GK - Current Affairs (21 November 2014)

Sanskrit Bharati - an RSS outfit - wants the HRD ministry to make teaching of Sanskrit compulsory in CBSE-affiliated schools till Class 12.

India pushes for entry into elite nuclear groups Click here to read entire article

Sixty one India fishermen on board 11 boats were arrested by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency Click here to read entire article

Mullaperiyar water level touches 142 feet for first time in 35 years Click here to read entire article

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dissolved the lower house of Japan's parliament on Friday, paving the way for a general election next month. Click here to read entire article

The Supreme Court-appointed Special Public Prosecutor in 2G cases, Anand Grover, on Thursday said there was credibility in the allegations of the NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, accusing the CBI Director Ranjit Sinha of shielding the accused in the 2G spectrum investigation. Click here to read entire article

Pakistan and Russia on Thursday signed a military cooperation agreement to deepen their defence ties and vowed to translate their relationship in “tangible” terms during the first visit of a Russian Defence Minister in 45 years. Click here to read entire article

N. Ram, former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu and chairman of Kasturi and Sons, publishers of The Hindu, has been selected for the first N. Ramachandran Foundation Award. Click here to read entire article

Reading - for beginners

Some time back, on a public forum, a non-reader has asked for some good books to be recommended. In tune with my own tastes, I suggested a few authors. However, the person felt that the content of the books were - at times - explicit and hence, not suitable for young readers. Now, although I did not feel then, that Archer, Sheldon and Grisham were explicit authors, I understand the discomfiture that a person would feel in reading a 'single' line of 'such content' in a 500 page novel.

A few days back, one of the teachers at my organization recommended 'Enid Blyton' to some first time readers. And that switched on the light bulb in my head!

Of course! The count less hours of fun that I had (when I was 6-7 years old) with Malory Towers, The Famous Five and the Secret Seven was amazing. This was the right kind of content to be recommended to someone who was ultra-prudish about the 'morality' of the content of 'those English type books'.

What did I do next? Well, as anyone who knows me would predict, I logged on to my favorite e-commerce website (no free promos for them here) and ordered entire box sets of Malory Towers, The Famous Five, The Secret Seven and The Naughtiest Girl at School.

JFYI, I've been devouring these books at the rate of about 1.5 books per day!

The Joy of Reading

Reading is such an essential skill for any student who plans to appear for any entrance examination.

Developing the habit of reading develops certain essential skills such as speed reading, vocabulary and grammar. While there are many technical ways of improving your speed reading skills, the best way remains general reading.

If students start developing the habit of reading good books, they will not only develop essential skills but also find a great way to relax and de-stress.

For beginners, I would recommend simple books by authors like Chetan Bhagat (5 point someone, 3 mistakes of my life, 2 states, ...), Sidney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer etc.

Advanced readers can progress to authors like Robin Cook (Genre: medical thrillers), John Grisham (genre: legal thrillers), Frederick Forsythe, Ken Follett etc. Ayn Rand and George Orwell are recommended for prolific readers who don’t mind some serious, thought-provoking material

Classics such as the Mahabharata and the Odyssey are always welcome.

All in all, learn to enjoy reading books and you’ll have picked up one activity that combines fun with skill-development.