Good books can not only inspire us to dream, they could also give us the tools to realise those dreams, writes MARGUERITE THEOPHIL, making a case for easy access to well-stocked libraries Neil Gaiman, one of my favourite writers, who has written many books for children,said in a talk: “The simplest way to make sure that we raise literate children is to teach them to read, and to show them that reading is a pleasurable activity.” Imagine a space in schools where all students feel welcome and are encouraged to grow and learn — the school library; a place where students and teachers actively demonstrate a love and value for books and learning. Those children in our country who have access to good school libraries are fortunate, especially if they have educators and trained and well-read librarians who promote reading actively. But do not imagine the bigger and better schools — even if they have well-stocked libraries — always use them optimally.

As an educator,I have seen several which range from dull, badly lit, uninviting, often infrequently used spaces, to those with shelves — locked ones at that — way above the heads of children,way above eye level.

It makes no sense.When asked, the person in charge said,“They come to the room;I give a book.” Does she chat about interests,preferences? There is no time, besides, she added firmly, “I choose; they don’t know anything.” How sad. At another place,the tragically inadequate ‘librarian’ was tasked with dumping a book in front of each child,saying “Read!”an order they were expected to follow for 40 whole minutes.She resorted to shouting and even wielding a stick when they got too squirmy and fidgety. Of course they’d get unruly and distracted — they were completely unengaged;they were bored;they felt tortured.What better way to make them thoroughly hate books and reading?

To recover from such horrors, I need to spend time at a library like the MCubed Library at Bandra. With extremely inviting, child-friendly spaces to read, a great collection of books and offering events around reading and creativity, this peoples’ initiative can be a model of what our children need and how to provide it. How can we fail to see that ‘just reading’ whether an actual book, or on a device these days, expands a child’s world, giving her a huge learning advantage. Books do not just fill children’s heads with stories — and what is wrong with that anyway? — they develop imagination, better vocabulary,more confidence, grant a wider world view. And the library is also a place where through well-chosen books, childrens’thinking skills flourish with an encouraging reading programme, so do their problem solving, communication, creativity and collaboration skills. So we see — reading isn’t just a tool for school. Good reading skills will be essential throughout a person’s life. Who can disagree that in this world of increasing written information, greater connectivity and travel, more complexity, we need global citizens who can read and write with ease, comprehend what they are reading and hearing, understand nuance, be familiar with other cultures,make themselves understood and communicate effectively. At the ancient library of Alexandria, an inscription above the shelves of papyrus rolls reads,‘The Place of the Cure of the Soul.’ We seem to have forgotten this effect of libraries. We have seen first-hand how it isn’t enough to just provide children with lots of good books. Eight years ago we set up a library for young children in Ladakh. On further visits, we found a mere handful of children still reading; plenty of books, but no encouragers, no reading role-model adults. Learning from this, we decided to create a Reading Programme and with a willing school involved, took loads of age-relevant and engaging books, as well as a group of educators who worked with us each year on creative and exciting methods to get these children interested. Now when we go there, it is thrilling to see the changes — particularly the shift from indifference or even dislike of books, to eager anticipation and enthusiastic involvement. Teachers tell us that they too see distinct changes, and we are encouraged to continue this work as well as to involve participation from more schools this year.

Some people might tell you that books are no longer necessary now that we have the internet;don’t believe them, writes Maria Popova, that generous, amazing curator of books and inspirer of good reading. Books help us know other people, know how the world works,and,in the process, know ourselves more deeply in a way that has nothing to do with what you read them on, and everything to do with the curiosity, integrity and creative restlessness you bring to them. Books,she explains to nine-yearold Ottoline, build bridges to the lives of others,both the characters in them and your countless fellow readers across other lands and other eras,and in doing so elevate you and anchor you more solidly into your own life.They give you a telescope into the minds of others, through which you begin to see with ever greater clarity the starscape of your own mind. Through good libraries, books can not only inspire us to dream, they give us the tools to realise those dreams.Surely our children deserve this.

