Celebrate the joy of reading

Dr. Vishiesh Verma
‘A good book is the best of friends’ is a saying which is true for all the times. Except a living man; there is nothing more wonderful than a book. Books are, undoubtedly, invaluable teachers and guides. They are the treasure houses of the human wisdom collected over the centuries. They sing the saga of man’s success and failure, his ability to face challenges, his strength and his weaknesses. Books uplift the spirit of man and teach him to live his life fruitfully.
Books! What a world to lose oneself in! What a way of cultivating good friends. A man, it is said, is to be judged by the company he keeps, it will be equally valid if one is judged by the kind of books one reads for thoughts, and  ideas shape the personality of man.
Every where
I have sought rest, and not found it Except
Sitting in a corner, by my self
With a little book
Thomas A kempis
Reading a book is one of the most pleasant and profitable pastimes. We are the only species in the world with a developed and reflective intelligence. One of the great rewards of that intelligence is language; and one of the great gifts from our ancestors is the discovery of writing. Reading was once looked at merely as a means of receiving messages but today research has confirmed that the act of reading in itself is a multilevel mental process which contributes largely to the development of human intellect. It is one of the most effective means of systematic development of language and personality of the person. It provides access to the ideas of others cutting across the barriers of time, space and language. Reading is the gateway to knowledge and wisdom. The impact of reading in the peoples lives is extra-ordinarily wide-spread. A reader can learn new skills, can be introduced to the new facts, and can become more knowledge-able person. Reading has unique power of transforming the readers. When we read, however, we learn to rise above the confines of our immediate environment. From those heights we get a broader view of the human experience, of history, of how others have tackled the problems that beset us.
The right to reading was proclaimed by UNESCO IN 1972 in the international Book Year when a programme of Book Development was set forth to ensure the realisation of this right to reading for all people, at all times and in all places in the shortest possible time. It is to celebrate the joy of reading that UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation) has set aside April 23rd as World Book and copyright Day.
The magic of books has never ceased to charm humanity. Through the ages, the books have helped man knit his dreams and thoughts, his hopes and aspirations secured within its covers, these books bring alive the ancient wisdom and current perspectives which help him to built the edifice of future.
Sir Francis Bacon Said, “Reading maketh a full man”. Happy is the man who acquires the habit of reading when he is young- he has secured a lifelong source of pleasure, instruction and inspiration.
Ruskin calls books “King’s treasuries” – treasuries filled with riches like knowledge, noble thoughts and high ideals. So give your child a flying start with a lifelong habit that will enrich their lives and be with them always. This is an age of information explosion- to progress in life; one has to be a rapid, efficient and a critical reader. A person who excels in reading techniques will savour the fruits of this new era, be it at School, College or Workplace.
If one wishes, to live a fuller, richer and a happier life, one must form the reading habit.
Augustine Birrel is right, when he says, “This habit once formed, and so formed, as to become ‘a second nature’ secures that the path of life, however, narrow and stony and unromantic in its surroundings, often becomes pleasant and at times exciting”. He further says, “First, then, my advice is – form a habit of reading and having formed it, stick to it.”
Book reading is a playful, calm and peaceful activity but it is becoming less popular with today’s youth. While TV has found a place of honour in every household, very few families have even a small collection of books. Reading is definitely more demanding and complex activity than watching television. Watching T.V. constricts the minds, blunts their brain, stunts their creativity, slackens their briskness and affects their health.  Another reason for neglecting book reading by the youth is their interest in internet. Internet gives them everything they need, be it information on anything in the world conversations with the like-minded people, listening to their favourite songs, watching and downloading movies, playing games buying and selling etc. Net has many uses and this is the reason it has become indispensable for us. The Book reading is altogether a different activity in comparison to the internet. It  stimulates our mind provides us new ideas, changes our moods, changes certain ill formed stereotyped attitudes, improves language comprehension and improve speed and skill in reading . Habit of book reading has all the benefits when internet comes with a lot of drawbacks.
There is nothing more wonderful than a book. It symbolises ideas and thought-processes which the author wants to convey to its readers. In its physical form as commonly known and used it is a printed matter on paper sheets held together and protected by a cover. But in fact, it is much more than that. It is powerful medium which has revolutionised the thoughts and ideas of man and has played a pivotal role in the social, economic and technological developments in the world.
The Changing shape of book has its own history, Man first started writing with his finger on earth but the necessity to preserve the writing made him think of using the clay tablets. Some of the clay tablets from the library of Ashurabanipal of Nineveh are still preserved in British Museum. The Egyptians brought into existence the roll  form of book using the papyrus reed which abounds along the river Nile The word paper has its a origin in papyrus as the two products resembled each other. In the second century BC Eumenes II, finding papyrus hard to preserve, introduced leather or parchment. This writing medium, offered both of its sides for writing purpose and being flexible could he folded and stitched for proper handling. The roll form of book measured about 16ft. About 2, 00,000 such book rolls were gifted from Antony to Cleopatra to be kept in her library.
The Chinese wrote or incised on animal bones or tortoise shells, the direct ancestry of Chinese book is traced to bamboo or wooden slips and silk rolls. Indians in ancient and medieval period used palm leaves known as tala patra and bhuraj patra. After the death of Buddha, the Tripitaka was first written on palm leaves. Ashoka spread the message and teachings of Buddha as inscriptions as on pillars and stopas.
The present book on printed paper has stayed for quite a long time with its tremendous growth rate. To overcome the problem of housing and transportation of ever increasing printed matter the microphotography came into use to reduce size of printed matter. Through microphotography the book is miniaturised to take the form of microfilm and microfiche etc
The book changed its shape and form to meet the needs of special readers such as physically handicapped. The book appeared in Braille which the blind use extensively. A team of Yugoslav scientists invented a book that talked. It was based on the system of transferring sound to paper similar to the one used in making talkies.
The emergence of other information technologies like those of computers, has added new dimensions to the form of the book. The printed book is not going to vanish in near future. It is going to stay. The printing technology will be changed to reduce the cost of book production and improve its quality.
(The writer is a former reader Coordinator of University of Jammu).

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