To quote George Martin, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies; the man who never reads only one.” Book reading for my generation, I am in my mid forties, was considered a character building habit and a visible landmark of the educated lot. Books were considered the source of knowledge, vocabulary expansion, improving focus and concentration, enhancing mental stimulation and better writing skills. Books are therefore rightly known to be our best friend. Reading was and continues to be a charming lifestyle choice for people like me who still read the newspaper first thing when they wake up in the morning. Which is why perhaps I often get asked , ‘ What should I read?’ My answer is ‘Anything you like’. Youngsters, however, somehow straitjacket themselves in a dilemma of what they think they should read versus what they want to read. In job interviews, candidates often quote reading some seriously heavy books. Often they cannot even recall the name of the author.
What I observe in the upcoming generation inste ad is browsing the internet, be it on their computers or cell phones. In a fast paced technology driven era with its many upsides, the idea of reading a book in a peaceful corner of a library is considered old fashioned. Over the years, sadly, the reading habit is gradually fading away among our youth. As per results of a recent survey conducted by Gallup, 75 per cent of school, college and university students are only reading the assigned curriculum text books. Another study revealed that people, especially the younger lot, are using social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram etc for about 6-9 hours daily wasting their productive time . Cinema and television too take up a great deal of children, teenagers and adults alike. People have low concentration span and opt for quick cursory reading. They seem to have forgotten or maybe never taught that book reading not only nourishes the soul but rejuvenates the human intellect also. Reading habits start from childhood and that is where the problem starts for Pakistani children. The good and expensive schools do push children to read , but generally there is very little encouragement for the kids. Sure, if the parents are readers themselves , they will inculcate the habit in their kids but reportedly there is an overwhelming majority that does not do that. If you do not read much as a child, it is unlikely that you will once you get older, barring exceptions of course.
It is not by any means suggested in these technology savvy times to stop people from referring to e books, magazines , research papers etc available free of cost at just one click of a computer board key. For revival of and promoting a reading culture, activities such as a book review should be mandatory for students. Parents should read from books to toddlers and kids so that the routine becomes a lifelong habit. Considering the cost of a printed book copy, we can promote libraries and book clubs for exchange or make purchases from book shops for used books. Through such baby steps, we may redefine what is considered more ‘cool’ and fashionable; flipping through smart phones or to read a book whilst traveling or waiting for your appointment in the waiting lounge for instance. There is something about tangible books and physically turning a page that has stood the test of technology. Think tanks are stressing the lasting impact on our minds that can be provided by the written word alone. I am sure there is no survey on what percentage of literate Pakistanis actually read at least one book a month, but if there were such a survey , it would plunge many of us into manic depression. We all have our anecdotal stories about the shocking absence of reading habits but what just does not cease to amaze me is the brazenness with which some people justify not reading books. My favourite one is when a youngster fresh out of college turns to me and says with a straight face , ” I would love to read books , but you see, I just do not find the time .” Seriously? Former US President Barack Obama is said to be a voracious reader and polishes off a book a week. The UK newspaper, The Daily Telegraph , did a story on his reading habits when he popped into a small bookstore and purchased 17 books. The photograph shows him standing on the counter in a line holding his book cart and chatting with the cashier. Apparently while running the sole superpower of the world and managing the global crisis , he still finds time to visit bookstores and read through the month. What do our political leaders read, I wonder? I am sure neither do most of you. I do not recall Imran Khan, Mian Nawaz Sharif , Maryam Nawaz , Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto being photographed with a book ever . Leaders and books should be constant companions but sadly here in Pakistan this may not hold true. Perhaps, the media can do something about it by asking politicians what were the last five books they read. The answers may shock us yet.
Here are some reading habits that work for me : first, I read multiple books simultaneously to keep my interest alive. The moment a book begins to drag , I put it aside and pick a new one. Second, for every non fiction that I read , I try to throw in a racy pulp fiction. Variety helps. A few years back , I picked up a book by Jim Rai called ‘And Then You’re Dead’ and I was hooked. Since then, I have devoured every single word of self help books by various authors and I did not touch any other genre of books. Third, I do not fight my moods when it comes to books. So after seeing a good series or movie based on books, I somehow end up reading that book . For instance, watching the series ‘ You’ on Netflix got me to start reading the book it is based on. Fourth, I set a certain target of the number of books to finish per month, adjusting the target every month given other time commitments. I do not meet the targets every single month but the effort continues. Fifth, I keep no fixed time for reading because that makes reading a chore. Instead, a la Shakira song, it is ‘ whenever and wherever ‘ for me. Sixth, I re-read books as the mind tends not to absorb all the details, so after a couple of years, I pick up what I thoroughly enjoyed and re-read it. Let me share with my readers what I am reading these days: 1) ‘Because He Is’ by Meghna Gulzar; 2) ‘Songs of Blood and Sword’ by Fatima Bhutto; 3) ‘Self Power’ by Deepak Chopra and ‘Mr. & Mrs. Jinnah’ by Sheela Reddy.
So happy reading to all! May this habit get infectious in this land of ours. Reading is the best investment for us as it helps us grow into inspiring, creative and intelligent people. We must strive to not let the serious habit of reading die out as God has blessed us with the power to read. Quoting a stanza from an old Hollywood movie ‘ The Wind Cannot Read’:
The board outside the garden reads
Do not pluck the flowers
But the wind blows them away
For the wind cannot read!
Self explanatory, right? Let us keep reading irrespective of other distractions that keep us away from books because the person who does not read when he can is no different from the person who cannot read at all.
