Online libraries, webinars, midnight poetry sessions: Tech brings books back in our lives

Ratna Raman

In lockdown time, whenever the computer is accessed, a vibrant shot of an exciting or unknown location appears. Sometimes the picture is so stunning that the cursor almost instinctively shifts to identify the location. Passwords are typed in only after and the business of writing or reading or surfing then commences. This little online ritual charmingly reinforces our belief that our planet is a wonderful place, filled with picturesque, bewitching spots. For all those of us who juggle lives of privilege, Covid-19 has turned virtual reality into a place of infotainment.

In dark times, and in troubled times, there will be singing, said the poet. There is, were we to take the poet literally, not just online singing, but online dancing, yoga, baking, countless webinars, some important and essential, others esoteric and whimsical. A wide array of topics and discussions can be logged on to and we can log on to Facebook or Zoom or Skype our way for all manner of event, familial and public. Literary festivals come calling online, presenting recordings of one speaker after another at the festival at the desktop. This is an incredible time, providing an embarrassment of riches, because now musicals such as Hamilton, tickets for which could cost an arm and a leg in real time, are being streamed free on YouTube. Concerts, stand up comedies, talk shows, endless seasons of soap operas, dance performances, recently released films — all of these are only a click away online. It is now possible to enroll for free in libraries online, join networks on art, gardening, flora and fauna, or visit museums that one has only dreamt about.

Universities worldwide, state run and private, are conducting classes online; university teachers are conducting webinars on a range of subjects, and there is avid student participation, in the absence of any viable options whatsoever. Both teaching and examination have become online activities and online study and teaching aids have mushroomed alongside different disciplines.

For all those with access to online facilities, and wishing to browse, read and research, the internet has opened up in innumerable directions. Reading material is available on several links. There are books that can be downloaded from specialised websites and archived reading material that can be accessed from JStor or Hathi.com for instance. These have for some time now allowed us to read all manner of writing, fictional, historical, biographical and non-fictional.

No mention of internet sites can be possible without acknowledging the role played by Project Gutenburg that provided e-pub and Kindle options wherein books could be downloaded or read online. Started in 1971, Project Gutenberg was the first online site for public domain books.

Books in the public domain are usually books that have ceased to be intellectual property, following a requisite time period after the death of the author. Well-known classics by literary giants can be downloaded for free and Project Gutenberg allows unlimited access to a large collection of literary classics, poetry and fiction. Today, one does not need Kindle to download from Project Gutenberg and other free sites. A computer with an internet connection and a browser make for an adequate starting point. Other archives that can be accessed are Internet Archive (1996), Open Library and Google

Books, all of which provide sustainable online reading opportunities for a committed bibliophile.

For children with access to the internet, tumblebooks.com is a popular website that requires a subscription, but has plenty of free downloads from time to time. There are sites where children can actively interact, such as lil-fingers.com. Another site, eBooks, allows access to material that would be useful and stimulating for young minds. Time spent on online activities must be carefully monitored however.

For internet shoppers in locked down times, many dazzling options continue to be created. JLF or the Jaipur literary Festival has begun to introduce interested viewers to an online interaction with international authors who were part of the festival held in Jaipur at the beginning of every year. The Keshav Suri Foundation (KSF) drew attention to Ruth Vanita’s new book, Memory of Light, through an online event called Queering Quarantine. The Ten P.M. Book Reading Club is another exciting option where, every week, there is a new reader reading out from a book. Bloomsbury Publications is offering attractive discounts on all of its e-books. Niyogi Books has been setting up weekly midnight poetry readings, where a reading of a famous poem in English is followed up by its translation into a regional language or vice versa, enabling and enriching listeners by drawing their attention to a range of subjects and different language registers.

Technology continues to engage with us in innumerable ways. An online reading exercise is invariably far more strenuous than reading a real book, and hugely dependent on connectivity, which is the key to any kind of interface in the virtual world. Online reading cannot replace the tactility of holding a real book and turning its pages and mulling over it, recollecting thoughts in tranquility. It does stimulate and introduce us to new ideas and subjects, providing directions for more serious reading and thinking offline. Fortunately, big publishing houses such as Penguin and distributors such as Amazon still offer books at exciting discounts, and once the logjam of social distancing is pushed back, one can perhaps look forward to couriers delivering our favourite books to us in real time or fall back on real libraries.

This leads us to an overwhelming question: In troubled times, infotainment and virtual interactions inform, engage and distract us, recommending inner journeys, nourishment and growth. Yet, is such engagement by a small adult minority the only way we can mitigate the havoc that Covid-19 continues to unleash? Are we perhaps absorbed in these new cyber carnivals, fiddling, fiddling, and only fiddling, while the world churns and real humans burn?