When I was young, my parents used to drop me at a library on Saturday mornings. From the kids section to historical archives, my weekends were spent browsing the bookshelves, finding my next read. I grew up as a reader and I’m still one.
A survey by gallup Pakistan came out last year which stated that 3 in 4 Pakistanis claim not to read any books at all, that’s 75% of us! Only 9% of us are avid readers. Which makes me really question: did we as a generation stop reading? And when did it happen? Was it when we were handed over our first cell phones and our lives were redirected towards consuming new forms of content? Or does it go even back, did television do this to us?
Recently, Saeed Book Bank, the largest bookstore in Islamabad announced that it’s closing down. If you’re a reader then you know what I’m talking about. Apparently, they aren’t selling any more books?
My personal take is less linked to books but rather what happened to the content of our books. As a South Asian Pakistani, my worldview is especially unique and so are my life experiences and as I grew older I sought more and more literature that was written in the same socio-cultural context. And the more I sought the more I was disappointed, apart from the occasional Mohsin Hamid book, authors that I can relate to or who write in a voice that reflects my own are few and rare. Maybe that is why we turned towards other forms of content.
Publishing houses, writer communities, literary events etc. need to re-build the body of work being sold at our bookstores. There are countless Patras Bukharis out there, waiting for their craft to be given light, the moment our books become our own and we start writing in our voice, books will find their way back into our lives – maybe in e-readers this time and not so much in paperbacks but I’m all about making things more accessible and my kindle will always have a special place in my life.
Until then – don’t give up on books just yet!
