To Read is to Live

“There is no friend as loyal as a book.”  – Ernest Hemingway

Reading books has reduced dramatically in today's youth. Kids who read books are treated as socially incapable nerds. What is your take on this topic?

In many of the posts that I read so far, everyone has taken the topic as two different parts. Most of them agreeing with the first and completely disagreeing with the second. My inference says that it is one long theme. The first line is a fact and the second is a popular notion which has to be dealt with. I will be also taking both the statements one at a time.

There is no denying the fact that the kids these days do not read as much as the generations before them did. The 90s kids (as we call ourselves) were probably the last who accessed libraries with actual books (in paper and ink). The letter ‘e’ has been added to most of the things today to make them more easily accessible to the people but in case of libraries and books it has not worked. I personally like to read when I have a physical book in my hand which I can touch, feel and smell.  The smell, nothing can beat the smell of a book fresh out of the bookstore. This smell is so fascinating. This is the primary reason any bookstore really attracts a reader. You enter a bookstore these days and rarely do you find any young kids in there. Mostly there are people in their late teens or early 20s (the 90s kids).  

The second part is what has become a “stereotype”. You say you like reading and straight away it is assumed that you are an indoor person and many a times, yes, the word nerd is used. I would like to take this opportunity to just say ‘Stop it! This is not true!’  This stereotyping is the primary reason behind the decline in the number of readers today. The world has become all about being more ‘social’. But spending most of your day and evenings sitting on facebook in front of the computer does not make you any more social, does it? But in fact it is closer to the above mentioned stereotype “nerd”.

I know a lot of people who are not into reading and yet are incapable of making a social talk. On the other hand, reading actually gives you a lot to talk about, something to share with your peers. Reading is not only about reading fiction (though I prefer it), reading can and is very informative. Read magazines, articles, anything you can get your hands on. Fiction will take you to places you cannot go.  A well written novel or story will fill you with experiences that you might not encounter in real life. And when you put down a book, your life will never be the same. (This is turning into quite an essay on benefits of reading!)

I like to believe that this beautiful hobby did play a part in securing the job I have today. The HR expects you t have a hobby and the hobby of reading (books which do not start and end with a Chetan Bhagat or Harry Potter) really can score some points.

But all is not lost yet. On a recent train journey that I undertook I came across a kid who had his bag filled with Chacha Chowdhary and Tinkle Digest. This really felt good.  It felt like there is still hope for humanity. I wish the parents today do provide their children with the environment and encouragement to read, make sure that the children read quality content. Here is to all the readers out there and may the reader community flourish forever.

Feedback Appreciated!

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed are solely of the author (me!). If you disagree, leave a comment. If you agree, then also leave a comment and let me know. You can follow the blog updates on FB.