Bibliophiles make the most of lockdown

An android phone has replaced watch, calendar, phonebook and many other gadgets but it is yet to offer the pure pleasure of reading a book, says one of the avid book readers

Bhubaneswar: It is said that books are magical keys to open up worlds and change perspectives. This is perhaps one of the reasons you can’t stop book lovers from buying their choicest books. Although they continue to add new books to their collections, daily grind hardly offers them the opportunities to flip through the pages of their favourite books. Incidentally, coronavirus-induced lockdown has given them that opportunity to have a look at their compilation of books. A few avid readers tell Orissa POST about their preferred books and the reason thereof.

Bijaya Biswal, considered a bibliomaniac among his friends, says, “I am presently reading All About Love by Bell Hooks. I selected this book because the author here has put emphasis on the parent-child relationship which I liked.”

Reading can greatly help to deal with anxiety and monotony associated with the lockdown. Books can be great companions in a depressing scenrio, adds Biswal.

Shweta Agarwal, another avid book reader, is presently reading Learning at Bodhshala by Rajan Venkatesh. It is an excellent book to learn about alternative education, she says.

Asambhava Shubha says she is flicking through A Year of Wednesdays by Sonia Bahl. The book talks about two strangers who board a flight from New Delhi to New York.  The two have nothing in common except they both hope that the seat next to theirs remains unoccupied. The narration is quite engaging, adds Shubha.

Sriram Singh Rattan says, he is reading Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It is a dark comedy that explores human characteristics like love, lies and deceit. This makes for an amazing read.

Rattan goes on to add that books are a constant source of inspiration and knowledge.

Another book lover Kalkee Krushna has an inclination towards politics which is why she has picked up Naveen Patnaik by Ruben Banerjee. The book speaks about a man who has set a benchmark in good governance, says Krushna. An android phone has replaced watch, calendar, phone book & many more but it is yet to offer the pleasure of reading a book, she adds.

A city based book store owner, says, “The books stores should be allowed to open for short hours as they don’t see that much gathering like other commercial outlets. Needless to say, books can perfect companions when people stay in isolation.”

Arindam Ganguly, OP