Consumption of literature is a changing idea. Human beings have moved way ahead of oral literature, literature on the leaves and literature on the copper plates. If someone wants, literature on the stones may also be on the list. Today, we have come to the times when we can. consume literature on digital screens as tiny as a wristwatch and as large as a television. Being precise, the world seems to be moving from paper to Kindle Paperwhite, figuratively. The lockdown, quarantine and Coronavirus have added further speed to this breakaway from physical resources of literature. Shops are not open. Online retailers are not delivering physical books. Physical books are costly. In such a time, if a reader wants to read something, digital format is the only solution. In order to read a book in PDF, EPUB, MOBI or any other digital version, you may need suitable readers that begin with your mobile phone and end at your advanced televisions. Is this shift good enough? Was this shift, that almost seems probable now, inevitable?
I am an avid reader and I tried ordering some books just before the lockdown in India was announced by our prime minister Narendra Modi. The guys at a reputed online retailer platform in India kept promising me that they working on getting my books delivered and I spent 9 days waiting for the order to change its status but in vain and, at last, shockingly, the guys responsible for customer support told me that the order has been cancelled. Could you have done it 9 days ago, fools? Why did you keep me whining?
My reading urge was already gone and I thought it would be better to do something else. However, how long can you keep a lion away from its hunger? I thought of reading books again and I decided to order some books online for my Kindle reader. Orders are delivered instantly, wirelessly and wonderfully smoothly. I began reading and, though I have read on Kindle before but not so long and so frequently, I rather liked this new experience. I know that it comes with side-effects and fear of many things going wrong – beginning from the eyes and going as deep as your soul. Still, isn’t it better to read whenever you like? Isn’t it better to read on your phone or your Kindle reader rather than getting frustrated because the books aren’t delivering?
Nevertheless, for all those who are traditional readers who like to touch and feel their books and that includes me as well, physical books coming from outside to your library or your reading desk might be a risky business as you are not sure of the sources most of the times. In the long run, you cannot carry your books all the while and everywhere. While a Kindle with so many books in-store can be carried anywhere you go. Even some of the best and leading critics for many an Indian book review site are delivering their verdicts by reading the Kindle copies these days. Yes, I agree that what needs to be felt on paper cannot be felt on the screen. For example, Hamlet’s dilemma is best felt and experienced when you underline the lines and mark and remark the phrases you like on the paper. English literature students will bear me out here. However, extraordinary situations demand extraordinary measures. And we all know that getting books is not possible unless the world outside our homes becomes normal again. That, we all know, will take some time. So, for the time being, we should be doing the best we can not only save ourselves from the manufactured coronavirus but also keeping ourselves indulged in self-improvement by reading the best books we can.
For the days we are inside the home, I am indulging myself in reading as many books as I can on my Kindle, my mobile and even on my laptop. However, make sure that you set a limit so that you don’t hurt your eyes by doing an overdrive. You can read many books by getting a lot of free titles or even buying some worth-reading Kindle books from Amazon India. Here is the link:
Buy books from Amazon India – click here to buy from Amazon India
written by Amit for Literature News
Add Comment