If there was a time to catch up with reading, it is now. Higher Education Plus spoke to a host of people in the know about reading and where to source good books. Meghna Nambiar, a book lover says, “Juggernaut begun a campaign #ReadInstead. It is offering best sellers for free.
Mohan, who is in the business of publishing says, “There are people who were desperate for free time. Here is the chance. There are several platforms dishing out best sellers and one can latch on. For instance, Juggernaut has also another platform for aspiring writers.
From Twinkle Khanna, Saurav Ganguly, William Dalrymple, Rujuta Diwakar and others, one can access their work for free.
Raman Nair, a retired professor of English says, “In every catastrophe there is a silver lining and those who lost out on the habit of reading, this is the time. Speaking to Higher Education Plus, Sindhu Madavan, English Language teacher said, “For those who read a book long time ago, it is best to start with short stories and then graduate to novels. It is a habit that one needs to nurture and it takes time.”
Psychologist, Anirudh Bhattacharjee, seconds her opinion, says, “People who are not in the habit of reading can easily be distracted and also some have the problem of falling asleep, so it is best to start with 15-minute reads.”
If there is a will, there is a way, so goes the saying. For people who want to get hold of free books there is no dearth on the internet.
One needs to sit patiently and search. Anirudh adds, “Not just for pleasure but reading could also help those in finding good material for their professional work. Reading in the times of COVID-19 is the way forward. Who knows when one can chance upon that elusive material that could change your life?”