $100 donation to any school in Goa will fetch them about 20-25 magazines each month, for one full year.) Often, it's not just a case of money. There are a large number of magazines, from organisations like the UN, and others, that come across free of charge... if only we know where to ask. This note comes from a reader-of-magazines at Saligao (where in the 'seventies we then only got the ToI, the Navhind Times and the then-still-fresh and interesting India Today). It was this access that gifted me a profession, one which I enjoy immensely, gives me a decent living back in Goa, and also gives one that feeling of doing something useful for society at the same time. What more can one ask for? Can we gift the habit of reading to other youngsters? (As Jaime D'Mello [EMAIL PROTECTED], an old-time Goanetter now back in Goa told me: "I started on the reading habit late. But since I got into it, I read voraciously. It doesn't matter if I don't get food... but reading material is something I can't miss now." FN ########################################################################## # Send submissions for Goanet to [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # PLEASE remember to stay on-topic (related to Goa), and avoid top-posts # # More details on Goanet at http://joingoanet.shorturl.com/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
