I just happened to discuss, a casual talk about technology invasion in our life with two of my young colleagues. Both are engineering graduates. How would be our day without internet facility? This is the topic discussed. I just told them, on Sundays I started following 'data fasting'. I am completely avoiding use of internet. No whatsapp, mail checking not even ordering food etc.
"Then, what do you do?" they asked me. I just laughed and asked them "So, you meant to say a person can't do anything without internet and smart phone especially?" One guy had told his story, a few weeks back his new phone had some error and not fetching internet connection it seems. He felt the day was horrible, that too a weekend it was. The other guy had told me that he could not imagine it and never experienced it.
Now, they hooked me a question "What do you do or What can you do without internet?!" I just replied them "Reading..a book!"
Both looked at each other and asked, "What book..magazine or a newspaper on weekend?"
I have lot of books to read and keep buying books periodically. Earlier, I used to read during my commutation to work. Everyday, to and fro 2-3 hours used to read. Now, fortunately on my data fasting got more to read.
I asked both of them about reading of books. Sadly, both told apart from college books nothing had read in their life. A younger guy mentioned that at least some comics had read during his school days. They never read a book out of their text books it seems, they promised! I wondered and asked them again, fiction, non-fiction, favourite writer, character inspired etc., They told big NO and added that none of his friends had 'such' habit! When I repeatedly asked both of them looked at me very weirdly as I am asking something inappropriate.
Proudly, I can say that not only in my school and college even at home we brought up with a reading habit. My father introduced me a (public) library before I saw my school library. And during my school days a class allotted for 45 minutes in a week to read books. In that 45 minutes, first 15 minutes to discuss among ourselves about the books read last week and 30 minutes to read our books at library. A teacher of any subject or a librarian accompanied with us every week. It made us comfortable with them and the relationship was beyond a student and teacher/librarian.
During college days, it was proud to keep multi library membership cards. We used to meet friends at library. For example, I was avail at Gandhi museum library on Saturday evenings and Simmakkal library on Sunday mornings (in Madurai). We knew each other's schedule and meet accordingly. If a person not avail, the librarian act as an information agent to communicate :) What sort of days they were.
No phone communication was available on those days. A librarian used to inform or passing message. I got to know my friend's engagement through a librarian only :)
A book shop named 'Mother land' (opposite to Railway station) in Madurai had an monthly chit scheme to buy books. Pay 20 rupees every month for 11 months, 12th month need not pay. But, you would get 240 rupees to buy books. I bought my Oxford english dictionary through that scheme only. It was around 200 rupees then. What an encouragement to buy books, read books!
I asked both of my colleagues why don't they give a try on reading and listed few of my regional language collection.
"If it is in video format the same story, please share via Whatsapp, would watch it. No reading business and all. Painful it is!" they laughed out but seriously.
"Then, what do you do?" they asked me. I just laughed and asked them "So, you meant to say a person can't do anything without internet and smart phone especially?" One guy had told his story, a few weeks back his new phone had some error and not fetching internet connection it seems. He felt the day was horrible, that too a weekend it was. The other guy had told me that he could not imagine it and never experienced it.
Now, they hooked me a question "What do you do or What can you do without internet?!" I just replied them "Reading..a book!"
Both looked at each other and asked, "What book..magazine or a newspaper on weekend?"
I have lot of books to read and keep buying books periodically. Earlier, I used to read during my commutation to work. Everyday, to and fro 2-3 hours used to read. Now, fortunately on my data fasting got more to read.
I asked both of them about reading of books. Sadly, both told apart from college books nothing had read in their life. A younger guy mentioned that at least some comics had read during his school days. They never read a book out of their text books it seems, they promised! I wondered and asked them again, fiction, non-fiction, favourite writer, character inspired etc., They told big NO and added that none of his friends had 'such' habit! When I repeatedly asked both of them looked at me very weirdly as I am asking something inappropriate.
Proudly, I can say that not only in my school and college even at home we brought up with a reading habit. My father introduced me a (public) library before I saw my school library. And during my school days a class allotted for 45 minutes in a week to read books. In that 45 minutes, first 15 minutes to discuss among ourselves about the books read last week and 30 minutes to read our books at library. A teacher of any subject or a librarian accompanied with us every week. It made us comfortable with them and the relationship was beyond a student and teacher/librarian.
During college days, it was proud to keep multi library membership cards. We used to meet friends at library. For example, I was avail at Gandhi museum library on Saturday evenings and Simmakkal library on Sunday mornings (in Madurai). We knew each other's schedule and meet accordingly. If a person not avail, the librarian act as an information agent to communicate :) What sort of days they were.
No phone communication was available on those days. A librarian used to inform or passing message. I got to know my friend's engagement through a librarian only :)
A book shop named 'Mother land' (opposite to Railway station) in Madurai had an monthly chit scheme to buy books. Pay 20 rupees every month for 11 months, 12th month need not pay. But, you would get 240 rupees to buy books. I bought my Oxford english dictionary through that scheme only. It was around 200 rupees then. What an encouragement to buy books, read books!
I asked both of my colleagues why don't they give a try on reading and listed few of my regional language collection.
"If it is in video format the same story, please share via Whatsapp, would watch it. No reading business and all. Painful it is!" they laughed out but seriously.
