There was a time when I had no idea children’s magazines existed. Forget about it, I didn’t even realize that anything was written and read specifically for children beyond the school curriculum. For us, reading was merely a school-related obligation—limited to homework, exams, and grades. A major reason for this was that neither newspapers nor magazines arrived regularly at our home. Reading was not part of our culture; it was a compulsion.
Yet, if a love of reading was born deep within me, it’s not textbooks that I owe it to, but comics. As a child, I voraciously read comics. Their colorful illustrations, short dialogues, and fast-paced events transported me to a world where imagination knew no bounds. While curriculum stories and poems were often cluttered with moralizing, comics offered effortless joy. They taught me that reading could be a celebration, not a burden.
Comics sowed the first seeds of reading within me. At the time, I didn’t see it as a literary journey, but looking back now, it’s clear they were the first doors to a reading habit. This experience isn’t unique. For countless children, comics, puzzles, and picture stories have been their first entry into the world of reading.
I still vividly remember that incident at Hisar railway station. My eyes were drawn to a large book stall on the platform. The beautiful, bright, and attractive books displayed there—especially for children—were a gateway to an unknown world for me. It was the first time I had seen books with such variety and grandeur. At that time, I could only look at them, not buy them, but the scene was permanently imprinted on my mind.
That moment marked a silent turning point in my life. My hands were empty that day, but a question had already arisen in my mind—are books limited to school? Can’t the world of reading be much broader than that? Perhaps that day, a reader was born within me, one who had yet to find her own language, her own direction, and her own platform.
This is where the journey from “a limited world to an unlimited imagination” begins. As children, our world is often limited to the stories and poems found in textbooks. These lessons are necessary, but not sufficient. They impart knowledge but do little to inspire imagination. Children’s magazines, children’s literature, and creative reading fill this gap. They guide children toward becoming not just good students but also sensitive human beings.
Unfortunately, today, children’s reading culture is steadily being marginalized. Children’s magazines, which once imparted language, empathy, and social consciousness to generations, have either closed or become limited in scope. A major reason for this is changing lifestyles and the increasing dominance of digital media. Mobile phones, tablets, and social media have snatched books from children’s hands.
It’s easy to say that technology has destroyed the habit of reading, but the truth is that we ourselves have gradually removed books from children’s lives. Parents today find it easy to give their children mobile phones, but getting them books is an extra effort. In the rush to complete the school curriculum, creative reading has been deemed unnecessary. As a result, children’s imaginations are either confined within the confines of the curriculum or lost in the digital noise.
A children’s reading culture is the intellectual and moral foundation of any society. Children’s magazines don’t just entertain; they shape language, foster the habit of questioning, and introduce children to social reality. A good children’s story can teach a child how to view the world, understand the suffering of others, and express their own opinions.
Today, we need to take children’s literature seriously again. We shouldn’t dismiss it as merely “children’s stuff” lightly. Children’s magazines and children’s books must regain their place in schools, libraries, and homes. Teachers, parents, and policymakers—all must understand that the habit of reading develops in childhood.
Efforts should be made at both the government and private levels to make children’s magazines accessible. Book stalls at railway stations, bus stops, and public places should not be merely decorative, but accessible to children. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that every child is not limited to standing at a stall and viewing it.
Today, when the new education policy calls for creativity and holistic development, it is essential to place a child-reading culture at its core. Along with textbooks, children’s literature must also be made an integral part of education. Because reading is not just about acquiring information, but about learning the art of thinking.
Ultimately, it must be admitted that sometimes a book—one that a child cannot afford—decides the course of their life. That book stall at Hisar Railway Station still lives on within me. It reminds me again and again that even with limited resources, limitless imaginations can be born—all they need is the right book at the right time.
