Think wisely.

Which thought comes to your mind when you think about books. ?

Today , I am talking exclusively about physical books either hardback or paperback. Nothing else.

Magazines, Periodicals Journals ,Newspapers, Newsletters etc. are like small coins and I don’t value them as much as paper currencies.

In introduction, I must discuss the history and geography of books.

Paper was invented in China and may be books were also properly read in Asian or Roman civilizations. So, Asians have always been voracious readers. Invention of Printing Press was the starting point of modern books.

But, when people started reading properly ?

A million dollar question but no definite answer is available.

However, records of destruction of books and libraries are definitely available. No surprises here that Bible is the most published book in the world. Nearly 05 billion copies have been printed. Religion and books are inseparable and history of human progress has been greatly affected by both.

But, reading is a virtue. No doubt about it. Books are the best teachers and it has no replacement. Learning is synonymous with books.

India has been blessed in this regard and we are number one in spending time on reading books around the globe. An average Indian spends more than 10 hours per week. Second and third spot belongs to Thailand and China.

Surprising ? Isn’t it ?

I always thought that considering the number of scientific discoveries and technological superiority , countries in America and Europe shall be the leaders in book readings among masses.

But, it seems. Americans or Europeans don’t believe in reading books. Then, how come majority of top higher educational institutes belong to these two continents ?

It seems odd but data can always be debated and may be my reference data has some in-built faults.

Now the question arises that who reads the books and why ?

For students, study books are their lifeline to scores good marks in exams. Be it getting an educational qualification or scoring well in competitive exams to secure their future. Most of them discard regular books the day they get their dream job except some professionals like teacher, doctor, lawyers or some other specialized branches who need to read to survive in the rat race of their chosen vocation.

Students or professional people read books due to a certain reason. They read to accomplish a goal. In simple words, they are selfish and use books as ladders. I don’t call them readers. They are butchers who cut the contents of book , stuff it within their brain and vomit it at appropriate places to get ahead in life.

There are some exceptions and they can be termed as genius as they gain knowledge from books. Develop their own thought, apply logic and become trailblazers. They are heroes but found rarely nowadays.

But, some people are genuine readers who love to read for the sake of reading. They purchase books, even borrow books and beg if necessary, because they are bibliophile or bookworms ( in layman’s language). It is the bookworms who have kept the world ticking and alive.

Now, comes a special variety of bookworms who love to read books in the loo. Toilet reading is one of the most interesting technique of book reading. But, mostly , it is a phenomena limited to affluent classes of society. Though, there is no bar on reading for people of poor background. But generally, I have noticed that people having Western-style Commode in their homes prefer to read in loo. Newspapers are the most-sought after commodity for this purpose but books have a special place in toilet.

Is it good ?

No one is sure whether it is perfectly good or bad ! But, if you feel good and it helps in bowel movement then I guess it’s okay to read in toilet. May be , scientists who have read many books in toilet can throw some water…oh sorry…….some light on this topic. But, hygiene is an issue here. How do you remove microbes or dirty faecal matters from pages of books ? No easy answers ! But, if you belong to this tribe, think twice before eating anything.

So, now we have settled that who reads the book. Next question is how many books you can read ?

There are around 150 million published books in the world. Actually, I am not sure about data because counting all books in the world is herculean task and Google had tried to do it but failed. Then, nearly , 02 million books are printed worldwide every year.

This sort of calculation can make you insane. So, do one thing, just count your own books and read whatever you can in your lifetime.

Life is short and there are other things to do in life. Reading only books can make you sick. So, going out in nature and coming back to books is a good idea.

So , go out and think about it.

How many books you own ? How many books have you read in till today evening ?

Let me know if books are your lifeline. Share your story with world and let others enjoy the pleasure of book reading. It is the third most pleasurable activity in the world , just below the activity of going to loo.

What is the most enjoyable activity for a human being ? Think loudly and imagine !

Till the time you get an answer, choose a book and read peacefully.