Television Synopsis and Important Questions

Synopsis

Roald Dahl is one of the most prolific English writers. He has written short stories,
novels, poems and screenplays. Being a fine storyteller, he is largely followed by young
readers. He has written several classics for children.

The poem ‘Television’ takes a comic look at a serious problem among young children
today. The poem advises and inspires us to read books instead of watching television.
This is one of the most relevant poems of our time. These days, TV has become more
than just a medium of entertainment. In this poem, the poet warns us about the dangers
of excessively watching television. TV robs the power of imagination and creativity of
our mind. The poet advises us to read books as it will enable us to discover new levels
of joy and find fulfilment in life. He tells us that there is a whole new and exciting world
waiting for us in the form of reading books. The poem is a long one which initially
describes the problem and later on provides a solution to it. The poem is in very simple
language and form. The poet has capitalised the important portion for emphasis,
especially when he talks about the undesired consequences of watching television.

In current times, it has become a custom in nuclear families that kids are often put in
front of a TV set so that they stay calm for some time. This soon starts becoming an
excess for kids. This affects the mental growth and knowledge levels of children. The
author is apprehensive about this fact, and so he has penned down all his thoughts in
this poem.

Let us understand the poet’s views by analysing the poem.

Dahl in his poem warns that we will become zombies if we keep staring uninterrupted at
the television set for long hours. The poet starts with a normal tone. In the beginning,
the poet advises and addresses parents to not allow children to watch television. The
poet seems desperate to make people avoid watching television for the welfare of their
children. He gives the reference of the experience that we have learnt that TV creates a
negative impact on our children. He wants to direct our attention towards the adverse
effects of TV viewing on children. He advises that people should not allow children to
watch television, and it is best that we do not install the TV set at all. The poet calls the
TV an idiotic thing in the poem. The poet has tried to answer why watching TV is an
idiotic activity and why parents should not allow children to watch TV at all. The poet, as
a mouthpiece of a number of people, begins by saying that children should never be
allowed to watch television.

He further proceeds as if he has undertaken a long research on the bad effects of

watching television by visiting a large number of households. In almost every house it is
found that children are lazing around all day and staring at the television screen without
doing any productive work. They sit in front of the TV screen all day and get irritated if
asked to pay attention elsewhere. Here, the poet is basically describing the behaviour of
children while watching TV in their homes. The poet says that TV sets have become
part of every house because every house that he has gone to has a TV set. He has
seen children watching TV with mouth wide open and eyes constantly on the screen.
When sitting for a long time before the TV set, children adopt the wrong body posture.
Sometimes they sit or lie in a lazy and casual manner and get sloppy. But still, they
stare at the television set until their eyes become too tired to prove this. He gives the
reference of a house that he has visited the previous week. He saw six people lying on
the floor and the surprising fact was that it was daytime. The people were lying not
because of the labour they had done but because of the fatigue of their eyes which
could no longer watch TV so that they had to sleep on the floor. The poet is using a bit
of exaggeration in these lines to tell you that people and children have become addicted
to watching television.
The poet discusses the effects of continuous television watching on children. Children
get so hypnotised by watching television that all they do is sit and stare at the television
set. Their mind is filled with the junk that is being telecasted on it. The only benefit of
television is that it keeps children occupied and still. They do not trouble their parents
and let them complete their household chores peacefully. The poet says that children sit
for a long time before the television staring at the screen. They forget their surroundings
and keep sitting at a single place as they probably forget everything around them in the
real world. He has used the term ‘hypnotise’ to denote that children watch TV as if they
are under some magic spell. Children's minds are totally occupied with shocking stories
or serials which are mostly unreal and inappropriate for their age. TV shows waste their
valuable time and make them lazy. They do not get involved in any physical activities or
exercises making their body dull and their minds inactive.

