Why to Read?

In this age of movies and social networking, few people (if any) bother to read books/articles. Who has the time, they say. Who has the concentration and patience, I ask.

With the advent of Internet and the information overdose we all are faced with, most of us have developed techniques to skim through text and not 'waste time' reading worthless shit. However, this habit of skimming has reduced our attention span (so has our habit of messaging). When we read an entire article in a few seconds or we text multiple people at the same time, we believe we are saving time. Unfortunately, we are reducing our capacity for joy. How many of us can really understand Shakespeare any longer? How many can appreciate Wordsworth, Keats and Shelly?
The answer is few, if any. The reason is that a Keats cannot be skimmed through in one go, neither can Shakespeare be understood in one reading (except by another Shakespeare of course). Like jealous lovers, they demand your complete attention before they open up to you. Fickle minded us, can never get these pearls.

Schools and colleges are resembling factories more and more. Each pass out is only marginally different from the rest of his batchmates. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

So the next time you get yourself an A in class, think of the thousands of others classes in the millions of other districts , where people studying the same course as you, got an A. Would you still be proud? What makes you any different from all those other A's? If 17 problems of algebra are good enough to make you a master, what's the point of being one?

"That's all cool ya, but dafuq can I do about it? Kill the other A's? "

Umm, not really. There are ways to distinguish yourself without adopting such drastic measures. The easiest one of course is , read. Not by skimming hundreds of B grade articles on the net, but the good ones that you just CANNOT skim. Yeah, there are plenty of articles out there which will make you think. Yeah, you heard me. Think.

These are the kind of articles which are not often shared, which aren't posted on social networks because they are not 'easy reads'. They can belong to any category, to any niche. You need to find them and you need to read them. Why? Because you wish to distinguish yourself. Because they will change you, they will challenge you and they will make you grow.

Reading is an art that sharpens the mind. It gives you knowledge and knowledge gives you power,money, fame, life etc etc. It gives you a new way to look at things, it expands your horizons. Who knows, the next book you read might change the person you are, it might lead to a startup, an enterprise, an idea that might change the world? It might lead to an idea that changes your life. It might contain the answer to your problems.

Ps : Please do share any worthwhile articles you find as knowledge grows by sharing.

How to choose a good book

“A mind needs books as a sword needs a whetstone, if it is to keep its edge.” 

-George R.R Martin

There are literally hundreds of books out there and thousands of authors eager to express their views. It can be intimidating for a first timer to choose that 'perfect book', a book that hooks them to reading, a book that expands their horizons and is comprehensible. 

Today, I will write about the art of choosing a book. There are literally hundreds of articles on this and every other person will tell you something else about it, here's my two cents.

1) Friends & Acquaintances - Ask the people around you who read a lot (hint : they are the ones 'hanging out 'in libraries and book stores). They will suggest you exactly the right book, keeping in mind you level and your aim for reading.

2) Your interests -  Why do you want to read a book? Is it for fun or to learn? If you want to learn, then why a book instead of a blog/website? These questions, while simple, will greatly help you in narrowing down your search. Not all books talk about what you want. Many would talk about similar ideas, but only a few will deal with the exact topic.

3) Reviews - Book reviews and user ratings are a great way to find out more about any book. Also, while reading a review keep in mind the kind of person who wrote the review. A teenager might not highly rate a book which retirees would love. Search around a bit and you will find a good review by a person with similar thoughts as you. Heed this guy's advice.

A lovely read (Article)

Hi! I have been busy recently and thus, haven't written any more reviews lately.
Will do so soon!

For the time being, this is an interesting article I read. Gives one food for thought. It talks about the stupidity of critically analyzing literary texts for they are meant to be felt by the heart, not dissected by the brain.

I agree wholeheartedly with what the writer says. Read it. And comment if in the mood to discuss. Keep reading!

We, the losers of the world

"You are never a loser until you quit trying"

-Mike Ditka

Loss is a funny thing. People celebrate victory, the winners are cheered and parties are thrown. Somehow, all of us forget the losers. The ones who were 'almost' the winners. It isn't as if they didn't work as hard or didn't deserve to win. It's just that on that particular day someone else won.

