Why and what books to read?

As the electronic gadgets are occupying our lives more and more, the habit of reading books is taking back seat, if not alarmingly going out of scene. Though e-books are available in plenty, they are not comfortable to read and other 'comfortable' things online distract the user from becoming a reader. One may say they have nothing to lose if they don't read books. But only one who reads knows the beauty of reading and what they would have lost if they hadn't read.

Happy is the man who acquires the habit of reading when he is young. It is not superficial if we say books are hidden treasures yet to be explored. They are the source of pleasure and inspiration. A good book is worth thousand friends. Indeed, books are the most faithful of friends. They never complain, nor they are unwilling to converse. We may go uninterested in them, but books never go uninterested in us. They always wait patiently to talk with you. As long as you are with a good book, you are not alone.

There are books on every kind of subject: history, fiction, sci-fi, science, biography, philosophy, travel, relationships and so on. Thus one cannot complain that his interest is not covered. Books may help you go deeper into your interest or find a new interest. It is not that reading books just fills us with pleasure and amusement. Books penetrate deep into your heart, interact with your feelings and evoke emotions.

Whether one is conscious or not, books shape our character, and our world outlook. Hence it is necessary to be careful while choosing the books to read. History presents before us few examples that novels have played an active and revolutionary role in social change.

As every art, literature also has CONTENT and FORM. Content is what has to be conveyed, and form is how that content is presented. If a book has good content but no good form, it may not interest the reader thus content going unnoticed. On the other hand, a book may have good form but no good content which engages the reader but disturbs his or her feelings. Hence it is necessary for a book to have both content and form good.

Now the question would be: what can be considered as good content? First of all, the content must not be divorced from the society; from its glories, from its problems, from its happiness, from its shortcomings. Then anything that creates compassion and love for humanity, imbibes social responsibility, courage to fight injustice, inspires to seek truth, fills heart and mind with noble thoughts, can be considered as good content.

If today we search for any books with such good content, we may hardly find one or two. Many books that are coming out today are magnificent in form but poor in content, if not harmful. Most of the new novels center round the lavish lifestyle and sexual relationships that, instead of inspiring humanly love, whip up the animal instincts of man. That is to say that these books are 'Sweet Poison'. They harm the society at large and reduce man to a mere animal.

But, not to worry, history has given us plenty of masterpieces. List of books by great authors like Victor Hugo, Charles Dickens, Voltaire, Rousseau, Charlotte Bronte, Leo Tolstoy, Mark Twain, Jack London, Oscar Wilde, Sharat Chandra Chatarjee and so on are enough to immerse our whole life in reading. So pick up a book, that fills your mind with knowledge, noble thoughts and higher ideals, today and you will find a faithful companion for life!