The poet describes the possible advantages for parents to let children watch TV. The
poet says that while watching television, there is silence as children do not indulge in
fights or kick each other or go out of the window. Here, he is trying to say that they do
not create any havoc or mess in the house. If allowed to watch television, they sit still,
thus allowing parents to get their chores done. They are so happy watching TV that they
allow their mother's to cook lunch and wash utensils in the sink without disturbing them.
The poet then puts a question to parents of whether they have ever thought of the harm
which watching television does to their loving children. He himself answers the question
wisely. He says that watching TV takes children away from the real world and that they
live in virtual reality. Regularly watching TV damages a child’s imagination and creativity.
Kids are not able to think on their own or do anything creative as they are obsessed with
watching TV. These lines indicate that the poet himself has suffered the possible
disadvantages of watching television. He says all these things understanding the
pressures of parents to manage children at home. At the same time, he also makes it
clear to them that a little privilege is actually affecting their child’s brain and imagination.
He thinks it is too much of a price paid for keeping children still at home.
The poet continues to describe the effects of television on a child's mind. He has written
this stanza in capital letters to emphasise that watching too much television has a bad
impact on children. He says that it clogs their mind like a pipe that is clogged with a lot
of waste material and junk. It deteriorates the senses, kills their imagination and restricts
them from experiencing the world’s fantasies. Children watch different shows on
different channels. Sometimes there are opposite ideas, and sometimes whatever is
shown on TV is far from reality. These things mess up with the organised ideas and
thoughts in children's minds. Precious time is wasted on infectious thoughts. Children
do not get the idea of how to improve skills or personality. The poet also feels that due
to watching TV continuously, children cannot use their imagination to understand how a
fantasy or fairytale functions. Their mind gets used to virtual images of virtual reality.
The poet believes that children only believe what they watch for hours on TV. Their
thought process gets blurred, and they cannot form their own opinions. The child is not
able to analyse or interpret a thing. He really loves to watch what is shown on TV
without doing much of thinking. There is no brain activity, resulting in the darkness of the
mind and a decrease (or compromise) in brain sharpness.

As the poet continues the rant regarding the disadvantages of television, he also
reminds adults of the time before the TV was invented. The poet before asking parents
to take away the TV set from children says that he knows that parents will raise their
voice and will say many things in support of television which has become an integral
part of a child's life. It cannot be substituted with anything. He questions on behalf of
parents. If children are not allowed to watch TV, what is the option that is left for them to
utilise their time? How should children be entertained?

In answer to this question, the poet again puts before adults or parents a question and
asks them about the time when TV was not invented. He asks them to remember how
we used to entertain ourselves or be satisfied as children when there was no TV. It is
like an addiction—a monster—that needs to be avoided. The poet reminds parents of
the time when they preferred other modes of entertainment.
He also reminds us of the earlier times of when there was no TV and when young
children used to read a lot of books. Reading used to give them a lot of entertainment
as well as satisfaction. People spent half of their lifetime in reading books.

The poet further describes how books were found at every place whether it was a
children's room or bedroom or by the bed. Everywhere lots of books could be seen.
They were present on the nursery shelves, nursery floor and at all places in the house.
Different kinds of books conveying different ideas leading to different sorts of
entertainment for everyone.

The poet is advocating the habit of reading books rather than watching TV. The best
way to entertain themselves when they were children was to read books. Reading was
so popular that time that half of the individual’s life was spent in reading books. In the
absence of TV, there used to be lots of books in the nursery shelves of children. Half of
the books could be found lying on the floor of the nursery. There used to be books in
children’s bedrooms. Some books could be found lying by the bed. Books used to be in
such abundance that some of them always remained pending to be read.

The poet now talks about the popular books of adventures that children used to read
during his childhood. Girls and boys used to read amazing stories of dragons, gypsies,
queens, whales, treasure isles, smugglers, pirates, ships, elephants, cannibals and so
on. This description suggests that there was no dearth of books on any subject, and
parents made all types of books available for children. The description found in these
books used to be so interesting and fascinating that children used to get totally
absorbed in those types of books. It made them always ready to discover a new world
hidden in books. The story looked interesting and amusing and there was no matter with
the content. It always seemed a new story like a beautiful newborn baby. The poet is
trying to describe the characters and the imaginary places by listing out specific
characters and parts of books that were read during his times so that he can create
relevance for readers.

The poet continues the list of various books and different and interesting characters. He
admires a variety of books in earliest times and how they were provided to children for
their entertainment and it always served the purpose. Children were thoroughly
entertained and could not keep themselves away from the books. The poet says that
earlier children used to read a lot of books. They used to read stories written by Helen
Beatrix Potter, an author of children's books featuring animals with colourful illustrations.
The poet praises the children's author for fantastic stories on animals. He also mentions
lines like ‘how the camel got his hump’, and ‘how the monkey lost his drum’ as well as
characters like Mr Toad, Mrs Tiggy Winkle, Mr Rat and Mr Mole. Vivid descriptions from
these stories show the poet’s love for these books and how he enjoyed them in his
childhood days. He is so fond of these characters that he can recall them describing his
enjoyment. In his childhood days, the books were very interesting and had amazing
stories.

