[sadhuji]

Life without books is similar to an egg without the yolk. Books come in all shapes and sizes. The days of hard board covers with protective jackets have given way to the paperbacks – in view of large print orders these were cheaper and not only novels and compilations of short stories but even text books fell in line. There were the children’s books where cut out figures of Kings, Queens, Princes, Princesses and Dragons would pop up when the pages were opened – the idea was to introduce kids to the fascinating world of words and letters. In the Kolkata Boi-mela, miniature books have a ready market – it is a novelty to many. Imagine a dictionary in which hardly hundred words are squeezed into a two inch by two inch ‘book’. Or – replicas of popular books like Abol-Tabol in their mini editions.

The framework of education is based on books. No matter what modern gadget one uses to simplify the process of answering the questions to secure the gradation in the examinations, books are the only means of attaining a complete education. Right from the Kindergarten days, one comes in contact with books – in the formative years, there are more of illustrations, colors and frills to make the book attractive – like the sugar coated pill. As one climbs the ladders of education, books tend to become more of text – and, quite heavy to lug around.  Still, they are necessary. Possessing the information on a CD helps in conserving space but, the written matter has to be read and understood. Except in rare cases, the involvement of a superior person is a must, a superior person like a teacher or a professor who has specialized in the particular stream. Obviously, whatever be the profession, whether medicine or engineering or computers, books are an integral part of the curriculum. Referring to regular text books coupled with voluminous reference books in libraries help improve the confidence level of the student.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias have a special place in our world – yes, with the advent of internet, the e-version namely Wikipedia is a pill for all ills. It contains information on practically all subjects under the Sun. Only – it is available to those who have access to the internet. Therefore, these volumes of books cannot be wished away – they are a part and parcel of any school or college library and will continue to remain that way.

Similar with the literary works of renowned authors enjoy a very special place in our lives even today. Novels and short stories by Tagore, Sarat Chandra, Bankim Chandra, Amrita Pritam, Munshi Premchand etcetera mould our society and provide inspiration to us at every step. Some of their works have been modified and adapted to suit the requirements of the large screens and pass on their message to the common man. But, the charm of reading the original remains and attracts people to the written word. Like the daily newspaper: in spite of innumerable numbers of TV news channels, the newspaper continues to prosper because, while the electronic media has to be choosy due to constraints of time, the newspaper and magazines suffer from no such drawback. Books are assets that can be physically destroyed by fire, insects or natural calamities – else, they are always there to turn to in times of need or depression. A conclusion can, therefore, be safely drawn that books occupy a pride of place in our lives and are necessary for the making of a complete man.

[jyotirmoy]

Thanks Sadhuji for another excellent piece....

Life, literature & society are interlinked. Literature is a reflection as well as an extension of life & society. So literature also have an influence on life & society, its evolution and shape. To quote Sibram Chackroborty again…. “Sahitya holo jeta amader sahit jaye….” Literature is that which goes with us as we move in life. The amazing tales from Thakumar Jhuli(Granny’s bag) had us mesmerized during our childhood. Along with the tales in our dreams we flew with the Bangama & Bangami to unseen lands… shed our tears at the plight of the princess who was kidnapped by the demon. These tales saw us growing up from our Chelebela(Childhood) and handed us over to the world of Paagla Dashu, Padi Pisi and the like and we were in school. “sei theke sahitya chollo amader sahthe…” Literature stayed on with us. As the years rolled on Tenida came along and then Ghanada. By now literature has started influencing us and in an unseen manner it started moulding us. Then came Rabindranath like a bright Sun whose rays engulfed us… overwhelmed us. We were completely under his spell. Our thinking, feelings & emotions were totally remodeled. By this time Jules Verne, H.G. Wells and the likes had also come in to our life. Our visions started expanding. In our imagination we strolled the streets of Babylon, saw the lava descend on Pompeii. Captain Nimo took us to the secrets of the underwater world. We finished junior school & went to high school. Poets like Shelly, Keats, and Byron made us romantic. Then came Shakespeare…
On the home front now Premendra Mitra, Sibram Chakroborty, Ashapoorna Devi had begun their work to take us in to adolescence……
From childhood I began my journey with books and now in the twilight years I wear my reading glasses, pull out a hard cover leather bound book, take a deep breath… the smell has an euphoric effect…. I turn the pages and embark on yet another journey.

[priya]

I think you two scholarly gentlemen have summed it up beautifully.  I guess we're all just "Booked for Life!!"