I went to the town today and came across a shelf containing the latest magazines in a shop. I spotted the 'Balarama' and bought it. I remember buying this particular magazine for my son when he was in school. He used to love reading it. It is published weekly and is very popular. Even though technology has overtaken the print industry and shoved reading printed books into the backseat, this magazine still rules and people buy it for their children so that they gain some knowledge about current affairs and also are entertained through comics and such. They also give goodies and freebies for the kids like posters, labels for notebooks when school reopens and even seeds sometimes.
I took a few photos of the magazine to give you an idea about how it looks. They do have a website - https://ebalarama.manoramaonline.com/UI/home.aspx
I used to read Tinkle, Target, Champak, Chandamama, etc. Most of the time, I did not have to buy it to read as it would be available in our school library. Whatever I did buy was bound by my dad and I still treasure those.
It is sad though that some people do not value books, especially old ones. If people cannot bear to 'look after' such treasures, they should donate them to the local library or schools so that others can read and enjoy them.
Another regret is people not returning the books they borrow from us. Nowadays, I never bother to tell anyone else about my book collection or even show it to anyone when they visit because some people just do not have the decency to return a book after reading it. It has happened many times.
About a year back, we donated a lot of books to a local school because our relative had requested us to do it in honor of her husband who had studied there. It was such a good deed and the school authorities were so happy and so were the children.
I will advise you to gift a book to a child instead of a toy because books open up a world of adventure to the child and increase the imagination. This is the main reason why I started 
Read a book today. Is that an instruction? No. It is just a plea. If you start reading a book, your child will observe you closely and start following you soon. Those who read a lot gain more knowledge than others who just study the school books and get grades. Worldly knowledge is essential. Many people I know and even in my own family do not have full knowledge about the places in the world. Such knowledge can be gained only by reading books and watching documentaries.
all images belong to sayee
