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'Madhu!', screamed amma.

'Coming' said he.

What! Madhu is a boy, will be your mind voice, but yeah his full name is Madhuresh. Shortly known by neighbours as Madhu. He is getting ready for school.

'Bye amma' said Madhu.And left for school. 

He attended his usual boring classes and came back home in tired. His mum was waiting with yummy snacks. He despatched his backpack and shoes, went for a shower, switched on his phone. Wait, a school student having mobile phone!, Will be a concern for many south Indian parents, but ofcourse there is nothing wrong in having a mobile. 

Let me give you a short introduction about Madhu.

Madhu is a school going boy of class XI. His main routine after school is to get on to his phone and swipe it for hours and hours. He lost his father a year before due to a cardio vascular disease, his mother makes everything for him. 

There is nothing wrong in using mobile phones. He always watches videos on YT -YouTube. Then he studies his subjects and sleeps as usual. But later the problem he felt was that the YT algorithm has started to produce new suggestions and YT-ers have started producing new videos. Everything was fine until that evening.

Madhu saw their home's oval shaped Pinky-red clock. It showed 8:00PM.  

'Amma, Is dinner ready?' said Madhu.'

'What if, If I say it is not?', raising the eyebrows of her.

'You can't say that my sweet mom'.

'Wait I have prepared sambar and idly for dinner, have it and study well'. 

Ofcourse every South Indian school boy would have faced this. Their main job is to study,study,study........I don't wanna bore with this as all know what I am gonna say so lets move.

'Amma, your sambar is the....' said Madhu, until his mother intrupted him.

'The best right!, I know that, your father used to say that', said her mom.

He made a glance and began to laugh loudly, Without realising his mobile phone. His phone which was in the edge of his thigh, went straight into the sambar bowl like a fish diving into the fish bowl. Some iceberg broke into pieces in his heart. His mom in the other hand started to laugh loudly as he did in the past.After a certain point the house became still.

'Don't worry I will get a new one for you', said his mother. 

His face lighted like a studio light - ofcourse now every youtuber uses it so I thought it would be the best comparison here.

' But only after your exams', said her.

He was satisfied but......, There was still two months for his exams.

'What will I do in free times now?', said Madhu.

''Study', said her mom.

After his dinner, He finally made a last ceremony to his mobile and tharshed it into the dustbin. His mother went to bed and started to sing her devotional songs as she does in every night.

'Ahhhhhh what to do now', said Madhu, Looking at the shelf. 

He remembered her grandmother who is a school teacher in her times, in a school located in a village. In his childhood whenever he visits her grandmother, she would have a set of books in her shelf and one in her hand, only along with those she would sleep whenever she is dizzy. Remembering this he again looked back the shelf. Took some books of his grandmother and started to read its title. There was a plenty of biographies there.

' Napoleon Bonaparte, nice name', said Madhu and took it to his bed.

He started to read the story of that great warrior. At first it was hard because he could not read 5 pages continuously, he reads 2 pages and would fell asleep. The time of reading has now started to increase. Ten minutes to Thirty minutes, one hour to three hours in Midnight. In the fantasy of war and fights, he fell for the book. Later he read all his grandmother's collection including Albert Einstein, Issac Newton and Abraham Lincoln etc. Lincoln was the one who attracted him a lot. Respect for books was there in him now. His school subjects started to be easy and interesting. Now he learnt the right way to read and understand. 

'Studying is not just understanding, it is a way of thinking', It is what he understood after reading more than 20 great people's ideas. Now he learnt the right way to think and create a new idea. After all these continuing for a year, he understood that he can learn anything intellectual as now he can read, understand,think and interpret. His mother noticed all these changes these books have made on him. He started to grow intellectually and the idea of Aringnar Anna made a deep root into his heart. On his inspiration he took the oath onto himself that is to spread the intelligence, what he got out of these books and to spread the idea of how books can change the way of thinking and learning  . 

'Let us buy a new Mobile phone?' asked his Mother.

'I know Amma, mobile phone can do a lot, but let us shrink the budget and expand it on buying some books', said Madhu.

Remember his time when he realised the time eaten by YT algorithm's, but now Madhu is not saying 'he don't need mobile phone', but now he knew how much time to spend with it. He also understood that while watching a video, he sees but never thinks. But in books he reads and thinks. 

'Thinking is the first step to learning', said Madhu to me. During the end of his speech on our school farewells day. After that I never saw him.

'Have you seen your friend again Appa?', asked my little son. 

'Yes, Only in TV as our country's Union Educational Minister', said me in pride.

Education is not just studying but learning only when along with thinking.