Why Read Books: With the rise of TV/Net we are going short on people who read. This has resulted in decline in people who can think bcos watching TV doesn’t make you think or imagine – its readymade food there. Reading asks for thinking & imagining which makes sure grey cells don’t rust Reading is to mind what exercise is to body Since one cant travel everywhere the substitute is reading. St Augustine said The world is a book & those who dont travel read only 1 page TV of some use here. if u analyze u will realize most of the unwanted things happen for lack of reading. Look at our unread netas who always have their priorities wrong & without vision for the country. we earlier had few leaders well read & visionaries who motivated Today a reader, tomorrow a leader is APJ Kalaam the last of that kind? Now I rarely see kids read anything as there is 24hr cartoon network. A whole generation is missing the joy of reading. I think parents who know the value of reading can teach them. A writer said Any kid who has two parents who are interested in him & a houseful of books isn’t poor Also unlike a TV u can take a book to bed with u ;-)

What to Read:In delhi I met a 21yr old girl with a HUGE book, that wud make a great pillow except for its hard cover ;-) I guessed it to be encyclopedia but was stunned to see it was Hillary Clinton’s autobiography. I ask her why she was reading it. She had no answer. I quoted Bertrand Russell There are two motives for reading a book:1 that you enjoy it; 2 that you can boast about it then she agreed it was just bcos rest were reading. she read, forgot, some western crap got dumped on her mindscape. ’’The art of reading is to skip judiciously’’

Mark twain saidThe man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them how do we discern what is a good book, now that the idea of good is made so relative? With the type of marketing even crap can be presented as good. Ideally I wud suggest u to read all books on earth if u can live long enough. Since that’s not possible we have to be choosy in reading. As with too many cooks, too many books is spoiling reading. Voltaire said The multitude of books is making us ignorant So each reader should have a periodic guidelines abt what he has to read. There is a time to read comics, a time for classics, a time for fiction, a time for spiritual stuff as per ones age & need. All is not right when a 30yr old girl is till reading comics only. All readers have to grow & try reading different type of literature.

Be as careful of the books you read for your habits & character are influenced by books like any other media. RW Emerson said “If we encounter a man of rare intellect, we should ask him what books he reads” A lot of moral downfall in individuals is also due to wrong choice of books. For example if u see promiscuity in a mills & boons reader u can guess where its coming from. Ideally I wud suggest to begin reading with our own literature, the stories of the soil. These books also showcase our past & heritage which may not be visible now. Once of a mature age we shud read books that make us think. Its easy to read fictions & novels which make us imagine. But books on self help, personality development asks us to think & ACT.

How & When to Read: I hav a friend who reads book only to go to sleep. A good book asks for attentive reading, others u can read with eyes closed too. Don’t be time bound to read a book. Also read when u are sufficiently relaxed to read & enjoy it. Don’t read under fear of being caught. Ex. Once I was caught reading in class & awarded ‘outstanding performer’ ;-) ie made to stand outside. May be I reasoned CLASSics were to be read during CLASS. In this incident I was reading treasure island & I didn’t enjoy as I was reading with the fear of being caught. Same holds good for reading at job. Read at ur own time, during travel, weekends as u feel really free to ‘get lost’ in a book.

Bacon said Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed & some few to be chewed & digested. every reading should be followed by reflecting. Never read a book only bcos u have begun it. If ur heart says dump it, dump it. Why waste time on a book that u have already wasted money on?

Good Books vs other books: In other books you are relieved its over, u will be sad coming to end of a good book. Reading other books u feel as if u are at fight with someone, reading good book makes u feel as if u are with a friend. When a good book ends u feel a close friend has died. But u will have many memories.

A good book not only adds to ur knowledge & vocab it helps u grow as person, help u appreciate life, gives solace, hope. A bad book only takes u further down the deep well of depression though u may not realize it as the result of reading the book. A quote That is a good book which is opened with expectation & closed with profit even bad books are opened with expectation but never fulfilled. So even before reading try to figure out if the book will anyway profit u – u need wisdom in discerning, u can als use others guidance, book revus to arrive at this.

Me Says: these are my free advice. Don’t underestimate any book just bcos its not advertised. I have seen many a good books that serve their purpose being sold in DTC buses at 3 for Rs10. Not all that is printed in English is good & not everything good is necessarily printed in English. You will be amazed at the quality of writing (not paper) & wealth of info in some books written by unknown amongst us. Isn’t there a quote ‘don’t judge a book by its cover or by its movie’

try to read ppl who are called to be writers, who are writers by profession, who are famous for writing. Don’t read ppl who write bcos they were famous in other fields. Example u can read Javed akhtar bcos he is known for writing & writing is his claim to fame. Why shud u read some other overnite celeb turned writer capitialises on her fame/ill fame. Ex I read a certain lady whose claim to fame is being wife of a famous player saying ‘I haven’t read a book all my life, but I have written a book’. I tell u it will be an insult to ur education if u believe that, an insult to reading if u read her book. Same with a Danbrown or hillary book which is sold based on controversy or promising revelations. Celebs lend their names, someone writes those books. Why do u allow them to take u for a ride? Just ignore these kind of books.

Don’t read books that subtly affect ur thinking like mills & boons. These are evil, written just to sell hedonistic concepts. They sell sex as romance, lust as love. Once u are mature enough try to read books on all aspects of ur personality –physical, emotional, spiritual. Don’t wait till retirement to read spiritual – that will leave a huge backlog & u may die before reading everything ;-). Let all aspects go hand in hand. For lack of space I end with ST Coleridge’s classification of readers: Readers may be divided into 4 classes: 1.) Sponges, who absorb all that they read & return it in nearly the same state, only a little dirtied.
2.) Sand-glasses, who retain nothing & are content to get through a book for the sake of getting through the time.
3.) Strain-bags, who retain merely the dregs of what they read.
4.) Mogul diamonds, equally rare & valuable, who profit by what they read, & enable others to profit by it also. What kind are YOU?