Friendship and Books

The poet Robert Southey has beautifully called books his never failing friends with whom he converses day by day. Books are true friends they can be by our side in whatever mood we are. They enlighten, give knowledge, entertain and inform us. Books are written with experienced people so we learn from their lives. We can carry books with us when we travel. They are our constant companions. when we are tired of reading we can close them, we can even read them at midnight. They fill our minds and hearts with hope and joy. Unlike human friends they never deceive or betray us. Books have inspired people through the ages. The first book of the Aryan called the Rig-Veda has a lot for us to learn and understand even after 3000 years. Books like the Ramayana and Mahabharata are relevant in modern times and teach people the ways of life. Writers like Gandhi have put forward to us their life on a platter to understand their goals and teachings.

When we read books, we are in the company of the best and the noblest minds of all ages. They enrich our minds by providing us with knowledge and widen the frontiers of our imagination.

Books play important role in influencing our character and personality. A man is known by the company he keeps so it is necessary to pick the right books. Reading is a habit and one should cultivate since childhood. It is the best leisure time activity – one must slowly graduate from picture comics, fairy tales, detective and romance stories to good literature.

But one must have a proper choice of books to read. This will depend on our temperament and tastes. Today there is a lot of trash and violence depicted in books. They also encourage criminal activities so care should be taken while choosing books to read.

Books also need to be taken care of – one must avoid folding pages, loosening the rib, marking pages in somebody else’s books or tearing pages from library books. Books are written on different topics like history, geography,