Ignite A Love For Books

 I scanned through several articles related to reading culture in Nepal. Interestingly, almost all of them concluded that these days, particularly among youths, reading culture has improved in comparison to the past. It is mainly because of the increased literacy rate, which is 77.4 per cent according to a 2023 survey - those articles highlighted. In addition, new technology and social media have also helped to create different book communities online to encourage reading habits in people. Is this really true? I asked myself.

Out of curiosity, I planned to investigate whether the college students in Damak, Jhapa, read books. I interviewed 20 students from the age group 18 to 22. What I found is quite shocking. Most of them could not name the book that they read last. Not only this, but they also do not know the English or Nepali books that have been recently published. Casually, I asked them if they knew who Subin Bhattarai, quite popular among youths for his romantic fictions, is; surprisingly, they were unaware of him. They stated that they read one to three books in a year. Some of them said they had read a book when they were in grade 12.

Common practice 

Among 20 students, only two seemed to read seriously. They were able to name the book that they had recently read. One said 'Nilo Prem' by Purushottam Bajagai and another said 'Life is What you Make it' by Preeti Shenoy. However, all of them univocally expressed their views on the importance of extensive reading. This reflects the common practice of rote learning in the context of Nepal. Such findings make me ponder, 'Has reading culture really been improved?' For most of the people whom I interviewed, reading is still related to reading course books alone. They looked bewildered when I asked them if they read out of syllabus books during their free time.

In the megacities such as Kathmandu, Pokhara or Biratnagar, more young people may engage in reading but only a few cities can show a complete picture of the country. Damak is a growing city where we can find a couple of public libraries. The schools and colleges also have their own library. Furthermore, there are several cafes with book corners in them. All this scenario shows is that people here have access to books if they want to. Additionally, the technology-friendly youths can access hundreds of e-books via their mobile phone. 

If city people are reluctant towards reading this way, what is the condition of village people? We are pretty aware that there are more village areas than city areas in Nepal, where people struggle to meet their means on an everyday basis. In such a situation, it is hard to believe village youths are familiar with reading culture.

While I am writing this article, I remember how reading culture is embedded in the school curriculum in Australia. I had observed many classes in a primary school in Victoria for my study purposes. From the early grades, students were encouraged to select books of their choice from the school library and they were assisted in reading those books. For older students, there was a 'reading challenge' programme which is named Premier's Reading Challenge (PRC). It would roughly run for six months, from March to September in the case of Victoria; the time varies from state to state. 

My observation showed that the reading challenge programme would encourage students to read a set number of books, i.e., 12. They could select the books of their interest. When they completed their reading goals, they would receive certificates and medals. In this way, reading seems to be a part of their learning. It may be because of this culture that I saw people reading in public places, such as on a train, on a bus or in parks. What was amazing was that even bus drivers would take their books out and read when the bus stopped briefly at the traffic lights.

On the other hand, the public education system in Nepali schools is examination-centered and textbook-based. Students believe in rote learning and they do not bother to read books apart from their course books. If the reading habit is not instilled at a young age, it will be very difficult to develop a reading culture once children grow up. 

Research 

When we consider private schools, we can find the situation much better in many of them. Children are encouraged to choose and read books from the very beginning of their schooling. This helps them to be independent readers later. The available research shows that there must be a home-school partnership to foster student learning. So, when reading comes, parents must also help their children choose the appropriate books. They must show interest in what children are reading or they can read together. This way, reading can be an enjoyable activity for children.

Therefore, it is not enough just to force reading on youths; instead, they must be introduced to books at an early age so that they can realise the wonder of words. Nobody can deny the fact that to be a good writer, one must be a good reader first. So, we need to support our students to be independent readers. It may not always be true that an improved literacy rate leads to improved reading culture. Along with this there are other factors to examine to achieve an expected result.   

(Published in an English Daily The Rising Nepal on Friday, December 12, 2025 ) 

[The pictures on this blog are posted here with permission from their owners or have been gathered from various sources on the Internet. If you are the copyright-holder to any of the photographs herein do not hesitate to contact me. They will be swiftly removed if desired so.]

