Does it ever happen to you? You just put on headsets and forget to play any music or any Video or Audio file while browsing laptop or computer? And even while playing some track(s), you simply let it repeating and forget to realize? Well, I am a regular victim of this symptom and I really don’t know what it is being called? But I am sure this is common among most of the users.
What bother me these days is, price of BOOKS. Yes, you heard right, I am complaining or in sophisticated way I am raising a concern. Most of the people around me are complaining about high prices of Sugar, Gram, and Oil etc. It does not mean that I am unaffected but C’mon yaar, let me take a stand for something different and something equally important. (Now don’t calculate my IQ level, I am not comparing books with all these daily basic requirements) but since all are already raising voice for bringing down the cost of basic requirement. And yes I also support this. Unfortunately, in this great nation one side we are on continues demand for hike in salary (Majdooro ki Maang) and other way outside the campus we switch this demand to zero down the cost of basic requirement (Aam Janta ki Maang). Between these two activities if we get some spare time we consider it as a leisure, and utilizing it depend upon accessibility to entertainment. As like many others I prefer reading books. Fiction, non fiction I love it.
And I won’t call it rising price, but since non raising monthly salary putting restrictions on calling book price as affordable. In some manner if buying book limits to one or two then somehow cost is affordable. But in this case also I really wonder how students, non working people manage to fulfill their thirst of reading. Somebody said library? A book library? Well I am in search of one, which is accessible in suburban areas of Mumbai and which have storage of updated fiction and non fiction titles. Nowadays we find most of the audio or music library. Book libraries are missing, and even if I find any, it won’t solve my problem completely. Reading is my passion but collecting books to my own personal library is my hobby, and I am very much sure that there are many book lovers who love collecting books as well.
Nowadays e-book term is very much famous or well known to every one that people goes clueless on asking about copy of book. Audio books neither are much promoted nor such accessible easily in Mumbai (except some talking book websites). But reading books page by page is another joy. Normal range of book pricing is 100 bucks. I am talking about general fiction titles. For non fiction it goes beyond 100. Thanks to the book fair which at least offer some 5 to 10% discount? I have seen such regular book fair at Vashi near Assam Bhavan Campus, Other than that till back to Vikhroli via Thane hardly I could find any such book fair. Why is it so? Or are we responsible or our life style that we are running away from books? I remember a one-liner I used to see it on a black board during school days when I was a student, “books are man's best friend”. So where are our best friends? (They are available on demand with high price tags). Or is it an unnecessary demand which is not suitable for today’s speedy lifestyle? Should we start promoting or supporting only e-books and talking books? Does actual reading should be limited to the morning news paper and then continue with the school/college text books?
After banging boom of blogging; tweeting and microblogging is in demand. I wonder how to express specific in microblogging. Even if I try to summaries this, it would echo like ‘please cut down the book price.’ Well Jokes apart, publishing houses might be doing well. Books might be selling on a large scale but are they covering every individual reader? Why should I borrow a book, and why should I search it in library if I can buy it? And why shouldn’t I buy it if it is affordable? Whatever calculation it may be, but book costing Rs 500, 1000, 2000 and more is not fair. I respect the writers who pen down thoughts in the form of words and I appreciate the task of publishers for spreading it to every corner of world. I expect it to be a win-win situation for everyone.
Awareness about reading is requiring in today’s society and thus increasing response will help publishing houses to bring down the cost. Other possible alternative to cut down the cost is, generating revenue by print advertisement in the books. If we don’t work on this issue wisely, it will help piracy industry to grow and mug entire publishing and writer royalty zone. Original books which costing 1000 rupees are available at fort fountain area in pirated version just for 100 to 150 rupees (i.e.$2 to $4), while famous fiction titles are available for fixed price rate of 60/- Only. No wonder if people prefer to buy these pirated versions to fulfill their thirst of reading.
