Books are Dreams that You Can Hold in Your Hands

It was a welcome drizzle after a sizzling day. I glanced at the bookshelf, my prized possession, and pulled out a paperback and eased myself in the chair close to the balcony. The pitter-patter of rain drops on the windowpane interrupted my thoughts. What if there were no books, I mean the physical ones?

The idea sent a chill down my spine. I have always dreaded this possibility since the advent of the digital format. For those who grew up in the print-only world, there is a natural aversion to modern gadgets. E-books, for me, can never take the place of a real book. A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. Is that possible with gizmos like iPads, e-Readers, smart phones and tablets? No way.

But the writing on the wall is clear. Electronic books are the in-thing. They are gradually invading the market, though thankfully are not a rage yet. The world is moving towards paperless offices. Chandrababu Naidu, the computer-savvy chief minister of Andhra Pradesh, is already holding paperless Cabinet meetings. There is a distinct possibility that in the years to come books in digital formats will edge out print books. Brick-and-mortar bookstores are calling it a day in many cities. A A Hussain, a popular  bookstore in Hyderabad, has shut shop after being in business for 65 years.

However, bibliophiles can take heart. Print books have not hit a plateau yet. They are still alive and thriving. What drives their sales is the alluring covers, something e-Readers can’t boast of. The best part is the aroma that they give off. Bookworms will vouch that a new book smells great and an old one even better. Nothing can match the joy one derives flipping through the pages, relishing the font and the binding adhesive. On the contrary e-Readers are lifeless and odourless devices to say the least.

The joy of shopping for second-hand books is simply inexplicable. Sundays bring book addicts out of the woodwork as it were. They swarm over the pavements in Hyderabad looking for their favourite titles. Wonder what William Shakespeare is doing in the company of Sidney Sheldon? Or Charles Dickens rubbing shoulders with J K Rowling? Timeless classics and books of the hour are on the same footing here. From P G Woodhouse and Mark Twain to Harold Robbins and Jackie Collins — pick up the best of the reads for a song.

The other day I was leafing through a book when a piece of paper tumbled out. On closer examination it turned out to be a train ticket. I was instantly transported back to a journey made some two decades ago. One tends to keep letters, shopping receipts, invites as a marker and forget. Their discovery sends you into a nostalgic reverie, an experience electronic books can’t offer. E-books have their own niche — convenience, portability and ability to share passages. But what you read is short-lived.  Pixel screen is not the same as a printed page.

Surely life was easier when Apple was just a fruit. Technology has made men tools of their tools. It has exceeded humanity as, Albert Einstein, feared. Technology is changing books and the way we read them. Hope Kindle doesn’t pose as much a threat to books as elevators to stairs.

- J.S.Ifthekhar,

Hyderabad based journalist.

Article published in The New Indian Express

Dated November 10,2015.