The fruitful journey of reading
Syed Mustafa Ahmad
An in-depth study of life can only be done either by living life itself or, to some extent, by reading about the lives of others to develop a perspective on life. In this context, the editor of this newspaper, in response to one of my writings, had remarked that all writers speak their thoughts through the language of others. That is, a person expresses his own point through another person.
Reading books and newspapers are also links in this same chain. If I speak of my own experience, esteemed newspapers like Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Reader were the ones who ushered me into the world of reading. About ten years ago, the aforementioned newspapers used to publish such refined articles that a reader’s thirst would be quenched yet not fully satisfied.
Articles were written and polished with such depth and nuance that a reader would almost detach from other responsibilities of life. Behind this passion for reading books is also the hand of those kind teachers who, to remove our helplessness, lit the lamps of wisdom and curiosity and provided us with the initial lessons in the intricacies of reading.
D.H. Lawrence, in his poem “Last Lesson of the Afternoon,” also speaks of igniting a flame to eradicate the apathy of the students, which had emerged against the backdrop of the industrial revolution.
Our situation was also similar to those students. Living in an age of development, we were miles away from the springs of knowledge and governance, but as mentioned above, how benefactor teachers and some renowned newspapers brought rivers of freshness and energy flowing into our desolation.
Apart from the aforementioned newspapers, The Hindu, The Indian Express, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Time Magazine, Frontline, The Caravan, etc., brought refinement to our lives.
During college days, when we had started to spread our wings, the world’s famous newspapers and magazines left deep imprints on our minds. When our age was demanding exploration and movement, at that time we were engrossed in the passion for reading quality Urdu and English.
The lucid English of The Economist, as it were, made us permanent devotees of the English language. The depth of The Caravan, as it were, provided the means for depth in life. The charm of Frontline never faded. Holding the pages of India Today, it felt as if, would there ever come a day when I too could write an editorial that is the identity of this esteemed weekly magazine? There were so many occasions when we tried to buy the next issue first, foregoing food and drink for the sake of newspapers and magazines.
Now, what are those lessons that we learned from newspapers and magazines? A brief mention of some is being made in the coming lines.
The first is mental expansion. Our mind’s windows opened up through various newspapers and magazines. Before reading, there were piles of ignorance and falsehood everywhere, but after reading, to some extent, ignorance decreased and the substance for seeking truth was born.
Now, it has become a habit, as it were, for every accepted statement to pass through various stages of truth. We no longer commit the folly of considering any statement as an indelible line. From this, magnificent and robust qualities of respecting other people’s viewpoints also emerged.
The second is command over language. From English to Urdu newspapers and magazines, they provided the opportunity to understand the nuances of language. How words are structured into sentences is all a gift from these quality newspapers and magazines.
Before reading, the construction of words was entirely wrong, but thanks to reading, besides recognizing words, understanding how they are structured is all a gift from the fourth pillar of democracy, especially the print media. Reading the world’s capable and intelligent writers ingrained in our minds the thought that we too can write such pure and heart-winning prose.
The third is the proper use of time. Reading more than one newspaper and magazine daily leads to the proper utilization of time. During reading, a reader reaches such valleys of depth that the feeling of lack of time becomes overwhelming. An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. In contrast, reading newspapers and magazines leads to the maturity of feelings and thoughts, in addition to the mind.
The fourth is the struggle of life. I belong to a middle-class family. There are no major sources of employment at home, but still, by doing labour and other small tasks, I have been a buyer of books, newspapers, and magazines for years. Sometimes taking some money from friends, sometimes from my labourer father, I purchase these things. Restraining my own stomach’s desires, holding pages in my hands, and then making them an adornment for the home library creates a unique sweetness. From this, besides a sense of responsibility, an understanding of the value of money also develops. This makes living life easier.
The fifth and final lesson is concern for future generations. A nation that spends on education or books can never be destroyed. The roots of such a nation are very deep and strong. The substance to rise up is filled to the brim in such a nation. The example of Umberto Eco can be given here.
But it is written with great regret how, now, the passion for reading books, newspapers, and magazines is becoming rare. If you talk to any bookseller or newspaper vendor, their answer will be the same: in this era of artificial intelligence and Generative AI, e-learning and PDFs have taken over. Now, one or two out of a hundred people buy books and newspapers.
According to them, besides books, newspapers and magazines are also sold out. Now, matters are presented in them by twisting and turning facts. The cruel are presented as oppressed and the oppressed as cruel. The plunderer is presented as a guide and the guide as a plunderer. Those who throttle democracy are shown in these books and newspapers as guardians of democracy.
Whatever the state of affairs may be, and no matter how filled with lies books and newspapers are, the ranks of serious readers are increasing every day. Their gaze is on both sides of the coin. They see differently from others. If we also include ourselves in this row, it would be great disrespect, but fortunately, we are, on our individual level, constantly moving in the search for truth.
With changing times, different kinds of readers are needed now. Besides sold-out newspapers and magazines, extracting pearls of truth from sold-out books and conveying them to other people is the need of the hour. The number of readers may decrease and increase, but a pure reader is always a seeker of truth. His life and death are for the sake of truth.
For this truth, he can go to any justifiable length, and this is why the zest for reading remains today. In conclusion, I request the readers to cultivate a passion for reading within themselves. I started the article with my own story so that it would create a kind of mind-set. I like many writers, but reading Kazuo Ishiguro’s books offers a different kind of pleasure. Therefore, you all should definitely read his books. May Allah Almighty grant us all beneficial knowledge?
