Reading Day Reflections

By ChatGPT

Today, June 19, is observed as National Reading Day in India. When the phone fills the time of the youth, books seem to fail in their task of filling their lives with meaning. The day, however, brings back a lot of memories to me personally. Memories of all the speeches I delivered in Sawan School, Delhi on this day exhorting my students to read books. Some memories also go back to my own reading habits, particularly my oldest treasured collections. Like Maxim Gorky’s entire works which I bought when I was in my 20s.

When I was young, boredom led me and a lot many others to books. Today boredom leads us all to the mobile screen. Endless scrolling has become the default activity of our age. I am guilty too.

I can assert from personal experience that reading is not merely a hobby. It is one of the most powerful tools for personal growth ever invented. A phone gives us information; a book gives us understanding.

The phone bombards us with fragments: headlines, reels, memes, opinions (mostly worthless), and outrage. Reading, by contrast, teaches us to follow a thought from beginning to end. It develops concentration in an age of distraction. It trains the mind to stay with an idea instead of constantly chasing the next notification.

The difference is profound: one scatters attention while the other strengthens it.

How would I ever have gotten to know great minds like Dostoevsky and Camus without books? Bernard Shaw’s biting humour and Oscar Wilde’s epigrammatic wit would remain on some dwarf planet far, far away from me – without books.

Books give us peeps into so many great lives. They take us across continents, centuries, and cultures. In them, we encounter scientists, philosophers, poets, revolutionaries, saints, and ordinary people whose experiences enlarge our own. People who read – even once in a while – acquire a richer understanding of human nature and become less likely to be trapped by prejudice or sheer ignorance.

Perhaps, the greatest gift of books is they help us to discover ourselves. The best works of literature do not merely tell stories; they hold up a mirror. They help us ask difficult questions: Who am I? What do I believe? What kind of life should I live? That’s just the opposite of what social media does. Social media tells us what to think. Books teach us how to think.

I’m not suggesting that phones are evil. Far from that. I use my phone pretty much. And I want to reduce that, though my phone does help me connect, educate, and entertain. I shouldn’t let every silence of mine be filled with scrolling. I need room for reflection.

Let me conclude telling you a matter of personal delight. Some of my recent readings led me to write a book titled The Simplest Guide to Religion. The manuscript is almost ready for publication. My good friend Dr Jose Maliekal, professor emeritus of philosophy, has been magnanimous enough to accept my request to be its first critic. As soon as he finishes that gallant task, the book will go to press. Ebook version will be available on Amazon. I do hope to find at least a few readers.

Reading this book is going to be a rewarding experience, I assure you. I have put in much effort to bring together, and Dr Maliekal’s first remark, after reading a few chapters, is deeply moving. “I am thoroughly enjoying your well-crafted and cascading book,” he says. I must add that Maliekal is one who usually calls a spade a spade.

Wish you happy times with books.