When setbacks happen in your life, they become a source of cultivating resilience, writes MARGUERITE THEOPHIL Messages emblazoned across T-shirts can be silly, funny, sometimes quite stupid — and sometimes they can carry a profound message. Recently I found one that declared: “Fail again. Fail better. ” This is actually part of a quote from playwright Samuel Beckett that goes: Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better. Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron has a book called Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better offering sage advice that is clearly needed since failing is what we don’t usually get a lot of preparation for. Most striking is a personal story about her very first one-on-one interview with her spiritual teacher Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, which took place at a time when she felt her life was completely falling apart. But when she sat down in front of him, he said, “How is your meditation?”She replied “Fine. ”She made small talk till he indicated the session was over, and realising the interview was over, she blurted out: “My life is over. I have hit the bottom. I don’t know what to do. ” Trungpa Rinpoche only said, “Well, it’s a lot like walking into the ocean, and a big wave comes and knocks you over. And you find yourself lying on the bottom with sand in your nose and in your mouth. And you are lying there, and you have a choice. You can either lie there, or you can stand up and start walking out. ” The waves keep coming, Trungpa told her, and she needed to keep cultivating her courage and bravery and sense of humour to relate to this situation of the waves, and keep getting up and going forward. “…After a while, it will begin to seem to you that the waves are getting smaller and smaller.
And they won’t knock you over anymore. ” I often wonder — whatever happened to saying a simple “I made a mistake. ”More often than not, I hear people, specially younger ones, say “I am/she is a failure. ” Failure or things not working out as you’d hoped doesn’t feel good; that’s for sure. In no way am I saying failure should be ignored. In fact, failure can leave an open wound that is unwise to ignore. Without recognising it, acknowledging it, your wound will continue to hurt, and even take longer to heal. You don’t want to completely block out the mistakes you’ve made — you won’t learn that way — but you also don’t want to dwell on them either. Failure teaches you that a certain approach may not be ideal for a specific situation and that there are better approaches.
Making mistakes is not a big deal as long as you learn from them and avoid repeating them. Each time you fail, your fear of failure becomes smaller, which allows you to take on even bigger challenges. A good idea is to listen attentively to the stories you tell yourself when you think you have failed; you will notice they will fall into one of the two broad categories. In one scenario, it’s always someone else’s fault — your friend, your partner, your organisation; in the other, you see yourself as inadequate, stupid, ‘always’wrong, and oh yes, ‘a failure’.
In both of these patterns, you willfully ignore one large part of the picture. Learning to fail better, you find the courage to ask yourself, “What am I leaving out of my story?” If success meant your expectations were met, and failure means things did not work out according to your expectations, it is time to closely examine those expectations. Are they just wishes? Or have you done whatever you could do to prepare for them or to create conditions for their fulfilment? While this second option does not always guarantee success, it is known to at least increase the possibility of success. Maybe it feels like you’re the only person on the planet to make mistakes — small or big.
Often looking at other people’s successes, it is easy to assume they have everything together when the reality is that they most probably encounter failure just as much as anyone. Some are better at hiding it than others, or better at picking themselves up and moving on. While failure is inevitable, it is important to remind yourself that failure is something that happens, not something that has to define you. Taking risks and falling flat on our faces at times is part of life; it makes us who we are. Besides, if you try to go through life without failing at anything, it’s an indication that you’re not really living a full life at all. Life is designed for us to grow and improve.
In the process, whenever you step outside your defined comfort zone, whenever you try something new, failing becomes a real possibility. If you aren’t ever failing, you may be choosing the easiest option, not necessarily the best one. Remember — it’s because you teach yourself to become more resilient, the waves of failure seem smaller and smaller, and they don’t knock you over as often. Failing better means when setbacks happen in your life, they become a source of cultivating resilience, a source of personal growth, a source of moving forward, a source of a richer life.