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Book Reading is more than a Hobby - Article that I did for TOI

 

I recently heard someone tell that people should not be told what to read. They should not be looked down upon if they pick up anything which falls under run of the mill genre or anything which doesn’t fall under the roof of classic or profound reads.  After all, it is just a hobby which is carried out for FUN.

This is true because we do have a choice in holding a book. We do have a choice to read what we like. Like we have a choice in music, television shows and food we eat. Moreover, there are so many genres and sub-genres to choose from the vast expanse of bound volumes.

I have myself encountered many people who try to impose their liking or choice in others’ lives. They extend this quality of theirs in the arena of books too. They will not waste any opportunity that comes their way to throw their unsolicited advice. Be it what to wear, what music to listen, or what books should one read. They have their own regimented method or rules and they want everyone to follow the same. They have that smug look when they ask you what you are reading and having heard your answer, they just shrug their shoulders. And dimming your enthusiasm right away, they go on rendering their thoughts on choosing a book. Or choosing the RIGHT books as they put it. For long I have thought about this obtrusion. While I have taken it with a pinch of salt, I have seen people squirm with this unwelcome interference. Some are even hurt. And I feel for them. They draw themselves back from this group of conceited crowds in order to avoid ridicule.

Having said that, I have come a long way to realize a new perspective. And that has been liberating enough. Maybe it can suit to only a smaller niche of readers who take reading very seriously and put their soul into this activity. While I was mulling over it on my usual evening walk, my perspective for this unwelcome intrusion changed a bit. As I am a person who sees only brighter side in every adversity, I chose to wear the positive lens in this issue too. And that’s when I started reading between the lines of such obtrusion. In other words, I widened by horizon and started including the books which had been hitherto out of my comfort zone. Irrespective of the genres and subgenres of course.

The journey of BOOKS starts from the writer and ends with the reader.

The books are definitely written by the pen of a writer but the ink of that pen leaves an indelible mark on reader’s mind. The impact is powerful and everlasting. Writing may be a solitary journey, technically one person’s job or relationship with a pen/computer or any gadget that he/she uses in writing but once it is out in open, published for the public to lay hands on it, the solitary journey ends. Readers get into the world of the writer when they start reading the work. Readers trespass, interfere and usurp the solitary space when the book falls in their hands. They nod, disagree, contemplate, ponder and argue with every written word or a phrase. Unknowingly they all happen in the reader’s head. A strong neurological activity takes place when a new idea in the book comes face to face with the reader. If the thought aligns with the reader’s thought, it does not change much but if there are some unfamiliar thoughts that a reader happens to agree on, not saying just acquiesce, but fully agrees with them, then a new perspective or a narrative gets formed. A new person with new frame of mind is born right there.

Strong NARRATIVES enrich a human mind

We all have been the torch bearers of strong narratives. And historically, literary society has played a pivotal role in building and acting as an anchor to steer the ship of mankind to a right direction. Also, the narratives form a skeletal framework for the values that one aspires to live by. For example: Louisa Alcott’s little women delivers a lecture on compassion, empathy and following one’s dream. Similarly, Nesbitt’s classic Railway Children is all about feeling for others, doing good deeds. They are fun, adventurous and full of strong morals. Railway children is a big hit among children and adults. These books not only get embarked on a journey to reach a reader’s mind but it changes the all round personality of a reader making him/her more compassionate and kind. There are many examples of poets who reigned the different regimes and many of the poems born on those eras are still relevant. The strong narratives are uprooted and placed on a reader’s mind unknowingly getting into their subconscious space. It appears and raises its head in their everyday living. Take an example of social media which brims with requotes and retweets from poets and writers from bygone era. The humanity is layered with the narratives from our historical past.

Different HUMAN NATURE co-exists in the world of books

As I mentioned above that books encompass the world of human nature, let me elaborate more. The detail and classification of human nature is vast. A reader gets familiar with different human nature that’s been ruling our mankind when he/she drowns in that vast expanse. The love and affection of Doctor Dolittle, Peter pan’s innocence, Little women Jo’s passion for writing, Dicken’s Pip, an ambitious character, logical and witty Sherlock Holmes, Railway Children’s Roberta for optimistic quality, The Swiss Family Robinson’s family dwelling on survival skills and togetherness and many others. A reader gets drawn to vivid description of a character and their mental makeup. In life, we encounter many human beings and books act as a compendium to identify the human nature hidden behind the superficial façade of goodness.

All books are divisible into two classes: the books of the hour and the books of all time – John Ruskin

Books may be divided into two sets. The litmus test of time paves way for some to traverse through many generations and for others, they satiate the thirst of the hour. I would say read both the sets as you get a perspective each time you come across a new text. But remember, the books of all time will enrich your personality like no other. The obtrusion is unwelcome but that should not stop or make you averse to the unlimited volumes strewn all over the ocean of life.




 

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