Pleasures of Reading
Food is necessary for our body. Similarly, we also need food for our mind. The best food for the mind is the reading of books. It has a joy of its own, which perhaps nothing else can give. The pleasure which one derives from reading is both re-creative and ennobling. Reading gives us peculiar joy and we forget the cares and worries of life.
Reading is of different kinds. First there is light reading, which means reading of news-papers and journals, etc. These are a storehouse of information about current events. Through them we come to know about what is happening throughout the world without this type of knowledge we would remain like a frog in a well. Therefore, such reading cannot be ignored.
Then there are the books of travel and adventure. Man wants to escape from the dull realities of life. The spirit of adventure is in the blood of man. Books of travel and adventure infuse into us the same spirit of adventure and fearlessness as was displayed me travelers themselves. The reading of novel is a pleasant pastime and nothing is more entertaining than to spend some time in reading a novel in the afternoon or in a train.
Next we came to the books of serious reading. They include works of literature, history, philosophy, etc. which may be called books of all times. Such books are intended for sober and thoughtful minds. A student of literature comes in contact with the master minds of all ages and finds a good deal of food for his thought. They give him an insight into the spiritual values of life. He can thus make his life noble and sublime. His outlook is widened and the field of human sympathy broadened.
But we should be careful in the choice of books. If bad books come into the hands of the young, their minds are infected with their evil influence. Many promising youths have been ruined because of the taste for bad books. Good books, on the other hand, are purifying. They enlarge and enrich the mind and mould our character. Therefore, it is necessary that the youth should seek advice from those who are competent to give it.
The habit of reading is a sign of good culture. It is a great source of enjoyment and the best means to utilise leisure. Books are a treasure richer than any king’s treasurers. They are the gold mines of art, literature, science and information. They are our constant friends.
