Read: Dream With Your Eyes Open!

Read: Dream With Your Eyes Open!

Have you ever felt like you are solving a crime with Sherlock Holmes, when suddenly someone calls you and you snap back into reality? Or like you actually came back to your room after a 2 hour long drive through the roads in a village in a faroff land?

Well, maybe we all have been through such experiences, especially if one is a vivid reader. That’s the power of books where we can be transported to a whole new world in a matter of seconds!

Did you know that there is a day dedicated towards celebrating this amazing power of books? World Book Day, also known as World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book, is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright. It was first celebrated on 23 April in 1995. This date was chosen as it marks the death anniversary of William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, along with being the birth or death anniversary of several other prominent authors.

Last 2 years, people had to be confined to their rooms because of the pandemic. That’s when loneliness crept in more than ever for most of us. Studies by UNESCO show that people found companions in books during these isolated times. In many countries, the number of books read doubled during the pandemic. Reading can, undoubtedly, help cope with isolation, improve creativity and and also help us fire up our imaginations. It broadens our intellectual horizons in such spectacular ways. A talented writer can help us imagine a completely new world, a gift that can be so deeply transformative if used right.

Let’s celebrate this day of books today by visiting a local library which we may have ignored all these years. Try gifting an impactful book which you have already read to someone who hasn’t read it yet. There are many book exchange events conducted by book-lovers across the globe. Being part of such initiatives can help us explore genres which we have never read before. Try to instill the habit of reading among kids around you in order to turn the clock back, at least a bit, on the rampant screen addiction that is becoming more intense in each subsequent generation. This is something we can contribute to even through small steps. Try gifting a kid a beautiful story book next time, instead of a video game. Why go to such pains to preserve a reading habit? Reading is an activity that, if undertaken reflectively, can transform us in so many ways, as individuals and as societies. So happy reading!