Why is reading a great habit?

 There are readers and non readers and there are skimmers and deep readers. So what does one do to become a good reader? A reader is a leader but there is so much of knowledge and there is so little time to read that one will land up reading many things but have a feeling of restlessness at the things not read. 

This blog will try to crystallize my views on reading under the following heads: 

Study reading vs  Knowledge gathering.

Fiction vs Non Fiction. 

Faction

Spiritual reading

Rapid Reading vs Slow reading

Study reading vs  Knowledge gathering:

In most study fields and as a doctor I would refer to medical field where there are traditional Text books to study the subject. They are time honored and peer reviewed and written in a collaborative manner by experts in the field. Grey's Anatomy, Guyton & Hall Medical Physiology, Robbins Test book of Pathology, Harrison's Text book of Medicine, Love & Bailey Text book of Surgery are all the books which are classic books. Yet today a search for books on these subjects reveals a complete different set of books which are far less detailed and designed like exam guides lending themselves effective for rote learning and clearing exams. I have favored the classics and enjoyed them yet the practical value of books like the simplified notes have value too, especially when facing timelines and limited attention spans. The verdict on this is split down the middle but I still would personally vote 60:40 in favor of Knowledge books vs study books. 

Fiction vs Non Fiction: 

At different phases of life one favors different genres and types of books. The proportion of fiction vs nonfiction books changed in my case with age, in favor of nonfiction as I grew older. The reality of life and the view that mediocre fiction can result in a waste of time made me go to non fiction. Yet telling things as an anecdote or illustrated with a story made for more effective communication. Till today I recollect and enjoy the fiction books. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo and A Man called Ove by Fred Backman Random Harvest by James Hilton made for compelling reading. Arundhati Roy book God of small things and its description of Kerala was excellent and very well written book.  Her non fiction writing is also fascinating and part of my reading. Jerry Pinto Em and the Big Hoom was an excellent fiction book too. 

My reading list non fiction consists of books on hospital Administration If Disney ran your you hospital 9 1/2 things he would do differently by Fred Lee, Don't Beg: Inspire by Suman Shrivastava, The Brand Idea Managing Nonprofit Brands with Integrity, Democracy, and Affinity by Nathalie Kylander and Julia Stenzel and many such books have been of great interest. Books on public policy in India and on current situation by author Pranay Kothasthane and Josy Joseph named Missing in Action and Feast of Vultures make part of my reading. Also a book called Half Lion: How Narsimha Rao Transformed India by Vinay Sitapati was really interesting. Books on Science Life Span : Why we age -- and Why we don't have to by David Sinclair. Books on fascinating concepts like Mimetic Desires named Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Every day Life by Luke Burgis and on Nudge Theory book named Nudge:the final edition by Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein are all fascinating books. 

Faction Books

These are my category of books Fiction based on facts or even mythological books have fascinated me. The Amish Tripathi series on Shiva Ramchandra Series are all very interesting as are similar books by Devadatta Patnaik and Irawati Karwe fascinate me too. 

Gandhi books My Fascination:

This has been my obsession and I have read biographies by Louis Fischer, Ramchandra Guha and Rajmohan Gandhi. Besides, books by Gandhi Hind Swaraj, My Experiments with Truth, Keys to Health, Gita according to Gandhi. So many books on and about Gandhi make me virtually try and fathom the workings of the mind of perhaps the most influential person of the century. The Collected works of Mahatma Gandhi and Narayan Desai biography are unfinished readings maybe a Wortk in Progress. 

Spiritual Reading 

For me even as I was rational non believer teenager who found illogical rituals boring and irrational, I was confused and yearned for an anchor to overcome restlessness. Good values, honesty, integrity and not being selfish were some traits I saw in my parents and felt like I neede to imbibe them, but did not see religion as a means to learn to practice this. Adversity is a teacher and reading Gandhi and his fascination for the Bhagwad Gita made me a spiritual seeker. The Holy Geeta by Swami Chinmayananda became my first serious Gita Book. Later the ISKON Gita, Geeta Talks by Vinoba Bhave made me quickly realize the true value of this bbok as a manual on living and life itself. Essential Unity of Religion by Bhagwan Das made come to the conclusion that all religions are essentially one in their message. More versions of Gita especially Bhagwad Gita for Daily Living Volume I-II-III are part of my reading list and the second reading or even third give a different perspective to lfe. Upanishads by the same author and such have molded my personality for the better. I have read translations of Gathas by Iruch Tarapoewala. All this led me to pursue a course in Vedanta by Swami Parthasarthy a three year course based on scriptural studies comprising many books Fall of Human Intellect, Governing Bussiness and Relationships, Holocaust of Attachment, Vedanta Treatise, Selected Poems, Bhaja Govindam, AtmaBodha, Bhagwat Gita, Selected Poems, Upanishads, were read and studied for three years. The Collected works of Vivekananda appeal to me as one of the most well reasoned logical articulation of sanatana dharma a word in today's context which is misinterpreted more than understood. 

Rapid Reading vs Slow reading:

As I realised the enormity of available knowledge as opposed to the time available I took up a course in rapid reading and benefitted from the same. However, there are certain books which lend themselves to rapid reading like racy novels. Often long winded descriptions of nature and cities of old which did not have a cultural context made me either skip certain passages. I have not been able to make up my mind which method of reading to prefer. 

Books and Movies based on books:

The universal feeling that movie adaptations are never as good as the book holds true in many cases barring a few exceptions. Guide the movie vs Guide the novel, Olver twist the novel Vs the movie. Man called Ove novel vs Man called Otto movie. At best in my humble opinion a movie can be nearly as good as novel but never better. 

Biographies and Memoirs:

I like them too, one on Sardar by Rajmohan Gandhi, Discovery of India by Nehru, Loius Fischer on Gandhi are good to read and understand. Biography of Tatas by Rusi Lala. A memoir by Shant Gokhale One foot on the Ground was a excellent recent memoir.

With this I rest my blog and I am still feeling that I love reading and I wish I could read and retain more. I request you readers to give me some choices in simple economics books. 

Vispi Jokhi