Book Reading A Dying Habit
Curled up in bed, cozy under my blanket with a book in hand and a packet of chips, this is my idea of a perfect weekend night. No I’m not some boring old person with nothing do in my life, just some one passionate about reading.
When was the last time you came across such a person, someone who still purchases books instead of downloading them from the internet (O! the hassle!!), who looks forward to a book launch and actually pre books it at bookstore and has it delivered to their home (are you for real!!??) who visits a library regularly (dinosaur age!) and actually loves the smell of a new book (Please! for the love of GOD, what a drama!). In case you were one of those people who had the same thoughts while reading my sentiments regarding book reading you sure aren’t alone. In today’s fast paced techno savvy world where the modes of communication are way more than the actual number of people you really wanna talk to, book reading has become a habit of the past.

My first memory of book reading goes back to when I was in pre-school and my parents used to tuck me in bed between them and we together used to visit the colorful magical world of books. Oh, the sheer joy of snuggling in with your parents and enjoying a good read right before bedtime will forever be etched in my mind. Let’s just say I’ve been hooked every since.
Coming from a typical middle class family, where education is the most prized and respected possession, books were a pre-requisite. Starting from the ever loved Enid Blyton, the collection of Famous Five and Hardy Boys were my constant companions. As we grew so did our tastes and we graduated to the Sidney Sheldon’s and more recently Dan Brown’s. Books were shared with those few who shared the love of books and were then o so proudly discussed when all the books by the author were read. Second hand books stall at the Sunday bazaar used to be the highlight of the month.
Over the years, as we grew older and the simple joys of life started getting out ranked by routines and schedules, sadly this love of mine has somehow been pushed back a little. Lost in the rat race of excelling and then post marriage issues when you come home exhausted with little time for the social obligations and the usual “dahee laa dain”, “bublee ko bukhar hai Doctor k paas lay jain” “tara aunty k ghar jana hai” etc.
While some(those lucky few)people, who still share the passion of books, still manage to read to their hearts content, shifting trends and life styles has affected this great hobby. People prefer to download the PDF version of any book they want or if very brutally said book reading is considered as a waste of time by majority nowadays. “Yaar kitna lamba status tha tumhra Facebook pay simply bata do kia kehna chah rahay ho”, people generally have such short concentration spans that everything has seen a quicker, shorter version being introduced. Book stalls usually remain deserted, libraries (the rare few which are still left) give a gloomy look and book shelves at homes gather layers and layers of dust. I know I’m painting a little dramatized version of my melancholy, but for me books have remained ever sacred and I honestly do feel saddened by the diminishing love and interest of people and specially our newer generations for books.
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies, said Jojen. The man who never reads lives only once.”
― George R.R. Martin Sharing somewhat similar views and sentiments about books, I guess I’ll go complete my new book on Bin Laden sitting on pot (best place to hide from your wife/mom) like old school times when ammi used to tell me to study and I used to take refuge in the loo and complete my newly acquired book. Some things thank God don’t change.