In the next stanza, the poet advises parents to be firm and stick to their decision of
getting rid of the television set. He says that there is no need for parents to install a
television set at home. Instead, they should install a bookshelf containing different kinds
of books filled with amazing and fascinating stories. In response, children may behave
violently and hate them. He sincerely requests parents to throw away the TV set and
replace it with a new bookshelf filled with a variety of books. The poet wants parents to
ignore all the dirty looks, the screaming and the crying of children. Young children may
even try to bite their parents in anger. Children may even try to hit their parents with
sticks, but everything would last for a very little time. All the tantrums will go away when
they start enjoying the books that are given to them by their parents. The poet assures
parents that they need not worry as sooner or later they will get a positive result for their
action.
The poet has described the possible behaviour of children in the absence of the
television set. Their violent behaviour may scare parents who are worried about them,
but he says that parents should not get scared of all these tantrums and anger. The
poet assures parents that in a week or fortnight without the television sets and when
children have nothing else to do, they will finally resort to the need of reading books for
entertainment. They will start reading books and liking them.

The poet finally tells parents that once children start reading books, they are certainly
going to enjoy them and then there is no turning back towards the television set. The
poet reassures parents that once young children start reading books, they will find it
very interesting. Their imagination will bloom once their reading habit is residing in the
heart. Children will become avid readers as reading provides them with new thoughts,
the ability to imagine and the knowledge and wisdom inherent in those books. Children
will start getting a unique type of satisfaction of a fulfilling experience and they will really
start relishing reading books. A time will come when they will start hating television and
will call it a ‘silly machine’. As they discover the pleasures of reading books, children will
call the television screen disgusting, dirty and not worth watching at all. Children will be
thankful to their parents and will start respecting them for inculcating the habit of reading
in them. Once when children start reading, they will be exploring an altogether different
world. Their imagination will take them to different levels and then they will be able to
understand what fantasies and fairytales are. Even they will be able to create characters
in their mind and remember them for life. These characters and stories will stay with
them for a lifetime and will also give them good guidance and values which should be
possessed in their growing years.

The poet has made use of a very interesting and simple rhyme scheme for readers to
be amused and understand his point of view clearly. The rhyme scheme and different
figures of speech have made it very clear for readers to understand the disadvantages
of television and to enjoy the perks of reading.
Short Answer Questions

1. How does TV control the activities of children?

Ans. TV makes children sit glued to it as children watch the TV open-mouthed.
They never blink while watching the TV, which is really harmful to their eyes.
Watching TV makes children lazy and inactive, as they keep sitting and adopt
the wrong body posture while watching television.

2. What does the poet witness in every house?

Ans. The poet has observed in every house that children watch television
eagerly gaping at the screen. They loll and slop and lounge about it and stare
until their eyes pop out. The poet believes that television is an idiotic thing
which makes its viewers stupid and dull.

3. What hypnotises children and how?

Ans. The poet says that TV hypnotises children. He has used a line saying
'until they are hypnotised by it' to indicate to readers the effect of television on
children. They stare at the TV with so much attention that they almost get
hypnotised by it. Similar to a hypnotised person who does whatever he is
dictated, children imitate whatever is shown on TV.

4. Why do the brains of children become soft as cheese?

Ans. Uninterrupted and continuous TV watching clogs the brain according to
the poet. He also says that it kills the creativity of children. They just keep
seeing what is being shown without thinking. There is nothing to imagine, as
everything is being shown. This results in their brain becoming soft like cheese
that cannot imagine or understand fantasies.

5. What is the significance of writing some lines in capitals and repeating some
words as the poet has used in some stanzas?
Ans. Capitalisation is the use of capital letters to convey an emotion of
 criticality, and repetition is the purposeful use of words and phrases again and
again to create a smooth flow and emphasis. It stresses the view to never to
install a TV set as it has a bad effect on children. The poet wants to convey the
idea to not install a television set in the first place. This strong idea is conveyed
using capital letters and repeating some words in lines and stanzas by the
poet.

