Pride of Possessing Books

Anthony F. D’Silva evoked nostalgic memories of yesteryears with his article “Is it time to bury the old tomes of knowledge?” (KT, 20th Sep 2010). I was particularly touched by his history professor’s purchasing an Encyclopedia Britannica instead of a car, when faced with a choice between the two. I wonder how many of us would have done this then as well as now. Books have been known to be our best friends, as they silently wait for us to be taken on a mind’s journey which enriches our lives. However, books are no longer the only tools of acquiring knowledge. Internet has almost completely overtaken books in so far as searching for any knowledge is concerned. But, how about the pride of possessing good books? Have we lost that too?

While acknowledging the value of instant access to any knowledge by the click of a mouse-button, I believe that we would never lose physical touch with books. Despite the Internet access to online Dictionaries and Thesauruses, I keep Webster’s Dictionary handy on my table. The joy of looking for various meanings of a word and its usage in a dictionary is unparallel. I still carry many books on my bookshelf from my younger days. Oldest one is Bhargava’s Anglo-Hindi Dictionary (in tattered condition) that was passed on to me by my elder cousin who was my role model when I was just entering my teens. I vividly remember the time when I used to feel certain honour in visiting Calcutta’s National Library. Scouring for some hidden treasures amidst heaps of old books on the pavements of College Street, Esplanade and Free School Street was a regular pastime. I remember becoming member of a readers’ club floated by Hind Pocket books through which I could purchase new books of my choice at discounted price. Waiting for the postman with the VPP (Value Payable Post) of my facourite new books was filled with some subtle joy. The pain of paying from my hard-saved pocket money was more than compensated by the look and smell of new books. Putting protective cover on every newly purchased book was an exercise of immense value. Personalising the book with a sentence (“This Book runs under the sweet care of…”) in the best of my handwriting on the first page was a matter of great satisfaction. Underlining quotations or important sentences and writing my own notes on the page-margins of the book was my way of making interactions with the author. Preserving books autographed by the authors or gifted by some close friends with sweet messages carried immense emotional value.

Can Internet and e-books ever provide these joys? Can they ever substitute the intellectually charged environment and smell of a well stocked library or your own study-room, where your thoughts develop wings? Can they ever become your trusted friends whom you can reach in your privacy without any electronic aid? No, I strongly believe that there will never be a time to bury the old tomes of knowledge.