The mission of The Sugarcane Boy Bookclub is to encourage literacy in Mauritius. And
reading contributes to literacy. Reading develops others skills as well and shapes each
individual. The members of The Sugarcane Boy Bookclub are sharing their passion for
reading to a hundred kids already. To mark this literacy week, four of our members
relate how reading had an impact on the individual and professional they are today.
Leena Padaruth, Team Leader in the Flacq region :
“Literacy empowers an individual”, she says. She adds that reading helps her to escape the
real world. While travelling, reading has been her companion and has helped her to improve
herself, being up to date to what is happening in her surroundings as well as on the other side
of the world. Reading has contributed in building up her own space while enriching her vocabulary and
learning new skills. “Professionally, reading has helped me in having better communication
with my peers, colleagues, and superiors. As well as having a more confident approach
towards clients in gaining their trust, and knowing about their direction of business, thus the
work gets done more smoothly”, she says.
For Leena, self confidence and stimulation of the mind are of prime importance for
a person to embrace the positive side of life. “Reading paves the way towards being self
dependent in the future, transforms today’s students into socially engaged citizens with better
communication and better”, she says.
Reecha Ramoo, Head of PR & Communication for SCB :
“Reading has always been for me a very personal moment where I could lose myself, and get
immersed into stories. As a child, I would live them, and as I grew up, it became even more
fun to read stories as a critic”, says Reecha Ramoo.
It all started when she was introduced to literature when she joined college. There was no
turning back! “Since then, I knew I had met the first love of my life!” Reading played an
important role in her life in terms of decisions she would make for further studies, to become
a teacher and share her passion with others, especially to change their views about reading
and literature in general. “Stories are not boring if you live them”, she says.
Subheer Ramnoruth, Ambassador :
Subheer Ramnoruth reads almost daily.
“Reading is, for me, food for the mind and for the
soul”, he says. Subheer Ramnoruth cannot imagine life without reading and books. Since a
young age, he has been passionate about reading. It has helped him in his studies, his self
esteem, to better communicate and has improved his flow of writing. “Reading helps me to
shape my character and to become the person I am today”, he says.
Manisha Kundoo, Head of Partnership :
She believes that reading is very important. It helps to develop and enrich the mind in a very
structural way whether with new words, real facts, stories, experiences or events of life.
“A child’s mind is said to be like a blank book, so it is essential that with the help of reading, a
child starts to fill in the first chapter of his book during his childhood with wonderful and
valuable memories. The more you read, the more you will be curious to know further and in
this way the appetite for reading increases. As such reading is a fundamental skill that should
be learnt from a very young age”, she says.
Manisha Kundoo likes to read biographies and articles written on the events of people’s lives.
“This has contributed a lot in my life because it has shown me the different aspects of life even
though I have not experienced most of it. I believe that only our own experiences are not
enough to understand a living, others’ experiences do matter too. Sometimes life is short
enough to live the way we want but long enough to experience what others have lived up to in
their lives”, she says. Reading has helped her understand this so far.
Professionally, reading has contributed partly in the way she speaks and addresses others.
While reading, it helps to draw your own image and build up a whole scenario in your mind
and this is unique to oneself.
“I like creativity and arts and with the SCB Book Club, I have also learnt that reading is an art in itself. It is as important to read as much as the way you do the reading to others. The way we bring and share reading to others can boost the interest of children to love reading”, she concludes.