It is often said a cricket match, for example, has eleven winners and eleven losers. The winners are felicitated while the losers are ignored. However, I believe that each match has twenty two winners. The ones who win as well as the ones who gave their best to it. As long as someone doesn't quit, he hasn't lost. Anyone who falls but retains the courage to stand up and try again, is a winner. I know its hard to get back up. I know it's hard to look your family in the eye. But pain is the best of teachers. Each time you fail, you learn a new skill, gain a new experience.

I speak as the man who lost it all. The man who failed at all conceivable competitions and events. Failed in academics, failed in sports, failed in life. Its tough to live through life with a smile, when each and every moment, you are reminded of the dreams that were left unfulfilled and the only thing you feel is a big hole in your chest.

I came close to quitting once. It was the day I got my tenth board exam results. I had failed. Staring at the report card, all I felt was shock. I could feel my own heartbeat but I couldn't speak. I saw the disappointment in my mother's eyes and ran out of her room. I locked myself in my room and broke down. The tears wouldn't stop. All my thoughts, all my dreams started coming back to me. They seemed to mock me. Every failure and disappointment of my life, came to haunt me."You are a loser", they seemed to say. The moments I had spent in joy and happiness seemed undeserved, wasted. Who was I, a loser, to enjoy life? The man who can't pass his exams doesn't deserve happiness or joy. My entire existence seemed a mockery.

It would have been easy to quit. To admit my failure.To get the gun. But a part of me refused to give in. This was the part which believed in Abraham Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi. They were losers too, it said, but they didn't give in, they struggled on and they won. What do I have in common with them, I scoffed. Still, that part refused to quit. I was raged by turmoil.

Half my days was spent in contemplating suicide and the other half, wondering if I could ever recover from this loss. Over a period of several months, I became normal again, or as normal as I could be. The hole was still there, as was the pain. But I managed to make peace with myself. I realized I had nothing to lose. After all, I was at the bottom of the pyramid and so, I decided to try.

I still am at the bottom. But now, my eyes set on the top. I continue to try new things, continue to fail. Each failure brings its share of disappointments but each failure also teaches me, new things. I don't know if I will ever win, if I my dreams will ever come true. But I hope and I work.

Are you like me too? Then come, let's join hands and work together, to change the world. We, the losers of this world.

Have you failed in life too?

What was it that defeated you?

Are you the loser who lost his job?

Or the one who is afraid of the mob?

Come, O loser, take my hand,

Together, we can change this Land.

With our feet in the gutter and our eyes towards the sky,

The world will know us, the day we fly.

I, The Reader

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one."

- George R.R. Martin

I am a reader. I come from nowhere and everywhere.

From the streets of India, the meadows of France, the slums of Karachi and the craters of mars.

I am nobody and everybody. I am that poor beggar on the street, the grouchy lady beside your house. I am the sick man breathing his last, the lost girl desperate for help, the dreamer banished by society, the lover bound by tradition. I am all around you. I am you.

Each time I pick up a book, I become something different. A painter, a businessman, a monk, a dog, a cat and god knows what else. I have even been God. Each day, I live a different life and die a different death. Each day I gain new desires, new hopes, new fears and pleasures. I have felt the awkwardness of not belonging, the longing for love, the desperation of hunger and the pain of being hurt. I have had my bones broken, my dreams shattered. I have seen loved ones die, seen people change and yet, I have struggled on. I fought in the battle for Troy and have participated in Satyagraha. I have set up industries and factories ,and have worked in them for meager wages. Each life, I learned to be more than just me. I learned to be you, to be she,to be he. I learned to be us.

And this is why I understand you. Your hopes, your dreams, your fears. The expectations you have from society, the despair you feel at times. And this is why I promise you, I will be there. I will support you as a mother, a friend, a lover and a father. I will be the oppressor and the oppressed. All of it for you. I will give voice to your hopes, dispel your fears and help you stand in this world. I promise to stand beside you in your struggle, to guide you. I will teach you the lessons of my life, will encourage you to live them too.

Because then you will see, the similarities between the children in the States and the adults in Emirates. You wouldn't call one different from the other, instead would love them both as brothers. Start your journey today, my friend. Understand that all of us are the same, me and you, you and me, us.

Pick a book and live a life,

Today, I am Don Juan, will you be my wife?