Is literature readership depleting in India?

Fast food, erratic life style, heavy competition, life has become too fast nowadays, leaving us with little time for having a cup of coffee in our balcony and reading a book.

But is it a fact that there is a decline in readership in the country? If you believe me it is not. Yes, it may sound strange but on the contrary I feel that readership is increasing day by day.

This I believe it due to the advent of online bookstores and online books. The more easier it is to find, buy and read a book, the more will be its readership and same is happening nowadays.

I remember my school days, hardly there were few students who were interested in books and took literature books from the school library but now I see lot more students talking about books.

There has been an increase in exposure, initially literature was confined to a selected few, who used to visit libraries and participate in discussions and were a part of that ‘covert’ literary circles, now I feel this circle has become more democratic.

We have a fast life, so don’t have time to visit a library or a bookstore and browse books, that too during official hours because bookstores remain open during official hours. But with an online bookstore we could browse it even at 2 am!

Moreover, it would take hours to find the books we are looking for in a library or a bookstore, in an online bookstore it is available at the click of a mouse. We can not only browse through millions of titles but can also read and buy books online within minutes.

So despite the fact that there are so many critics of online books, I still believe that they are beneficial for the book lover community.

Happy Reading!

How to find the ideal book from an online bookstore

Finding the right book from an online bookstore is like finding precious gem from the bed of an ocean. I think I gave a too big example-LOL.
But indeed with so many online bookstores and so many books getting published everyday, it is really tough to find the right book. We get impulsive and buy books online only to find that that the book did not turn out to be what it seemed when we bought it.
However there are some simple ways which can come in handy while making the right choice of books on an online bookstore.
Firstly, before you buy books online do some introspection and find out what is your own interest. Yes, maybe a book is very good on a particular subject and lot of people have written great testimonials for it and so you buy it, but after going through it you do not find it interesting. This happens because you are not able to relate with the subject of the book. So it is most important to find out about your own interests.
Secondly, once you have zeroed in on your topic of interest, browse the online bookstore for books on that particular subject or genre. While browsing make a note of few books which made you pause and have a look.
Once, you have made a list such books, search for the books on google find out their reviews and read it. Though this process may seem a very time consuming one, but when doing it, it hardly takes half an hour to find out your favorite book. So follow these steps before you buy books online.
Happy Reading!

आज भी भारत में सबसे ज्यादा पढ़ी जाने वाली अंग्रेजी किताब है ‘हैरी पॉटर’

यह जानकर बहुत ही आश्चर्य हुआ कि आज भी इस आधुनिक युग में किताब पढ़ने वालों की कमी नहीं है। वहीं दूसरी ओर अंग्रेजी कें धुरंधर और बड़े साहित्यकारों को को पछाड़ते हुए जेके रोलिंग आगे निकल गई हैं। एक सोशल मीडिया रिसर्च में यह सामने आया है कि आज भी दुनिया भर में सबसे ज्यादा ‘हैरी पाॅटर’ की किताबें पढ़ी जाती हैं। फेसबुक पर एक स्टेटस मैसेज काफी चल रहा था कि जिसमें ‘प्रत्येक व्यक्ति को अपनी पसंद की 10 किताबों के नाम लिखने थे’। इस स्टेटस पर न सिर्फ लोगों ने अपनी पसंदीदा किताबों के नामों के साथ स्टेटस अपडेट लिखे बल्कि अपने मित्रों को भी प्रोत्साहित किया। बाद में इन स्टेटस अपडेटों में सबसे ज्यादा दर्ज की गई शीर्ष 20 किताबों की सूची तैयार की गई और अलग से जारी की गई। इसके लिए 1,30,000 स्टेटस का अध्ययन किया गया और मजेदार तथ्य यह रहा कि शीर्ष 20 पुस्तकों में अधिकतर किताबें बच्चों के लिए लिखी हुई रहीं। सबसे बड़ी बात यह है कि इसकी वोटिंग के लिए भारतीयों ने बढ़-चढ़कर हिस्सा लिया और अमेरिकन के बाद वोट करने वालों में दूसरे नंबर पर रहे।

