Books lay strewn across the floor, as various illustrations captured the attention of young readers. For many Goans, childhood summers and the arrival of the monsoon were closely tied to books. Lazy, humid afternoons were often spent on the porch or by a window, lost in the pages of Tinkle, Amar Chitra Katha, Champak, Chandamama, Magic Pot, or the adventures of Enid Blyton and Satyajit Ray. As dark clouds gathered and the first rains arrived, a sudden school holiday often meant spending the rest of the day reading or watching television while the rain drummed on the roof.
A Sunday included a trip to the library, with siblings competing over who got to issue books on the extra cards. Reading was not just a hobby but a habit cultivated over time. Storybooks and academic texts stood in competition, both vying for a reader’s attention. Exams meant one had to be sacrificed, and often it was the storybook.
The battle between textbooks and storybooks
Readers soon devised various tricks to steal a few extra moments with their favourite books, slipping novels between textbooks and academic notebooks or hiding them in study table drawers to avoid being caught. Avid reader Saee Bhate remembers one such incident during her examinations. “I had an exam in two days, but the copy of Tinkle I was reading seemed far more interesting at the time. My mother would often come to check whether I was studying, so I hid it between the pages of a subject book, hoping she would not notice,” she recalls. The deception was short-lived, and she was eventually caught. Even so, the incident remains one of her fondest reading memories, illustrating how far young readers would go to stay immersed in a good story.
This culture of reading is celebrated every year through Vaayanadinam, also called the National Reading Day, on June 19. The day is observed in memory of Puthuvayil Narayana Panicker, known as the Father of the Library Movement in Kerala. A passionate reader, he played a key role in promoting libraries and literacy. In 1996, the Government of Kerala declared his death anniversary as Vaayanadinam. Schools and public institutions mark the occasion through activities that encourage reading.
Stories that travelled with every journey
For Aryan Fernandes, summers meant a long bus or train journey to his native village. The journey was often marked by enacting various stories from Tinkle and Magic Pot. “My siblings and I used to pick out a favourite story and act it out. Being the eldest, I often decided the story. I usually picked up the stories of my favourite character, Kapish, and Kalia the crow, and sometimes even Mayavi and Lutapi stories,” he mentions. The elders enjoyed a few moments of respite as the children grew engrossed in acting. “Nothing much changed when we reached my grandparents’ place. He was an avid reader and would often read out stories to us through the night,” he says.
Passing stories from one generation to the next
For many readers, books are not just personal possessions but treasures passed down through generations. Comic book collections that once entertained older siblings and cousins are now finding a new generation of eager readers. “The comic book collection that has been passed down to me is almost like a family heirloom. Now, my niece reads the very same books that her mother, my cousin, once passed on to me whenever she visits during her summer holidays. It feels like a full-circle moment,” says Anushka Desai. Like countless others who grew up reading Tinkle, she has her favourite character: the ever-popular Suppandi.
However, rapid technological advancements and the rise of digital media have led to fewer readers and shorter attention spans. Yet, the love for books continues to thrive worldwide. A 2024 World Population Review report ranked India second among countries for time spent reading, with an average of 352 hours per person annually. However, these memories continue to endure. The books may now be worn with age, their pages yellowed, corners folded, and covers torn, but the stories remain as vivid as ever. From rainy afternoons spent curled up with a book by the window to lazy summer days with novels, generations of Goans have grown up turning pages and discovering new worlds. Vaayanadinam celebrates this enduring bond between readers and books, reminding us that while eras may change, the joy of reading a good story never fades.
