The Pleasure the World has Forgotten

 

“Oh! I am delighted with the book! I should like to spend my whole life reading it”, this was Austen’s saying. The world has forgotten the pleasure of reading. When I curl up with a book in my hands in the library during recess at school, people look at me as a bookworm or a nerd. With the advent of the internet, people have lost all sense of what a book can give. It gives a sense of belonging. My school is located on top of a hill. The library is located on the slope, not more than 200 meters from the main block. The distance is not along a straight path but winding staircase. The winding paths are all created with such care that they have beautiful vines hanging on the sides of the rails. The path is strewn with jasmine. One could easily get overwhelmed with the perfume. The door to the library is made in a rather old fashion to ring a vintage touch. The bougainvillea which grow all around have a soothing lavender hue. Beyond the door, inside the library, great stacks of books and round tables with elegant chairs would be waiting for us. The elegant tables and tapestries with great stacks of books would make me feel as if I was in Pemberley’s library. The great stacks would be filled with the richest contributions of Tolkien, Rowling, Austen and Doyle. Just look beyond the window and you can see the mesmerizing lawn adjoining the library. Students do come there often. Not to read, but to chatter. There is no place curated with such care in my school, yet no one wants to go there. They would want to get as far away from books as possible. Books are not just educational. There are countless genres. Fiction, fantasy, rom-com, crime and horror are but a few. With screens all around, no one wants to read. Roald Dahl could not have been more accurate with “The Television”. Just look into the shelves, you can see middle earth calling you. Just look towards the books, you can see Alice calling you for an adventure. Just give your attention and you can feel Watson and Holmes walking through the cold streets of London and Sussex at night.