Pradeep Kumar Biswal
Recently I had the opportunity of spending few hours with a renowned writer who has earned national recognition. He cited one incident of his life. Few years back he was invited to a small town to deliver a lecture. The organizers invited him to visit the public library for which they feel proud. It was quite old and located in the heart of the town. He was happy to find a large collection of books by renowned authors stored neatly in the library.
However, the young boys and girls assembled in library didn’t have the intention or inquisitiveness to glance at those books piling dust in the library. Rather they had brought their own books to read there. Mostly, these books were meant for competitive examinations. There was no place for literature in their scheme of things.
It reminds me of my growing up years. In those days in seventies and eighties there was no television or smart phones. Book was our only companion. We had no choice. Whatever came to our attention we used to grab it and go through it from one end to the other at the earliest opportunity.
From popular novels to classics, we never distinguished ourselves. Book was a source of exciting enjoyment for us. The book was circulated from one to the other in our friends circle and we had conversations on the new books read by us.
The school and college library served us well. Once upon a time encyclopedia in the college library was an attraction for us. Going through its pages we could discover the world around us. Being a sincere student of history I was keen to go through the critical works of foreign authors and could get a thorough understanding of their studies.
As a budding writer these books were a source of inspiration for me. Alas I miss those passions in the present generation of youth. They are more interested in social media and e-books. The smell of a printed book never enchants them. Then what will happen to these books lying in the public libraries and to our personal collections.
Last year a very senior writer in his nineties invited me to a dinner. As a researcher and writer he has a good collection of books having historical significance. During last few years he has been trying to donate his treasure of books to public libraries but it didn’t evince interest among the persons in charge of those libraries. They cite constraints of space and storage facilities.
Would we then consign them to flames which we have built over years with love and passion? Our sons and daughters do not share our love for books. Three years back when I shifted to my own house after retirement it was a difficult task to pack and unpack the books in my personal library, shifting them to a safe place and store them for future.
Space was a big issue and there was a choice between the two aquariums and the two book almirahs dear to the son and the father respectively. The prodigal son suggested disposing off the books to give way for the fishes and turtles he had reared in the aquariums. I was at my wits and to convince him the value of the books in my life.
Finally, my better half had a better idea and she assigned two separate spaces for each of us. Obviously, the fate of my dear books hangs in a balance after my departure.
Poet Jayanta Mahapatra donated all his books collected over decades to a college where he spent few years of his career as a professor. A separate corner was created in their library in honor of the great poet. But it is reported that there was no taker for those books. The students didn’t have much interest in these books. They are still gathering dust there. What’s the fate of books then, one may wonder.
(The author is a poet & columnist and a former bureaucrat. Views expressed are personal)
Hard fact and harder to accept .
It’s true. New generation have other options for self engagement. Books are the last resource. Knowledge is limited to information and career building for new generation. It’s painful. Great writing 🙏
The digital age claims primacy over the print-laden, space-eating “Library ”
I felt that pain.
Print has ran its course and so has gyaan 🙂
You are very correct about the books. For writers like us they are part of our existence. But let the future of books decide for itself.
Let the future of books decide for itself.
Nice write up sir
A genuine concern for all book lovers. Well-written.
Very well written article. A genuine problematic for all of us!
Your explanations are really clear. I learned a lot from this article.
Nice write up with concern for books and diminishing reading habit of the present generation.
Nice write up. The way the present generation is losing interest in books is a matter of serious concern. The fate of books is grave and grim.