Hattiyangadi: Stories play a vital role in developing imagination, curiosity, and the habit of reading and writing among children, said Dr. Sandhya S. Pai, Managing Editor of Taranga weekly.

She was speaking at the session titled "The World of Stories - Why should we read? Why specifically stories?".

What she said:

Reading stories fosters the interest of self-study among children. Along with broadening one's perspective, it also provides multiple dimensions to constructive thinking.

Different forms of stories, including fantasy tales, moral stories, and ghost stories, enhance the interest in reading and writing. Reading books creates an understanding of how to write a story.

She revealed the facets beyond the narrative by using characters from the Ramayana and the moral story of the 'Gopala' parrot.

Truth and the right path should become the basic principles of life. The value of anything in the world is determined by its usage.

In today's technological era, even though AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini are helpful in boosting knowledge, the importance of reading books should not diminish.