6. What is the poet's intention behind the line 'HE CANNOT THINK—HE ONLY
SEES'
Ans. The poet wants to warn parents about the ill effects of watching TV. This
line clearly states that creativity and imagination of a child get damaged by
watching TV every day. The child is lost in a virtual world oblivious of his
surroundings and his analytic power does not develop. The poet categorically
says that too much of watching TV spoils the creativity of children as they are
not able to use their brain to understand things.

7. Why are parents so concerned about the entertainment of children?

Ans. Parents are concerned about the entertainment of children as it is very
important for the development of a child. If a child does not get entertained, he
will get bored and eventually will be used to it. It will affect his growth
adversely, while if he is entertaining himself, his mental and physical growth will
be positive. According to the poet, parents put their children in front of the TV
to complete their household activities without disturbance.

8. What alternative has the poet suggested in place of the television set?
Ans. The poet directly asks parents how they spent their childhood when there
was no TV set. He answers it himself saying that we all read. There were
numerous books in every room of the house and nursery. The number of books
around was so much that some of them were just waiting to be read. The poet
suggests to not install the TV set at all but have a bookshelf filled with various
books instead.

9. How has the poet described the scene of the houses where people are fond of
reading books?
 Ans. The poet very beautifully describes the scene where there used to be no
TV sets. At that time, children used to read books. There used to be a lot of
books in the children's nursery, on the floor, in the bedroom and by the bed.
The description suggests that at that time reading used to be a passion with
children and half of the time was spent in reading books. This is how they kept
themselves entertained and also kept their imagination and creativity alive.

10. List some of the various characters listed by the poet.

Ans. The poet has listed many characters and stories that children used to like
and read when there was no television. The cannibals used to eat a very
sweet-smelling dish named after Penelope, the faithful wife of Odysseus in
Homer’s epic poem ‘The Odyssey’. Apart from this, the poet has mentioned Mr
Tod—the dirty rotter, Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland, Mrs Tiggy Winkle etc. He
has mentioned stories that had various animals, smugglers, pirates, cannibals,
dragons, gypsies, queens and whales.

11. How does reading develop an imaginative mind?

Ans. Reading fairytales and adventure stories certainly develops a child's
creative ability. Reading of books triggers a child’s thought process and makes
his brain function more. This brain activity is very necessary to understand
things around him. It also enhances the imaginative power as there is no ready
image in front of him. He is reading something so he delves into the
imagination to bring that image in his mind whether it is a dragon or a fairy or a
fun adventure.

12. What is the poet's honest request to parents?

Ans. At the end of the poem, the poet makes a final request to parents. He
requests them to throw away their television set and install bookshelves in its
place. He asks them to stuff the shelves with books and encourage children to
read them. He knows this change will be difficult in the beginning, but he
assures that once children get habituated to it, they will think why did they ever
resort to television for entertainment at all.

Long Answer Questions

1. How has the poet described the TV set to be an ‘idiotic thing’?
Ans. The poem ‘Television’ is a way the poet Roald Dahl has conveyed the
harmful effects of installing a TV set at home. Dahl is critical of the television
set and calls it an ‘idiotic thing’ out of aversion for it. The phrase ‘idiotic thing’
(even idiot box) is a transferred epithet, in the sense that it is not the television
set that is idiotic, rather it produces dullness in the mind of those who watch it.
He believes that it clogs and freezes the mind of young children. The poet
advises parents never to install the ‘idiotic thing’ so as to save their children’s
thinking and imagination from decaying. TV is not only idiotic but also a
monster that hypnotises children and fills them with junk. Moreover, he
believes that the ability to think of new ideas diminishes when a child passively
engages in watching television. Watching too much television destroys
children’s ability to create or understand the world of fantasy. With their minds
clogged and cluttered, they become dull and thus loll and slop and lounge
about. Their brain becomes soft and their thinking power rusts and freezes.