                          इस निष्कर्ष को लेकर रिसचर्स का कहना था कि जिन किताबों को हम अपने बालपन या किशोरवय के दौरान पढ़ते हैं, उनका हमारे मन पर बहुत गहरा प्रभाव पड़ता है, और इसी कारण शीर्ष पर रही किताबों में अधिकतर बच्चों की थीं। अंततः विश्वभर में सबसे ज्यादा पसंद की गई किताब साबित हुई ब्रिटिश लेखिका जेके रॉलिंग की लिखी श्रृंखला ‘हैरी पॉटर’ और दूसरे तथा तीसरे स्थान पर क्रमशः हार्पर ली द्वारा लिखित ‘टु किल अ मॉकिंगबर्ड’ तथा जेआरआर टॉलकिन द्वारा रचित ‘द लॉर्ड ऑफ द रिंग्स’ रही। इस शोध के कुछ महत्वपूर्ण पहलू थे कि लगभग एक लाख लोगों के इन स्टेटस अपडेटों में महिलाओं की तादाद पुरुषों की तुलना में तीन गुना से भी ज्यादा रही। इसमें भाग लेने वालों में से 63 प्रतिशत अमेरिकी थे, जबकि 9.3 प्रतिशत के साथ दूसरे स्थान पर भारतीय रहे और 6.3 प्रतिशत के साथ तीसरे स्थान पर ब्रिटिश लोग रहे तथा सभी प्रतिभागियों की औसत आयु 37 वर्ष रही।
               वैसे भारत में अगर देखा जाए तो हैरी पाॅटर की उपलब्धता सभी जगह है। इस किताब की श्रृंखलाओं की कई भाषाओं में अनुवाद भी किया गया हैै। यह किताब असानी से किसी बुक्स स्टाॅल (online bookstore) पर मिल जाती हैं या किसी भी आॅनलाइन बुक्स स्टोर से भी आप इसे बाईबुक्स आॅनलाइन (buy books online)कर सकते हैं।

Are you a bookish?

It is a very common taunt a book loving kids get from his friends in school days. Not only the friends but also from family members.
Normally,  as soon as we hear this word, 'bookish' a face with thick spects come to our mind but is that the case.
To be very true no. By bookish some people refer to those, who have not seen the world but have only read books. Some refer to those who only read books and dont understand anything.
However, this is strangely true, that I have seen many people who regularly browse online bookstores, read book review sites, even buy books online and also read books. And they have very rich vocabulary, are very much aware of the literature and etc, but in practical life they are neither humble, nor soft nor understanding and helping.
What I feel a real trait of bookish is to be a good human being. Actually this what books teach us, a better understanding of the world and being a good human being. Even after buying thosands of books online and reading them, we are not able to become a good human being is like wasting our time and money on books. It also shows that even after reading so much we are illiterates.
So read books, be bookish but a real bookish. Reading a good book makes us think and inculcate good values. And ultimately become a good human being.
So go ahead buy books online read them and be a proud bookish.
Happy Reading!

Novel with the world’s best opening

Every writer has his own signature. Even if they don’t know the name of the writer and haven’t read that book, experienced readers can guess the name of the author by reading a chapter of book by understanding or interpreting the writing pattern.

And almost all the writers put in best of their efforts to give a very binding and special opening to their books.

What I am going to discuss now is the novel which I find to be having the best opening in the world. This is extremely personal opinion and there could be more better ones, but I definitely believe that if novels of the entire world are judged for their opening then, if not top this novel will be in the top 5, atleast.

I am talking about My Name Is Red by noble laureate Orhan Pamuk. The novel is written in a  special craft every chapter of the novel is auto-biographical. i.e in every chapter the characters themselves narrate the stories. One character in one chapter, the other in the other and the story goes on.

Anyways coming to the opening the book opens with the chapter, ‘I am a Corpse’ and a corpse decaying in a well starts the narration. “I am nothing but a corpse now, a body at the bottom of a well. Though I drew my last breath long ago and my heart has stopped beating, no one, apart from that vile murderer knows what’s happened to me. As for that wretch, he felt for my pulse and listened for my breath to be sure I was dead, then kicked me in the midriff, carried me to the edge of the well, raised me up and dropped me below.”

The entire novel is a beautiful but I die for its opening.  Anyway buy books online and enjoy reading.

Happy Reading!

Happy Holi

Happy Holi....

May this festival of colours bring colours of joy to your life. 

