“Reading opens the door to the future”

opines Vijay Ahuja of Delhi Book Store, one of the largest bookstores in Asia. He believes that reading is important for both young and adults and it is the books which keep the history alive!

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According to a study by Yale University, people who read books for 30 minutes daily lived an average of 23 months longer than non-readers. It is believed that reading books create cognitive engagement that improves vocabulary, thinking skills, concentration, empathy, social perception and emotional intelligence – all that help people live healthy and longer.

Reading: a necessary skill
Vijay Ahuja, Delhi Book Store

It is no surprise that successful people are voracious readers. Reading helps in widening the thinking horizons, relax the mind and help take difficult decisions. People can choose from a wide genres available and read the books of their choice. Researchers, scholars, technocrats, management people, students – infact everyone – need a variety of books to fulfil their quest of knowledge. The list is endless with so many genres available today.

Reading for pleasure…

The only thing common for all readers is that reading is pleasurable. It fills in a void in their life and make them happy. Therefore, it is important to make reading a habit from an early age. Read to your children when they are young and gradually make it an everyday habit. Let them pick up books of their choice.

Importance of bookstore

When children visit a bookstore, it opens a whole new world to them. Let them touch and feel the books. See the sparkle in their eyes and let them choose a book. This is especially important in this digital age where everything is available at a click of a button. Here, children can choose books from different genres and various subjects. A bookstore is a mecca for books – choose the one you like. It is often seen that when a person visits a bookstore, he is likely to pick more books than he intended to.

Though books are more available at various portals but many books get missed out as these portals often prioritise bestsellers. But, when one is browsing at a bookstore, one is likely to pick up other books as well. The experience of holding a book in hand is completely different than ordering it online.

Importance of libraries

Another important aspect is a visit to libraries, which are very important for an society. They give a freedom to read, experiment different genres and quick access to information and knowledge. Even though internet is a repertoire of information, but finding authentic information is a challenge. Books are the source of authentic information as so much efforts are put in bringing out a book. So, libraries are the gates to the future and so should be given due importance by the governments. The funding for libraries should be increased so that they can buy they latest research books which are required by scholars, researchers, scientists and students.

Printed books will stay

Digital versions of books are also in vogue today but seeing the adverse effects of reading on screen, people are now resorting back to print books.

Physical or printed books will never be outdated. Historians rely on the old manuscripts to decipher past. With technology changing so rapidly, we are not sure if the digital data that we have today will be compatible to the newer technologies centuries later. But, printed books will remain and will survive the vagaries of time. So, it is the books which keep our history alive!

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