Take that Book on…

July 24, 2020

‘Makeshift bookshelf’, read my friend’s post on Instagram, showing a shelf made out of cardboard boxes stacked to shelve books, garnering a like from me almost instantaneously. Well, anyone who goes through the trouble and creativity for storing books definitely has my respect.

Today’s fast paced life has made it impossible for people to read books, making reading an obsolete pastime. In fact, of the two private libraries in Mangalore one has shut down two years ago for lack of readership. Youngsters hardly read books other than those prescribed by their syllabus.

Reading is not just a pastime but has several benefits. Other than obviously increasing knowledge and expanding vocabulary, its health benefits equal those of walking, drinking coffee and listening to music. Reading has been scientifically proven to reduce stress and even alleviate depression. It strengthens the brain promoting mental health. Reading is an escape into another world, where imagination plays a significant role but the effects are not imaginary.

Various school curricula around the world have reading as an integral part of syllabus. The children are made to read a book and then made to discuss and debate the various characters in the book, give their opinion on the actions of the characters in the book etc. This brings about critical evaluation in children, unlike the Indian system of education where students have to just mug up for marks.

Reading brings out empathy, making oneself aware of the various situations of people universally. There are a variety of books to choose from. One can start with modern illustrations of Shakespeare’s stories, Leo Tolstoy, Charles Dickens etc for their classic literature. One need not confine to fiction and novels alone. One book every Indian at least, should read is ‘My Experiments with Truth’, Gandhiji’s autobiography. There is a reason he is called Mahatma. One feels pained to see him quoted carelessly and haphazardly to suit one’s purpose. Various leaders’ biographies and autobiographies like Mandela’s ‘Long Walk to Freedom’, Swami Vivekananda’s biography, Dr. Abdul Kalam’s autobiography ‘Wings of Fire,’ Anne Frank’s account of the holocaust ‘The Diary of a Young Girl,’ Malala Yousafzai’s ‘I am Malala’ etc are awe inspiring. These are classics which show us how the world we are living in and enjoying for granted actually came to be.

Many of the self =proclaimed moral vigilantes and guardians of culture and religion have hardly read the holy books of their respective religions. When one reads they become more educated and the more educated you are, the more non-violent you become. For people not interested in fiction or other people’s lives, there are various self-help books like Chicken Soup for the Soul (nothing to do with cooking!), The 5 Languages of Love, Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, Rich Dad Poor Dad (not “patha hai mera baap kaun hai”? type), The Power of your Subconscious Mind, Ikigai etc.

For the tech savvy, there are books available for free download on Google Play Books store and Apple’s Ibooks. Most of the classics are freely available on these apps. There are devices made just for reading like Kindle which are kinder on eyes, and e-books can be purchased to read on these apps. Various websites offer books at discounted prices like 99bookscart.com and bookishsanta.com. Books are also available on shopping websites like Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal etc. For borrowing books, various libraries Readers Delight at Light House Hill road in Mangalore offer services, because nothing can replace the comfort of a hardbound book in the hand!

Reading is not only for the young but for everyone. Let’s make reading more likeable by gifting books whenever possible. There are books for every age group and kids can start by reading authors like Eric Carle, Ruskin Bond, Enid Blyton, Agatha Christie, Perry Mason etc. The current pandemic may have bestowed most of us with time at our hands. Let’s use this time to read. Encourage everyone to read at least one book in a lifetime, even domestic help. There are books in every language. If elders find it uninteresting, let them start with their holy book, but let them read. Always encourage reading in kids. It brings about calm and patience in today’s generation which is always glued to a moving screen. So pick up a book and take it on. Happy reading!

 

 

By Hanita Pinto
Hanita Pinto has a masters in law from SDM Law College. She has earlier worked in Bengaluru as a legal compliance officer.
To submit your article / poem / short story to Daijiworld, please email it to news@daijiworld.com mentioning 'Article/poem submission for daijiworld' in the subject line. Please note the following:

  • The article / poem / short story should be original and previously unpublished in other websites except in the personal blog of the author. We will cross-check the originality of the article, and if found to be copied from another source in whole or in parts without appropriate acknowledgment, the submission will be rejected.
  • The author of the poem / article / short story should include a brief self-introduction limited to 500 characters and his/her recent picture (optional). Pictures relevant to the article may also be sent (optional), provided they are not bound by copyright. Travelogues should be sent along with relevant pictures not sourced from the Internet. Travelogues without relevant pictures will be rejected.
  • In case of a short story / article, the write-up should be at least one-and-a-half pages in word document in Times New Roman font 12 (or, about 700-800 words). Contributors are requested to keep their write-ups limited to a maximum of four pages. Longer write-ups may be sent in parts to publish in installments. Each installment should be sent within a week of the previous installment. A single poem sent for publication should be at least 3/4th of a page in length. Multiple short poems may be submitted for single publication.
  • All submissions should be in Microsoft Word format or text file. Pictures should not be larger than 1000 pixels in width, and of good resolution. Pictures should be attached separately in the mail and may be numbered if the author wants them to be placed in order.
  • Submission of the article / poem / short story does not automatically entail that it would be published. Daijiworld editors will examine each submission and decide on its acceptance/rejection purely based on merit.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to edit the submission if necessary for grammar and spelling, without compromising on the author's tone and message.
  • Daijiworld reserves the right to reject submissions without prior notice. Mails/calls on the status of the submission will not be entertained. Contributors are requested to be patient.
  • The article / poem / short story should not be targeted directly or indirectly at any individual/group/community. Daijiworld will not assume responsibility for factual errors in the submission.
  • Once accepted, the article / poem / short story will be published as and when we have space. Publication may take up to four weeks from the date of submission of the write-up, depending on the number of submissions we receive. No author will be published twice in succession or twice within a fortnight.
  • Time-bound articles (example, on Mother's Day) should be sent at least a week in advance. Please specify the occasion as well as the date on which you would like it published while sending the write-up.

Leave a Comment

Title: Take that Book on…



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.