 

Ashika Tamang: A Hero In True Sense

 Many things have been rapidly changing for the past few months in Nepal. For instance, the purity of the Gen Z revolution and its agenda have been buried somewhere amidst a lot of unwanted and unexpected issues. The strength of the newly formed interim government seems to be shaky sometimes. The general public was fed up with the old K P Sharma Oli-led government's practice of nepotism in the whole system of the country and unfortunately, people have started talking about smelling the same in the present government as well. The politically inclined people are busy forming their parties to take part in the upcoming election. 

Different rallies and protests are continuously going on in several parts of the country. However, during this unrest situation also there is also one person who is tirelessly working for a cause, i.e., to raise public awareness in different social issues and help the needy ones. This person is none other than Ashika Tamang. Ms. Tamang has begun her public appearance as an actress but her recognition was limited in this identity until she started her social movement. She first came into the general public's attention when she started posting her videos on social media. They were all about unfair social practices in Nepal. She raised her voice against everything that she found unjust. 

Animal lover 

Although people took her lightly in the beginning, she did not care about that. Some people even trolled her for every action she took to make people aware of the situation. She would directly attack people verbally who were engaged in misbehaviour, such as littering or urinating in a public place. Doing all this, she was simply trying to fix their manners. She spoke against high pricing in bottled water or food items in the highway hotels, misuse of government vehicles and many other such things.  She was nicknamed 'Khasini didi' after she posted a video where she was crying and urging people not to slaughter animals such as 'khasi, khasini...' 

Whatever people said, Ashika neither budged nor altered from her focus; she was determined to expose the ugly side of society. Gradually, she started to win people's hearts and made her identity as a social activist. She became a social media sensation for her consistent fight against all sorts of chaotic situations in the country. 

Ashika's other side was seen during and after the Gen Z revolt on the 8th and 9th September, 2025. On those days, she was on the street supporting the youths. When hundreds of people were injured and rushed to different hospitals afterwards, she firmly stood by them. She visited the hospitals to inquire about them and supplied monetary and food support. She visited the injured people's dwelling place with sacks of rice, cartons of fruit and biscuits along with money. She visited the families of martyrs to extend emotional and financial support. She collected all the money from organising crowdfunding. As a whole, Ashika Tamang tirelessly served the victims of Gen Z movement at the best of her capacity. 

These moments were really emotional. She was named as 'national didi'. Some people even compared her with Florence Nightingale. On those days, people saw compassion, selflessness, effort and hard work in her. Those who had made fun of her earlier started begging for pardon publicly. She became an inspirational figure. At present, most of the other people are busy with political calculations but Ashika is after something else. She has come up with a brilliant idea of 'Rupee One Campaign.' For this, she has urged donors to donate at least one rupee for the purpose of distributing warm clothes to school children in remote areas. 

These days, she is busy visiting different schools located in such areas to serve her purpose of distributing warm clothes to the needy students. According to a news report, she has already distributed warm clothes, school uniforms, school bags, shoes, boots and other stationery items to more than 1,500 students studying in different community schools across six districts which range from Dhading to Darchula. She aims to reach out to 5,000 students via this campaign. Through the 'Rupee One Campaign,' Ms. Tamang has once again shown us a real picture of our country as she showed us the real Gen Z youths. We live in city areas and talk about human rights, AI, climate change or geopolitical issues. 

Tip of the iceberg

But there are places in the same country where little children still struggle to fulfill their basic needs. These children are seen in shabby dress with worn-out school bags and tattered shoes. Finding them in such a poor condition, Ashika cannot control herself and breaks down in tears. Videos of these innocent children also make us cry. At least, Ms. Tamang is trying to bring some happiness to their lives. In a way, Ashika Tamang is doing a governmental job. It is the government's duty to ensure about welfare of its citizens. It must be aware of the overall condition of the country. 

Whatever Ms. Tamang is showing us is only the tip of an iceberg. UNICEF highlights that every child has the right to food, clothing and a safe place to live so they can develop in the best possible way. Nepal has also ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990. So, it has incorporated child rights into its constitution but sadly, the implementation side still looks incomplete. Ashika has emerged as a real hero who has dedicated her life for a good cause. If her 'Rupee One Campaign' can bring a significant difference in the needy children, why not the governmental initiatives to uplift their quality of life?   

(Published in an English Daily The Rising Nepal on Friday, November 28, 2025 )