 

 Enjoy reading your favorite books this Holi. Books also represent various hues of life and are the pictures written in words, emotions are its colours. 

Buy Books Online and avail great discounts this Holi. 

Happy Reading!

रंगों में किताबों की दुनिया

किताबों की दुनिया और रंगों के उत्सव होली में एक अजीब सी ताल-मेेल है। अगर तर्कों से बाहर निकलकर एक बार सोचे तो यह साफ है कि जैसे जिस तरह से रंगों का अपना महत्व है वैसे ही अनेक विषयों, मुद्दो और महत्वों के रंग किताब के भी होते हैं। जहां तक होली की बात की जाए तो इस दिन सभी रंगों का एक महत्व हो वह है उल्लास और उत्सव का। वहीं किताबों की बात की जाए तो किताबों एक शब्दों में कहा जाए तो ज्ञान का भंडार है किताबें, लेकिन सभी किताबों का रंगों की तरह अलग महत्व होता है। इन्हीं महत्वपूर्ण छोटे-छोटे मुद्दे पर किताबों का लेखन होता है और वह देश के लोगों और युवाओं को प्रेरणा देता है। अगर हम इस होली की बात करें तो हर आॅनलानइ ई-पोर्टल पर होली आॅफर में कितबों पर भारी डिस्काउंट दे रहे हैं।
होली में आॅनलाइन बुक्स स्टोर पर पर कई प्रकार के डिस्कउंट वेब पोर्टल दे रहे हैं। वैसे बुक्स लवर्स कोई किताब खरीदना चाहते हैं तो ऐसे अवसरों का लाभ उठा सकते हैं। वैसे देखा गया है बड़े त्यौहारों पर ई-कमर्स वेबसाइटें भारी आॅफर्स के साथ ग्राहकों को लुभाने की भरपूर कोशिश करती हैं। अगर आपको आॅनलाइन बुक्स (online books) खरीदने (buy books online)है तो अन्य वेबसाइटों की तरह योरबुकस्टाॅलडाॅट काम (www.yourbookstall.com) भी आपके लिए बेहतर आॅप्शन हो सकता है। इस वेबसाइट पर आपकों लाखों फिजिकल बुक्स, ईबुक्स, ओल्ड बुक्स उपलब्ध हैं। यह वेबसाइट भी ग्राहकों को भारी छूट उपलब्ध कराती है। ऐसे में किताब प्रेमियों को यह ठिकाना भी सही है। इसके अलाव रंगों के त्यौहार के साथ सभी को होली हार्दिक बधाईयां। आप सभी के जीवन में खुशियों का रंगभरा रहे।
होली की शुभकामनाएं....
Happy Reading...

The little revolution engines

Almost every house has some of these engines—the revolutionary engines. These little dormant engines which work silently but effectively are the base of any revolution. We are talking about books.

Yes, the books which open gates of knowledge and understanding are little revolution factories. It is for these reasons that they have always been a target of the tyrant rulers. Be it during the times of India’s freedom struggle or the renaissance or Europe or the middle-east. Books have always been at the loggerheads with the suppression.

Even otherwise, Nazi’s used books, the Russian revolution was based on books, and literature was the basis of Indian freedom struggle.

But why the books play such a great role. Books which are harmless packets of wisdom considered so dangerous by the ruling classes.

It is because they enlighten people, they transform minds, they influence, they turn a meek commoner into a mighty revolutionary.

They change the perceptions of the society, they change masses. But interestingly, with such a little readership how come is it possible to influence masses. Though nowadays due to online books and easy options to buy books online, readership is increasing but how these books were considered so influential in old times when in a country like India, where there was illiteracy, the books were being constantly banned and under the target of British rulers. To answer this question we need to have a look at the models of communication. Basically an educated man is a leader (principal communicator), the word spreads through secondary leaders, then tertiary and then the masses, suppose, an author writes a books, another reader reads it, he refers it to another and these people who could read spread the word among those who cant read or write. Actually in a society where majority of the population is illiterate, literates are normally the leaders or influential who influence the society at large. It was mainly this aspect which made books formidable even in the old India where people were illiterate.

Anyways enough of serious talks, forget, just buy books online and enjoy reading.

Happy reading!

