Right from our childhood, we have been told that ‘reading is a good habit and that we all should inculcate the habit of reading good books’.

But have we ever seriously considered the concept of ‘good books’?

Perhaps yes, perhaps not… the answer seems to swing from one side to the other.

As a child, I had the habit of collecting books – especially the children’s classics.

Though some of them are still waiting to be read and completed, I continue to cherish those days when buying new books was a passion.

Buying books remains a passion, but over time, my choices have changed – and so have my reading habits.

I do not know if I have yet found my ‘good book’ (the one my elders, teachers, and father used to speak about).

From what I have learned, a good book is one that provides wholesome entertainment and enhances our "intellectuality".

But again, there are certain books which are not intellectually profound, yet they are still considered good – primarily due to their popularity and readers’ acceptance.

From the publication of the world’s first book to the latest bestseller, our reading habits have evolved – and with them, the idea of a ‘good read’ has taken a new turn.

While the old school believes that classics and masterpieces are timeless, the new school argues that such works change with time.

They believe each era gives birth to new classics and masterpieces.

It is a long-standing debate, with no clear victor or vanquished.

Blast From The Past

The year was 2013, and the place was a coffee shop in Guwahati.

A budding yet renowned English writer of Assamese origin was scheduled to host a storytelling session.

The gathering was an intimate one, and I was fortunate enough to be invited.

Though I was not particularly interested in non-fiction back then – nor am I now – this session intrigued me. I wanted to become acquainted with a Gen-X writer who was being compared to some of the greats.

As the evening unfolded and discussions commenced, I realised that although the writer was a modern voice, his roots were firmly planted in the past. He found it difficult to sever that connection.

“Classics are classics, and no one can ever free themselves from their influence,” he said firmly.

He was absolutely right. When I later read his book, I found it imbued with the theatrical essence of the classic golden era.

Moreover, his writing style was simple, reminiscent of early 19th and 20th-century authors who captured daily, mundane incidents and narrated them in a vivid yet lucid manner.

Nonetheless, the book is indeed gripping, and I would certainly call it one of the modern-day classics!

Going further back, I recall a conversation with a senior from Darrang College, Tezpur, who was then a voracious reader.

At the time, I had developed a liking for the works of Anuradha Sarma Pujari – a new-age Assamese author whose books always portray powerful female characters.

When I mentioned my preferences, she laughed and said, “You are yet to get the cream of Assamese literature. You have not read the greats.”

I told her I had read Mamoni Raisom Goswami, Birendra Nath Bhattacharyya, Abdul Malik, Shilabhadra, and Rita Chowdhury.

But she replied, “Mamoni Baidew is powerful, but brother, you still have not read the cream. Assamese literature has even greater writers than those you’ve named.”

Her response left me flabbergasted. Was my reading selection that poor?

Even if I had not read Homen Borgohain or Shakespeare, I had read other significant authors. Why, then, did I not qualify as a good reader?

Perhaps it comes down to personal perception. I took her words seriously and began doubting my literary sense.

When my elder brother echoed similar thoughts, I truly began questioning my reading habits. Since then, I largely stopped reading fiction and started focusing more on non-fiction – direct, hard-hitting, and precise.

Guwahati’s Ankita Dutta once recounted a discussion during her MBA coaching classes, where one of the faculty members ridiculed those who had grown up reading Mills & Boon.

To him, M&B books were a complete waste of time with no literary value.

“But sir, I developed my English through M&Bs,” Ankita countered.

To this, the teacher replied, “Still, such books are a waste of time. And as for improving your English, M&Bs are no guidebooks. They merely depict a section of elite society in English.”

This exchange again made me wonder – if M&Bs are truly that poor, why do millions of teenagers around the world read them? And why do publishers still continue printing them?

Books & A Writers’ Arena

An editor friend once explained the idea of reading ‘good books’ through an anecdote: a reader once complimented Sarat Chandra, saying he was a better writer than Rabindranath Tagore and questioning why the latter received more acclaim.

To this, Sarat Chandra replied, “Well, it’s just that I write for you, while Rabindranath Tagore writes for me.”

The anecdote is both witty and profound – and I believe it holds true for many writers and readers.

For instance, understanding Khalil Gibran is not everyone’s cup of tea, whereas criticising Chetan Bhagat seems to be a default mode for the country’s ‘elite’ readers.

“Writers write for themselves first, and for the world later,” said Chandan Sarma, a budding Assamese writer.

“If I am not satisfied with what I write, I am sure readers will also be disappointed. And if, in the process, my writing appears poor to some, good to others, or highly literary to a few – I cannot control that,” he added.

“Every writer in the world first writes for themselves, then for others.”

“And when it comes to reading, I believe the norms have changed. The classics of the past remain classics, but we also have modern-day classics now,” he concluded.

Footnote

Reading is a deeply personal matter, and we are drawn to books that attract us on a literary level. Whether it is a classic or a bestseller, every book has its own charm and charisma.

Reading only classics does not make one an intellectual, nor does reading bestsellers make one unintelligent.

Every book carries a message – it is up to us to understand and interpret it.

The days are gone when ‘good books’ only meant those written during the Victorian era. We should not limit our reading horizon to a single category – rather, we should indulge in voracious reading.

“Read Literotica, and you will see how far a person’s imagination can travel,” says Arimatta (pen name), an aspiring writer.

Writing is all about imagination, and reading is about understanding and relating to it.

If my columns in this blogzine make an impact on readers’ minds, then I am a successful writer. If not, then I am a failed one.

Nevertheless, the effort I put in is no less than that of any award-winning writer.

It is New Year’s time, and the winter is colder than the last. What better moment to grab a book – or perhaps a few – crawl under a quilt, and begin reading?

Happy reading hours!

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