2. Who has the poet addressed and what are his motives?
Ans. The poet Roald Dahl has addressed parents and guardians of the
modern age. He is very critical of the overuse of television for children's
entertainment. He thinks that it is a ridiculous machine which is responsible for
killing the imagination of children. He says kids will turn into zombies and their
brains will stop functioning if they continue this habit. He has time and again
referred to and understood the views of parents. He knows that they put their
children in front of the TV so that they are able to complete their household
activities without any disturbance. He has directly addressed them asking how
did they spend their childhood in the absence of television. He has not only
remarked about the ill effects of a TV set but also provided a solution to this
problem and has made an earnest request to all parents to ban TV completely.
He suggests to replace it with a bookshelf instead. His motives are for the
betterment of a child's brain.
3. Why does the poet say that TV kills the imagination of children?
Ans. ‘Television’ is written by Roald Dahl. In this poem, the poet has described
how a TV set takes a toll on the development and growth of a child’s mind.
Imagination helps you to form a picture in your mind of something that you
have experienced or thought about.
In today’s time, children sit for hours in front of the television set. A child in
such case does nothing but just watches the TV. He does not think too much.
He loses the capability to understand and respond to the environment around
him. This ability to think of new ideas diminishes when a child passively
engages in watching television. Watching too much television destroys the
child’s abilities to create or understand worlds of fantasy.
This loss of creativity is pointed out by the poet explicitly in the poem.

4. What is the importance of reading books?

Ans. The habit of reading opens up one’s mind and makes them imaginative.
When they have to imagine the visuals of their books on their own, the
horizons of their thinking are broadened. They will spend most of their time
reading interesting and informative books which will educate as well as
entertain them. It will have a great effect on their understanding and
knowledge. Children will be well equipped with varied information about the
world around them. The knowledge and other benefits that they gain from the
pleasurable pastime of reading will make them thankful towards their parents.
They will love their parents even more for saving them from the idiot box and
making them read wonderful books.

5. How can we infer the poet’s fascination with reading books and stories?
Ans. The poet Roald Dahl has made a strong statement about reading and
has made his dislike for television very clear. He talks about the times when
books were the only and most beloved pastime of children of all ages. He has
enlisted a number of classics (like the works of Rudyard Kipling) which were
hugely popular in those times. He has narrated how the youngest ones among
children used to read the works of Beatrix Potter whose variety of funny
characters had kept generations of children entertained. The poet has
mentioned a number of fictional characters whose books were read by children
 and were hugely popular. The list of characters includes Penelope, Mr Todd,
Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland, Mrs Tiggy Winkle, Mr Rat, Mr Mole etc. He has
listed wonderful and fantastic stories that children preferred to read when there
was no television. He has mentioned about stories involving dragons, gypsies,
queens and whales. The stories had various animals and had treasures and
quests.

6. What is the moral learnt and conveyed from the poem ‘Television’?

OR

What is the central idea of the poem television?

Ans. The central idea of the poem is that the poet associates television
watching with loss of imagination and creativity of children. He hankers for the
older days when life was simpler and people were fond of reading. Television
makes children inactive and affects their body posture too. It is keeping
children entertained at the cost of killing their creativity and imagination. The
parent’s role in the development of children is crucial as they are the ones who
mould their children’s habits and behaviour. It is parents who need to inculcate
the habit of reading in children instead of letting them watch television.
Reading is a very good habit and brain exercise for children. It enriches their
mind and introduces them to a whole new world they never knew existed. It
also boosts their imaginative power and makes them aware of things around.
The poet makes an earnest request to parents to not install the TV set at all
and install a bookshelf instead. This is the moral and central idea of this poem.

7. Why do parents install the TV set in their houses?

Ans. In the poem ‘Television’, the poet Roald Dahl becomes very critical about
the ill effects of television. The poet in a very amusing tone says that children
do not indulge in hyper activities while watching TV like climbing out of a
window, fighting and kicking each other as they remain glued to one place. A
mother feels relieved and can complete her household chores without worrying
too much about her children. While television is harmful and useless for a child,
it proves to be useful and convenient for parents. Children remain quiet and
 occupied and do not disturb parents. They leave their parents free to cook
lunch or wash utensils lying in the sink.
Apart from this fact, the poet also says that parents are concerned about the
entertainment of their child, and therefore, they install the TV set. They do not
realise that this TV set is keeping children entertained at the cost of killing their
imagination and creativity.

8. How has the poet described the addiction of watching TV?

OR

What is the role of the TV set to make children inactive?

Ans. ‘Television’ is written by poet Roald Dahl. He has listed many points that
justify his point and also requested parents to inculcate the habit of reading in
children. The poet declares a TV set guilty of making children inactive. It
makes children addicted to it so that they are not able to get rid of its spell. It
confines them within a room in which it has been installed and forces them to
stare at it continuously sitting or lying in one place and in the same posture.
Under its spell, other physical activities become secondary so they are ignored.
This ignorance of physical activity makes children inactive. Children are
hypnotised by the device that they refuse to move or do anything. They will not
even blink, and thus, their eyes are affected when sitting continuously or lazing
around while watching TV. It also affects the body posture of a child. The poet
described one of his experiences when he had visited a house. He observed
children lying on the floor watching TV and lazing around. He has witnessed
this scenario many times. He has commented that it leads to the addiction of
watching television.

