Whither Literature

Of the myriad of problems, issues and headaches plaguing our nation, there is one that is often overshadowed and overlooked. It is mutually concurred to be a problem by many but is seriously pondered upon by very few.

Our literature, our reading habits and hence our desire to advance intellectually has declined, greatly usurped by WhatsApp, Candy Crush and Bollywood, and all that is today’s version of what to Churchill was the ‘odious apparatus of Nazi rule’.  Not to say that modern social networks, video games and everything else that the average child is up to his neck in are a complete and utter menace to society, but the scales being tipped far too heavily to one side has negative consequences.

Television star Groucho Marx once stated, “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” He might be turning over in his grave knowing that unfortunately, so many Pakistanis, young and old, man and woman, have served to follow his golden principle the other way around. Appreciation of Urdu literature seems to have evaporated as well. Poems composed by greats such as Faiz Ahmed Faiz seem to have been restricted to rote learning in schools, then shoved aside and forgotten, their true meaning never fully comprehended. Not to mention that the audience for Mushairas and Qawwalis also seem to have slowly faded away. 

You may have heard all this before, but the sheer magnanimity of the situation begs repetition.

Has it not been said and proved that the best way of shaking those cobwebs out of the little grey cells is through a good book? And that the muscles of the brain can hardly find a better stimulant than good literature? Would it not be criminal to deny that exposing oneself to more and more words inevitably causes them to be weaved into ones’ vocabulary?  It is more than obvious of course, what that can do for you: Being able to speak with articulation gives you a confidence like no other. Whatever knowledge a book is able to impart may leave you better equipped to deal with challenges, and is something that can never be taken away from you.

The dearth of reading coupled with a local education system that has utterly massive room for improvement in the creativity sector, has lead to a dearth of creativity and critical thinking skills. Literature has the power to introduce to you ideas and worlds and characters beyond your wildest imaginations. Processing and comprehending these flexes those brain muscles more than you may know and this boost to your creative power is something that can benefit you in any situation. Having opinions on the workings of a plot, understanding and analyzing the various aspects of a story, something that can happen automatically without you forcing yourself to, lends itself to building creative analytical skills, also something that will serve you well in life.

With ‘whither literature?’ I also have the burning questions, ‘whither tolerance?’ and ‘whither empathy’?  Qualities such as these that make up the very foundations of any society seem to be in short supply here.  And that is where literary fiction comes in.

Readers, especially those who tend to be totally immersed in a novel, find themselves establishing an emotional connection with characters, effectively empathizing with them in times of tragedy and trying to understand the way they think.  And when readily acquainted with new ideas and cultures, one gains a natural tendency to understand and tolerate a belief or concept that was hitherto unknown.

This malady of course does not plague only those of the middle and upper classes. The lives of the tad less privileged of our society are also devoid of reading and literature, largely due to the lack of resources and education provided to them. Literature and intellectual advancement rarely occurs to those who find it difficult just to make ends meet.  But when a reading culture is created in society and its importance is established in the minds of people, especially teachers and parents, and schools at every level begin to actively nurture the reading and literature in its students, the benefits shall be far-reaching.  

One has enough material to go on and on when it comes to the necessity of literature in our lives but I shall refrain from doing so. Simply, whenever next you feel stressed out or have some free time on your hands, pick up a book, whatever language it may be.  Make it a habit. Start reading every day. You may find a world you never realised could be created. You may learn things you never knew or may embark on a journey you never felt you could take. One thing you will not do is regret it. 

By Imaad Hasan