What happened to old-fashioned reading?

Recently, I had been to one of my most favourite places, the neighbourhood library. It had all the books I ever wanted. The tranquil atmosphere and the smell of paper have a calming effect on my nerves. So, imagine my pain when I got into this sanctuary to find its shelves empty of the books that I grew up with.

Naturally, I rushed to the librarian to find out what had happened. He said the books weren’t moving. People were not borrowing them. Hence, they had been donated.

What happened to good, old-fashioned reading? Obviously the books were being read before, that’s why they were there in the first place.

Granted, technology has made it easier to get books online but can the tablet mimic the smell of paper, the coarseness of its touch and the sense of achievement on seeing the left-hand pages increase as you near the end of the book? Also wouldn’t they hurt the eyes since it would be the same principle as staring at the TV?Then there is the problem of people who actually don’t read. One bout of Angry Birds is worth more than a decent book. And since book are being made into movies, they prefer to watch the two-hour highly abridged version of the true spectacle.

These people don’t understand that reading has a lot of virtues. Apart from helping you improve your vocabulary and fertilise your imagination, it also teaches you patience and helps you handle life better through the experiences described in books. A novel is also a way to provide knowledge about life events through having stories woven around them like Roald Dahl’s Going Solo . This beats reading a textbook about the world war.

To me it serves as a break from reality. Whenever you get bored with life you can always step into another world through books. It also serves as a testimony to our civilisation. Imagine a world without language!!!!

I guess movies and such also do the same thing, but they make you see the idea as envisioned by another person and does not leave room for imagination. So, save the library. Go there and see for yourself why it has been around this long!!

(Sneha studies at Christ Junior College, Bangalore.)

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