Cross the Border

 Practicing the philosophy of observation I have reserved myself last week to do so. And hubs under my surveillance were Christ University Campus, Forum Mall and St. Antony’s Friary Church in Bangalore. The net result of my research was that people in this circle can’t haul up their heads from the so called smart devices either it may be a smart phone, a tab or a lap top. They were nosy to see the flashes on their device that was emerging in each and every moment. It is so evident that things are at our finger touch and we are the aficionados of those smart gadgets considering them as our better part. Smartizens are increasing day by day and that’s tactile through the commercial ads given by the different companies of smart devices. The write up may be intrusive or irk for the people who are too much espoused to the world of smartness. It may not make sense as we have everything in front of us just in a finger’s tap. A Knowledge Centre (Library), a Land Mark Book Stall and a 24x 7 Adoration centre fledged with spiritual books were attached to the vicinities of my observation and to my surprise very few were gyrated the pages of the books over there. Reader I can heed the question in your mind. Why do we need to go behind books as everything is attenuated on our display?  Ravinder Singh the author of ‘I too had a love story’ can answer your question “To know if a dish is sweet or salty you have to taste it first.” And it’s same with the Books too.

Here comes the role of Library and the habit of reading. Reading makes man perfect so a Library is the temple of learning, an abode of knowledge and wisdom. It is a sacred place where you are chiseled to be a perfect human being.  The knowledge we muster from our smart devices may end up once the flash goes off, but Library invites us to have a serious research and bourgeon our knowledge which is not peripheral but perennial. And that’s why Kunjunni Mash a Malayalam veteran poet known as (Poet of Children) wrote “You will grow whether you read or not, but you will be having suave knowledge once you read if not you will be an impish.” People today are at the verge of habit of going to library or reading books because we are hogged by the smart gadgets. For anything and everything, we browse Google as if Google is our Guru. It’s true, no library or book by itself has ever produced a Newton or a Tulsidas. But a library or a book can open our eyes. The creative thoughts in a book can give us insights with different outlook towards day today life. World becomes competitive, creative and collaborative day by day and if we want to be the benchmarks, we need to sell the best commodity and that is our thoughts or reflections. I believe a library can give a good ambience to jostle our contemplation. Cross the border and that’s, let our rooms, homes and our office cabins embellish with books. To conclude, an excerpt from a book titled ‘Sanchariyude Daivam’ (God of a traveler) written by a priest named Fr. Boby Jose will be suitable. There is a page for gratitude in the book, in which he writes, “I thank my father for providing me books instead of toys in my good old childhood days because he knew it will be a profit in long run.” So let us give a space in our lives for books and library amidst smart phones and selfies which can be fixed opulence of knowledge.
Jithin Kalan CMI