Man is known by the company he keeps. And what if the man is in the company of books? Can you judge him depending on what book he/she is reading?
What if one is seen in the company of comics or in the company of a detective novel? Or take the case of Chetan Bhagat’s Half Girlfriend that hit the stands last week; the author had himself agreed in an interview that his books aren’t the intellectual type, so will reading a book of his make one question the reader’s intellect?
Then there is this season of challenges, from ice and rice buckets, to water and books. Social media was buzzing with a list challenge. One of them involved individuals’ list of the top 10 books – favourite books, books that left an impact, etc etc..So, if one is to be judged by the list, in all probability we should show up as individuals with varying intellect.
“I might read Robin Sharma and Jhumpa Lahiri and still want to read an Archies comic. It depends on the mood and the environment I am in. Sometimes it’s just about what I can lay my hands on. Oh and my recent buy is the Harry Potter collection,” says Shreya Ram Mohan, an MBA student.
But there are readers who swear by the content and the authors they read and not only judge by their choice of reading material, but also mentally block someone who they judge as unworthy to hang out with. “Books influence us a lot and speak of our tastes; if one reads something that requires no intellect I would rather stay away from them. I broke up with a guy because he doesn’t read at all and so I felt his level of understanding things with issues about the world and how things operate would differ to a wide extent. And it did. Communal, racial issues were deep in his mind and in more than one way his approach to things didn’t suit mine. I am a bit stuck up when it comes to a life partner. So the next time I meet someone, I guess I’d just ask about the books he reads,” says Shweta Prasad, COO of a start up.
Some other book lovers like Arpita Banerjee who is also an aspiring writer, have clear preferences, “I prefer reading non-fiction as I am interested in my craft of writing. Sometimes I read fiction to learn the art of story telling. I love the way Rowling writes, especially her latest The Silkworm where she keeps the reader hooked with facts and a plot that leads from one thing to another. Yes, there may be some truth in the idea that people who like to read fiction might have an escapist mindset, while non-fiction readers might be more realistic, that folks who read poetry might have a dreamy or mindset or are idealists ” Would she judge anyone by the book they read? “No. It a matter of choice and mood,” she dismisses .
There are those interested in acting and poetry, naturally they are inclined to read classic playwrights and philosophers. “I read Shakespeare and Shaw. I also read Rimbaud, Voltaire . Then I love poetry and my long locks and beard make others think I am a substance abuser. So, yes, I am judged and I have no qualms about it. But I did also read Chetan Bhagat by flipping and skipping chapters,” smiles actor and short film maker Akshat Ajay Sharma.
No matter what your reading tastes are and others opinion on them, remember the sticker that says, “We have killed more dreams thinking of what others would think of us.”
