When someone walks into any typical Indian classroom, it is not surprising to find students of varying English language reading levels – from the ones who can read at a blazing speed of 300 words per minute to the ones who can barely decipher the words. But here’s the caveat when it comes to reading in English, even if the students can read, many of them can’t understand what they read – yes, even the ones who blaze through the text at 300 words per minute. This single powerful observation is the inception of the Flourish initiative.

The reason behind a child’s ability to read English text without comprehending is very simple – Poor exposure to meaningful usage of the English language. Research has well established that a language can be learnt only when it is used meaningfully. For most children, English is not widely spoken in their households and neighbourhoods. In such a case, the English vocabulary of a child is very limited. Therefore, reading simply becomes the act of deciphering sounds without any meaning.