Kolkata kids are bookworms: study

Kolkata: Being voracious readers, kids in Kolkata spend more time with books, magazines and comics, when compared with children from other parts of the country, according to a report.

Describing Kolkata kids as "official bookworms" amongst Indian kids, the New Generations study done by Cartoon Network says that a higher percentage of city kids are into reading, be it a story book, a magazine or a comic. "The percentage of kids in Kolkata who read story books is 72 per cent as compared to the national average of 59 per cent. The readership of comics stands at 56 per cent vs 42 per cent nationally and that of magazine lies at 25 per cent vs 18 per cent nationally," the study said. Kolkata kids are studious bunches, who take their academics seriously. 70 per cent of Kolkata kids go for tuitions while only 53 per cent of students do that nationally on an average, the report said. Extending themselves beyond studies, 52 per cent of city kids also go for extra-curricular activities against a national average of 28 per cent. But when it comes to getting pocket money, city children are left behind as only 34 per cent of them receive pocket money vis-a-vis the national average of 57 per cent. Not surprisingly, cricket is their most loved sport with 77 per cent voting for it, with football a close second at 55 per cent vs 38 per cent nationally. Under the survey, kids of 7-14 years of age and parents of 4-6 years old children across Indian cities were interviewed. PTI