Read for the mind, and soul

Komal Randhawa

Mark twain fittingly said the man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who cannot read them. Reading is a long haul for the majority of the new generation. My experience of over 10 years in college education has brought me face to face with the harsh reality of how students despise reading. I am not talking about the curriculum books; they have to go through their syllabi books out of necessity. But what about reading books that actually exercise their grey cells? Long gone are the times when students woke and dozed off with a fine read in their hands. Now, we have a generation of half-wits with their heads glued to their smartphones. I am not undermining the benefits of the digital world in any way, but it is surely pushing the present generation in pursuit of things that have little relevance in their growth. 

Books are savagely undermined by students, especially those who apparently lack in English communication skills. Again, students cannot be singularly held culpable for the lag. It is indeed, the school education system of rural and semi-rural areas which has failed them in acquiring a skill that will play a mammoth role in their future. These students are sharp, but the genesis of the complication is that they think in Punjabi but have to respond in English. This translation has taken a toll on thousands of students, who prefer to stay quiet rather than table their opinions. However, this shortcoming can be fixed with a very simple and time-tested tool: books.

Are books dead? To ensure that they are not, at least for my students, I began a book club, Bibliophiles, with the support of my seniors. I was pleasantly surprised that the members reached a staggering 100, but all came crashing down when the students were asked to pick up any book that will ignite their imagination. It did ignite the list of members as the membership burnt down to 40 in a day, and declines whenever a book is mentioned in the WhatsApp group. 

The art of reading books has to be nurtured or it will go obsolete. We are entering an era of smugness. The mind, if not exercised in the right manner, will get rusted and cease to function for the greater good. Reading broadens our horizons and aids in understanding people and cultures beyond our daily scope. Books weaponise us with knowledge and equip the individual to ask hard questions. If youngsters don’t ask difficult questions, scare-mongering will be easily transferred from the previous generation. 

Reading is a step forward in the right direction. If the millennials mean to weather the change, they need to identify reading as a gift rather than an obligation. Frederick Douglas said once you learn to read, you will be free forever. Let’s bring back the generation lost in the bewitching world of codes to the good old black and white universe, which will present them to the sundry colours of this precious life.