‘That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet’

This quote by the famous author, Jhumpa Lahiri aptly describes the magical journey of book reading. If an average person is asked, today, “when did you last read a book?” a majority of the people answering may be in a fix.

They may possibly, not be able to recall when they last held a book in their hands or successfully completed reading one. The aversion towards books seems to be the case with most people currently. Taking a look at our peer group would have us believe that the so-called “bibliophiles” are in the minority. However, book sales have increased during the lockdown, so let’s not brush off books in favour of visual media completely.

The shift in book reading culture

With the increased accessibility to technology, and a plethora of other distractions, reading books had taken somewhat of a backseat in today’s world. That’s not to say information is not being consumed, on the contrary there’s lot of information that’s being consumed.

This consumption of information has changed form from a traditional paper or books to apps, eBooks, and audio books to name a few. However, there has been an increase in the reading culture. Book sales have been increasing, ever so slightly year after year, and we have the rise of OTTs/Major movie studios to thank for making the sales spike happen.

The world which once shunned superhero movies, and fantasy movie adaptation, are now embracing it. Superhero movies dominate box office numbers, followed by movies based on fantasy or science fiction books. This media frenzy has led to people buying the books/comics these movies and series are based on to learn what has happened.

Our souls need instant gratification, no one wants to wait a week for the next episode, let alone a year for the next season. The FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) culture of books is a legit scare and indeed exists. A need to know information before others, or at least at the same level as others can actually decide if your peers take you seriously or not. OTT has robbed us of our time, especially during the lockdown period, and everyone has been juggling between work from home, and work for home.

OTT content consumption picked up pace as we didn’t have anything better to do. As per Statista’s research, streaming video-on-demand services has surpassed TV consumption in India. However, people did get tired of staring into the “idiot box” (as the TV was popularly called as) and preferred indulging in hobbies and started pursuing their passions. People wanted to spend their time doing something that would provide them happiness and satisfaction. This pursuit of happiness led to people investing their time in books, again.

The relevance of reading books in the present times

The video-based content industry has lured consumers to stay on their platforms rather than indulge in other activities. It happens so often that we sit with our phones and end up watching random videos rather than working or spending time on productive tasks. Even if people tend to watch videos that imparts necessary knowledge on various topics, the amount of information consumed is so much, that no one really remembers anything.

Thriving in the digital era, we are constantly bombarded by multiple communications.

Developing a reading habit can be extremely beneficial in a multitude of situations-

• In the constantly evolving times, reading helps us keep us connected with our roots with more and more books being released based on mythologies.
• Books tend to break the frenzied pace of our everyday lives and helps us to focus.
• For the bibliophile souls, they provide solace and happiness.
• Books can boost learning and creativity by forcing us to imagine scenarios in our own ways.
• Reading not only help us become more informed but also hone our character traits.
• Getting lost in stories provides relief from anxieties and the process is therapeutic.
• As our teachers said, reading will improve communication, confidence, and boosts morale.
• Most importantly, books help us to slow down, and appreciate the finer things in life.

Ways to cultivate a reading habit

There are a few simple hacks that can help anyone develop a reading habit:

• Dedicate time to reading one page a day. Just one. As time goes by, you will definitely want to keep those pages turning.
• Planning to spend time reading every day at a specific time. For example, during the night time before sleeping. Make this a habit.
• Look for books that served as inspirations for famous shows, or movies. (The story in the books are always different to what you see on screen)
• Carry the book you want to read everywhere.
• Set a high goal for the number of books you would want to read that year.
• Join a book club/group.
• Visit book stores. Seriously. It can be quite the therapeutic experience.
• If a single book feels daunting, start with something small, a comic, or a collection of short stories.

Why books?

I believe, as do many others, that books act like a getaway drug. Especially during the times of extreme stress, like the one we are currently dealing with. There are a few studies that have presented the fact that reading helped fight loneliness and other psychological issues.

A lot of us, including me have turned towards mindless consumption of content available on OTT platforms. Binge watching series 24/7 only to be left with a void after the series is over and desperately searching for the next one to fill that void. Some of us, to fight loneliness, have the TV running in the background just to have something distracting us from our thoughts.

These are methods that may help us in the short term, but prove to be quite damaging in the longer duration. OTT is solely for entertainment purposes. Binge watching doesn’t help you in anyway, in fact it is quite detrimental to physical and mental health. It reduces reaction times, makes you lazy, dials up the instant gratification needs, and the worst, it makes you less productive.

Books, on the other hand, is a different story. Reading a fantasy novel (for example), even the same series you watched on TV, will gift you with a much more rewarding experience. Reading, forces you to imaging the written word, you are transported in to the world the author has set up.

Soon you’ll be walking the path the author takes you, I’m sure there are many of you who have sometimes, followed directions in a book or imagined yourself doing it.

“Walking through the lavender field, Hannah carelessly brushed her hands over the flowers, whilst basking in golden aura of the setting sun. The cool breeze, gently caressed her soft brown hair as she walked aimlessly without a care in the world.  As she reached the end of the field, walking towards the setting sun, she holds her hand to her face, and takes a deep breath, relishing in the delicate scent of the lavender flowers that Hannah knows she won’t be able to forget.”

There is a huge difference between what you imagined while reading this, and if you were watching this on screen. I can, with confidence, say that anyone who read that description almost smelled those lavender flowers, where as it would have been a fleeting five second shot. The habit of reading books is educational as well, people tend to recollect memories form with word association much better.

Summing Up

Every great book, line, or even movie, has a memorable quote, which was probably penned down on paper first. A huge book can look like an overwhelming task, but as mentioned start with one page. Keep reading consistently.

Even the winner of a marathon started with a single step just like others. While audiobooks are available, the touch and feel associated with while holding the hard copy in hand, the satisfaction of flipping a page, is something that no kindle, e-book, or audiobook can replace!

(By Mahesh Ratnam Rajan, Author)