Books~Nourishment to my soul

IndiSpire:

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?

Yes, I definitely agree that today's youth seldom reads. They think watching a three hours movie is way much better than spending an entire day with a novel. Then, there are the variety of gadgets and smart phones to spend time with. These gadgets have a wide range of games which can kill an entire day without notice. Then, how can we forget about social networking and instant messaging applications? Amidst such tantalizing distractions, when will a youngster even think of picking a book? And even if he does, he will be taunted by most of his friends no doubt. 

The habit of reading also depends on a person's upbringing. Some parents compel their children to read right from their childhood. As far as I can recollect, my mother used to read to me various fairy tales every evening and my father used to narrate me a story every night when I was below ten years. As I grew up, I naturally had an inclination towards stories and books. I felt reading to be an adventurous trip as my soul could visit unknown places through the pages of the book. But there are many families who never encourage their children to read anything apart from their academic books. Those children, when they grow up feels alienated in a book fair or a book shop. I actually feel pity for them as they have never tasted that oh-so-good-feeling which I get after diving into a beautiful book.

Playing games on smart phones, chatting with random strangers and browsing through the news feed of Facebook 20 times a day is definitely a good time pass. But the time is spend so uselessly. Spending extreme amount of time in social media can make you harbor feelings of envy and self-doubt when you will see other's life to be better than yours. Playing games for a long time will surely stress your eye and cause pain to your fingers. Now if you spend at least half the amount of your free time in reading a good book, you can let yourself transcend to a different land with some interesting characters. You will not brood over the problems of your life when you will read a book as your mind will stick to the fictitious land you have entered.You can travel the world and meet so many people without actually travelling and meeting anyone. Reading will also boost your brain power and will impregnate you with nuggets of wisdom. Reading definitely shapes a person to be a better human being and books make the world a better place.

If I talk about myself, I can't imagine a world without books. I am sure I won't survive for more than a month if I am allowed to dwell in a land without books. Books nourish my soul and keeps me sane. They never let me feel lonely ever and makes every day of my life interesting. No matter how mundane my day is, fifty pages of an interesting book is enough to make my day thrilling or romantic or funny, depending on the genre of the book.I am a writer and books are the driving force to my writing. If writing is my soul's medicine, books are the nourishment to my soul.

This world will be a really beautiful place if every person takes up reading. However with the advent of eBooks, there can be a change in this trend soon. As every single person has a tablet or a smart phone, if books can be easily downloaded, who knows one day most people will read in their tab while listening to their favorite music.

Hope that day arrives soon!