This spring, I visited Bengaluru for the first time. The stay was short, and I confined myself to exploring the city rather than the touristy spots on its outskirts. I hopped from one corner to the other, absorbing the city’s hues and shades, savouring dosas and other delicacies offered in abundance. One evening, after a tiring walk around Church Street and a local shopping spree, my daughter wanted me to visit a bookstore.

She dragged us to the decrepit building’s second floor, which led us to a tiny, congested entrance, opening into a cramped room. Imagine my delight in this room spilling over with books of all sizes! As I made my way through the windingly structured store, I was welcomed by enormous bookracks, holding windows to many universes and cultures within their pages.

While my eyes were still struggling to take in the sheer volume of literature before me, I was met with another surprise. This seemingly forgotten floor was abuzz with throngs of young adults. I was swept off my feet to see this passion for books. The ambience was easy-going, eyes lazily devouring the store’s contents, enjoying this feast of words to their satisfaction. Packed into this sultry room with no air conditioner, no one minded the frugality of their surroundings, blissfully lost in the many universes opened before them.

This spectacle belied my perception of the coming generation. I had thought the art of reading was lost upon them as social media gradually chipped away at their attention spans. And yet, standing in that bookstore gave me renewed hope. It dawned upon me that this love for literature cannot be forced in classrooms. It comes from self-discovery.

A young mind yearns to learn the curiosities and magic of the world. Restricted by the physical impositions of their age, they contend themselves to windows to look outwards. Through reading, they ransack the minds and idiosyncrasies of all who come before them, seeking answers to the millions of questions taking shape in their young minds.

The human mind is a powerful biological machinery capable of churning up entire worlds from mere characters printed on paper. Kids are doubly gifted in this regard. Their minds, unencumbered by any constraints imposed by reality, come up with wild imaginations that are, literally, out of this world.

kvt.singla@gmail.com

The (writer is an associate professor of English, SA Jain PG College, Ambala City.)