Sharing Is Caring

Rather unexpectedly I came upon this dampening observation that I couldn’t share my e-books with my friends. Of course when I had read ‘Below’ by Ryan Lockwood on Google play books and had wanted to immediately share it with my reading partner P, I was deeply disappointed to know that though I had purchased the ebook, I had no copy of it on my drive. I had promptly forgotten that deep disappointment as we continued our shared passion to read by lending each other hard copies of the books we purchased. It resurfaced recently while I was trying to watch my downloaded Amazon Prime movie on my TV. I realized that I needed a really smart TV to watch the movie with S. He hates seeing it on the mobile or lap top. 

Recently, I believe Kindle has allowed its users to sharebooks with their families albeit for only 14 days, which is death for a slow reader like me. The borrower I believe would not require a Kindle or Fire Tablet, instead they could read it on the Kindle app. But of course there are quite a few restrictions to this sharing idea, if you are keen on it.  Even GooglePlay has a family library group that has to be registered with them along with I think the credit card details. I followed their directions but couldn't find the 'family' tab in my menu. (Yes, eye roll going on now). You could only imagine what a lot of trouble this is for a person sitting on the fence on the usefulness of e-books.

During the good old days when Kindle and Google Play were not even a figment of imagination, the first sign of our annual holidays having really started used to be the anticipation of visiting the local library. Since I was one of the youngest in a group of 10 odd children including my bossy brothers, I had to impatiently wait for them to reach a date to visit the library. We used to take out our BSA Champs and SLRs and follow the eldest through the meandering streets of Mylapore to go to Luz, where all the action happened.

A Lending Library in Chennai

I was thrilled to put my five odd rupees to use for picking up the books I liked. Of course, what seemed like plenty of money on the way to the library, would always end up being never ever enough. The choices were tough. To go with Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys or Enid Blyton’s Secret Seven or Famous Five? To choose the light yet addictive American high school series Archies or go for the chaste yet witty Indian Jataka Tales or Panchatantra comics? All this to own for five bucks? In my dreams!

So we had a pact, all of us. Each picked a couple of books and then the books got circulated before the next visit to the library. In all, we felt as if we owned the 20 odd books that we brought back with us. What fun the reading sessions would be! After entire day of playing house-house and Kings and Dodge Ball, we used to get immersed in the world of comics and mystery. And then we had to give the books to next in line and get ours from them. For a middle class’ reading hobby, sharing books from the library was a Godsend. It was cheap and fun and most of all, it taught us the valuable lesson of sharing and being happy with what we had. All of it we learnt in an offhanded manner, without the adult’s in our lives dictating the lesson or drilling it in. It was all formed and acted out by us children and that was why it was so cool and the lesson so easy to follow.

If the present generation would even attempt to do the above with their electronic devices, I can only see them having to exchange their Kindle or their Tablets for a few days so that the other friend can read what they have been reading. Exchange, only if the other had a similar device; so friendship would have to be among equals. If not, one would have to magnanimously give their device for a few days just as one would a book, in return for a regular book from a friend.

Either ways I look at it, I can’t help but wonder if we are bringing up a generation of supple minds who would grow into an unenviable world where ‘empathy’ and ‘astute living’ would only mean a few positive words and which would probably be understood in essence rather than by practice.

As for me, I fervently wish that the world of books with its print and ink would not disappear too soon. Or at least during my lifetime.