9. Give your views either for or against throwing away the TV set from home.
Ans. As the poet Roald Dahl elaborates about the harmful effects of watching
television on children, he also makes an appeal to inculcate reading. When he
says to throw away the television set, he makes use of hyperbole. It is an
exaggeration of expression done for emphasis. I am not in support of watching
too much television, but I am definitely against throwing it away. Restricted and
 limited use of television should be permitted to children. A proper balance
between watching TV and other activities should be maintained. There should
also be a limit to the shows and channels that a child watches. If we maintain a
limited use of the television set, it will not be harmful.

10. How far do you agree with the poet's idea of reading books for entertainment?
Justify your answer.
Ans. In the poem ‘Television’, the poet has discussed the ill effects of TV
watching and also discussed the solution to it. The poet says that instead of
throwing children in front of the TV set, parents should encourage them to
read. I agree with the poet when he advises children to read books for
entertainment. Books not only enhance your vocabulary but also open a new
world for a child. It transports children to a different dimension where they are
free to imagine and create new wonders. Reading of books triggers children’s
thought process and makes them creative. This creative bent of mind further
enhances personality. Unlike the television set, books give a glimpse into the
past and serves as a portal for unknown mysteries as well.

11. Is it possible to strike a balance between watching TV and reading books?

Give a reason to support your answer.
Ans. Yes, I think it is not possible to throw out the TV set from our houses but
most certainly TV watching can be limited to a few hours. Parents too must
sacrifice their habit of TV watching if they want their children to reduce TV
watching hours. Moreover, the reading habit is to be inculcated right from
childhood. Children cannot be expected to develop it overnight. A balance
must be maintained between television watching and reading books. Parents
need to schedule a time for children. They should also restrict what shows and
channels are being watched by children. Children should be aware of the
disadvantages of excess TV watching and the advantages of reading books
that open a whole new world for them. If these things are maintained in the
proper order, then television will not be of any problem for us. It should be used
as a limited mode of entertainment.
12. Can the transition from TV watching to reading books be done instantly? How?
Justify your answer.
Ans. No, the transition from TV watching to reading books cannot be done
instantly. The transition is beset with difficulties for parents. The balance can be
struck by parents by minimising TV watching on the condition that children
equally spend time on reading books. Children will give dirty looks to their
parents. They would probably show their anger and rebellion against them.
Parents need to be patient and spend quality time with their kids to bring about
this transition. There is a need to establish the value of reading books in a
child's life, and kids themselves should develop the reading habit. Parents
should read out books to their children in an interesting manner. Once children
start taking interest in reading, they will spend less time watching TV and will
be motivated to read more. In the modern household, especially in nuclear
families, there are fewer people to interact with one another. Even in such
cases, parents should try and make provisions in order to inculcate good habits
like reading in children instead of watching too much television. Restricted use
of television and more use of reading will help in maintaining a proper balance.

13. Give a brief summary of the poem.

Ans. The poet has written this long but simple poem in order to make an
appeal to parents of today’s world to replace the television set by a reading
bookshelf filled with various sorts of books. The poet, in an effort to warn
parents towards the ill effects of TV, asks them if they have considered what
harm it does to their children when they continue to watch it for a long time. He
says that it rots the sense in the head and kills the imagination dead. This is
and should be the major concern for all parents. Television watching is a
passive activity. It receives everything as it is. It blocks fresh thinking. So, it
makes the child dull. He cannot distinguish between things. His brain becomes
as soft as cheese and he loses the power to think and imagine things.
As he describes the harmful effects of a television set, he also asks parents
about how we entertained ourselves when the TV was not present in every
single house. In response, he says that we read books and that made our lives
colourful. He requests parents to add colour to the lives of children of the
modern age too. He asks them to replace the TV set with a bookshelf and use
books for entertainment. Reading of books triggers a child’s thought process
and makes him creative. This creative bent of mind further enhances his
personality. Initially, children will not be very fond of this idea and may rebel
against it. However, after they get used to it, there will be no turning back and
one could allow their brains to get active. Children would be so enamoured by
books that they will begin to wonder why they used to watch the stupid
machine at all.