Long long back- "Hey, what are you reading?" "Oh, this awesome book called.... .... you should read it!"

Today- "Hey what are you reading?" "Nah, I'm just downloading this book from the net. Let's see if I actually read it."

Yup! Gone are those days when youngsters used to throng the libraries to get their hands on their favourite novels. Gone are the times when reading was something as natural as breathing. Today, browsing the net, watching the idiot box and late night phone calls are what youth are all about. Give them a best seller and free access to the net; you can guess which one they'd opt for!

According to Tapas Bhattad, a college student, "With the myriad gadgets and gizmos hitting the market, youth today have become more tech savvy and an avid reader is hard to come by. Gadgets have begun to cloud over books. Conversations weave around the coolest multi featured gizmo or the latest fashion trends rather than a recently launched best seller. Movies based on books have further managed to smother the already feeble 'reader' in a person. A good chunk still finds a good book more appealing than a latest TV show."

With bestselling books like the Da Vinci Code or PS: I Love You being converted into block buster movies, it is hardly surprising that the youngsters find watching movies an easy way out.

Anupam Mundra, a college student feels that reading hasn't gone down completely but to a large extent is has. "The main reason for this is being addicted to the internet and TV! Today, you can read books online so youth don't do much of reading. Reading hasn't gone down the drain yet, but it is fast approaching that state. It's sad but true."

Mrs. Kalyani, a school teacher has a lot to say on that. "We hardly find kids sitting in the library and doing research for their umpteen projects. Now, it's all about 'googling' the key terms and getting everything that you need with just a click of the mouse. The only occasion where I find children reading books is on World Reading Day and that too, because of compulsion. The students need to realise that reading should be their passion. Be it a novel or a magazine or a comic, reading should be inculcated in today's generation. Professors as well as parents should tackle this laziness on the part of students."

With more and more youngsters being born into the tech savvy age, it is highly doubtful if the art of reading will actually prevail. We could only hope for the best!

By
Rashmi Kumar