'Reading is a keystone habit', author Himani Dalmia talks about her book 'Thammi's Gift' & the joy of reading.
Tami's Gift, a children's book by Himani Dalmiya, introduces to the reader what it is like to live in a world of books from a very young age. Drawing inspiration from the life and legacy of Bandhanasin, a pioneer in the field of children's libraries and reading programs in India, the book ushers young minds into the beautiful world of words
Himani Dalmia
@HimaniDalmia · 4:59
So, I mean, although we could never hope to create something the way she would, we're doing our best to carry on that legacy. However, when the pandemic hit, that is when we truly realized the value of that home library. Of course, we had used it from the very beginning. And we read to Devika when she was in the womb. We read to her the very first day she came home from the hospital
Himani Dalmia
@HimaniDalmia · 2:02
I'm sorry the previous swell got cut off. So I would talk to my friends about this. And Kaneshka Gupta, who was my literary agent for my recently published book, sleeping like a baby, coauthored with Neha Bhatt and published by Penguin Random House. He was curating a series for scroll in on Publishing and the Pandemic, and he asked me to write an article about the roles at the home library and reading to our children has played during the pandemic
So, yeah, getting themes to read can be challenging, especially when even parents want them to be focusing more on studies and feel that reading nonacademic books is somewhat frivolous. So I'd really love to have your take on the this decline in reading culture among kids, especially in our country
Himani Dalmia
@HimaniDalmia · 4:43
In the same way reading actually serves some very fundamental needs for babies and toddlers. It's not a burden on them, it's a joyful activity for them. Just like playing, as long as we're choosing the right books, as long as we're introducing it to them in the right way with a very light touch and with a lot of connection with the parent, babies absolutely love it
Himani Dalmia
@HimaniDalmia · 4:51
Even babies who are in the womb, if you read to them, parts of the brain that process language gets stimulated. Babies tune into the rhythm and cadence of our voices, and they also form a connection to the parent's voice. Newborns, if you read to them, they start to understand how words and sentences fit together. Language networks start to form in the brain. They develop cognition, start forming mental pictures and connections
Himani Dalmia
@HimaniDalmia · 4:49
Or My child really likes the books that you recommend. Now, this is honestly nothing to do with me. I have just acted as an entry point to a whole massive universe of modern children's literature. So I think that it's important to kind of gain access to that. And once you enter that world, which is honestly, it's everywhere. It just needs that initial introduction. There are several wonderful children's bookstores that have these curated collections
Himani Dalmia
@HimaniDalmia · 3:19
And these books are full of nuanced characters, complex themes, and I don't think that they promote any kind of stereotype anymore. So I think it's just about having access to that world of books
Himani Dalmia
@HimaniDalmia · 4:09
She and I cofounded gentle Baby Sleep India to Get because we found that there was a lot of misinformation out there about baby sleep ranging from sort of misleading, unscientific traditional practices but also a lot of outdated information in the Western media as well and promoting practices like sleep training, et cetera, which the latest research does not support. We also found that parents are struggling with baby sleep. There's a lot of sleep deprivation for parents in the early years and there's very little reliable information out there
Himani Dalmia
@HimaniDalmia · 4:05
When a baby is awake for too long, or in fact, even for us as adults, if we're awake for too long, our body has to compensate by releasing a stress hormone, cortisol, in order to keep us awake. However, this cortisol interferes when a baby is actually trying to sleep. So daytime naps can go for a toss and then all the cortisol that's created disturbs night sleep and causes excessive night wakings
Thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule to join me in this conversation. Himani it's been a pleasure talking to you, and I'm sure the parents on Swell and our bookish community would really find value in the perspectives that you've shared around fostering the joy of reading in children. And I would absolutely love to have you back on Swell for more conversations around books and writing and and parenting