Of Love And Other Demons-Between Love, Faith And Superstition

‘Of Love And Other Demons’ is a beautiful portrait of love and conflict of believing and not believing in religion. On one hand Gabriel Garcia Marquez pictures the violence and abuse heaped upon a 12-year old rabid girl Sivera Maria in the name of exorcising her. On the other hand Marquez has also beautifully penned down the subtle love of a priest for that girl.

The 12-year old girl, who has been raised by the slaves of her parents and they have inculcated some of their tribal religious practices in her, like drinking the blood of roosters before breakfast, is bitten by a rabid dog. On bitten by the dog she develops rabies, and is she presented before a number of different doctors and healers who attempt to cure her of the rabies that she does not in fact have. Eventually, the Bishop of church convinces her father that in order to save her soul she must be confined to a convent.

Thereafter church declares that she is possessed by demons and starts the exorcising of the demon. But one of the priest, Delura who is close of the Bishop and is given the task of exorcising falls in love with her.

Marquez as he is known for, has beautifully depicted all the conflicts, emotions, tussles on both the subjects be it love, desperation or the conflict of a rational mind debating between existence and non-existence of god.

Like, in one of the lines, Marquez says, ‘“Disbelief is more resistant than faith because it is sustained by the senses”—here lies the subtle sarcasm, if disbelief is sustained by senses, then what sustains faith? He leaves the readers to ponder and answer this.

Again, he says, “One never quite stops believing, some doubt remains forever", here what is doubt, it is faith (religion) or did Marquez wanted to say that religion is just a doubt? He again leaves this to the readers to decide the exact meaning of his words.

There are several lines where Marquez delivers highest levels of philosophy in one liners, like, ‘Crazy people are not crazy if one understands their reasoning’—yes of course, if you understand the reason of someone who is considered crazy, that clearly makes him normal.

Marquez also beautifully depicts the desperation of Delura’s love, in one context he says, “Do not allow me to forget you”—this line with all its simplicity can touch anyone’s heart. In another lines, Delura says, “No medicine cures what happiness cannot”, how much true the line is given to the fact of today’s fast paced life.

In all ‘Of Love And Other Demons’ – is yet another masterpiece by Gabriel Garcia Marquez and is a must read.

Buy Books Online and avail great discounts. Get a whopping discount of 30% on Of Love And OtherDemons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez!

(The post first appeared on www.yourbookstall.blogspot.in)

Dreaming to dream…

I always wanted to taste till its last drop. Not only mine but even others and everyone around me.

And I am partially able to do that by being in my current profession of journalism. But, yes, I really envy the life of authors.

As it is rightly quoted by Anais Nin, ‘“We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.”  I always wanted to taste it n number of times :).

Imagine, you have no boundaries, no limits, and no deadlines. You were just passing through a road and suddenly you notice a very beautiful place and you feel like staying there for a day—will you be able to do? No if I am a journalist, I have my deadlines, my commitments, yes, if I am an author. I will stop, and absorb life there.  

Stay for a day and move on, if I am satisfied. I know it’s not possible all the time, but the chances of being able to do this are more in case you are an author and not a journalist.

Reading books online in a remote corner of this world free from clamor waking up to the lazy son and writing my heart out. The issues, subjects and even the characters all mine own. I mean being an author you can create your own world, being a journalist we are limited to the world.

Will cite an example of such freedom which I always remember is from book, “Censoring An Iranian Love Story’ by Shahriar Mandanipour.

In the book there is a scene where the protagonists (both lovers) dial each other’s telephone after a long, time and suddenly. But both of them, dial each other’s number at the same time and get engaged tones. They keep the phone down, take a deep breath and dial again at the same time, again they get engaged tones. They keep the receiver down, take deep breaths, pause for a while and get themselves composed again and dial the number. But this time too, they dial at the same time and get engaged tones. The author, then intervenes saying that he is feeling pity on the lovers and will now make the Iranian telecom department do a fault and get their phones connected even if they dial at the same time.

Ha ha, what a freedom, a writer has in his world. The world which he creates.

With so many online bookstores, we are more into reading. We buy books online more than that we used to do a couple of years ago. But hardly we get a sneak peek into the consequences which gave birth to the stories which we are reading.

Give a chance I would like to exchange my life with the life of an author.

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda.