Comparing books with e-books would be like comparing Shahrukh Khan with Ranbir Kapoor. One is a legend and the other heartthrob of millions. It’s like drawing lines between two different generations.
Nothing can substitute the redolence and texture of pages, the feel of print and the pleasure of running your hands over the embossed book cover and the pride of holding the hardcopy in your hand. But what about doing our bit for the environment and saving paper?
Real books vs. e-books is a never ending debate.
I’m not taking a middle ground but trying to help you in making your mind. Yes, e-books are quite ‘in’ today and books seem like a thing of past, but history repeats itself. Isn’t it?
One cannot run away from the fact that e-books are handy, inexpensive, and eco-friendly. You can use them while travelling. You have thousands of options to choose from and that too at the ease of a click without worrying about dog-eared pages and all that stuff. It’s tailor made for the impatient India. The hard copies are for someone like me who is very attached to the traditions. No device, battery and warranty required.
What are books? The internet generation will tell you it’s something they have stopped caring about since the day they have started using internet. This is where one needs brain storming..
No doubt, the ease that e-books provide is amazing. The option of highlighting some important lines without worrying about it being permanent and of looking up the dictionary at just one click make them quite handy to use. But don’t count the traditional books out. They never were, are, and will be. Indian students not carrying bags but tablets/laptops still looks like a distant dream to me. India still has a mile to walk in this digital era. After a day’s long work, I am sure nobody wants to get exposed to the electromagnetic field yet again. All you need is a soul-soothing reading without giving your eyes much strain.
The e-paper wave is catching up fast but have you stopped subscribing to newspapers? Ask yourself and you will get the answer about the future of books.
