John is back to Canada and I pinged him for the next picture challenge. I have actually run out of topics for the Blog Marathon and I have just two more days to go. So what better than attempting to interpret a picture that speaks a thousand words. This one is very close to my heart. I couldn't stop thinking about this place and the city which gave me the best days of my life with a well paying and satisfying career, my own dream house and of course, my baby was born in this city.
My interpretation:
The Sapna Book House, my favorite bookstore in Bangalore speaks:
The smell of those freshly printed books just dispatched out of the printing press was so heavenly. It filled my heart with pride when I saw youngsters and adults flocking to the bookhouse at the release of a new book or to meet their favorite author. They spent a lot of time reading their favorite books and spent quite a fortune on books. They also bought books as gifts to their families and friends and also kept abreast about the bestsellers. On weekends especially, it was so crowded here. People came to buy books, music CDs, stationaries and gift items. There were special counters for adults and kids and discounts were also given. There was even a loyalty card on which you could collect points and pick up a thing of your choice when you had enough points. There was always a hustle and bustle all the year through, especially during festivals, it was a different atmosphere here. People were so happy, cheerful and enjoyed spending time here.
But now..
Online stores have almost killed my business of books.
The numbers have dwindled now. It's an era of Kindle, iPad, and e-readers. Gadgets have replaced the print medium. No one wants to spend money on books anymore. Save paper, save trees is a huge cry now. People read books on gadgets. Books are easily available there and are also very cheap. There is a lot of competition among online companies to provide books at cheaper rates than the ones available in the bookstores. But the print and the condition of the book sometimes suffer. But people are ready to compromise at it. They want things quickly, don't want to spend time in the queues or in traffic. So they get everything delivered at home or at the office.
People fail to understand that when they visited me, they met people, like-minded people, strangers who had common interests. It was a good place to socialize, to talk, to share and spend good quality time with friends. They have more time on hands now, but they are lonely, hooked to the gadgets. They want to save time to spend time online, not with real people of flesh and blood. I was their stressbuster and now they have so much time and money that they get stressed out on that too!
Isn't it a paradox?
By the way, I haven't seen those office colleagues cum friends, Mrunalini and John since a long time now. They seem to have forgotten me by now. They paid a visit here almost 2-3 times in 6 months when they were working in the same office. They had a common interest in books and blogging. I still remember their wonderful talks and the twinkle in their eyes when they loitered around the bookshelves. I wonder, what are they up to now.
I wish I see them sometime and they get to relive the good old days they had spent together as friends.
Signing off now. Time to close the shutters for the day!
My interpretation:
The Sapna Book House, my favorite bookstore in Bangalore speaks:
The smell of those freshly printed books just dispatched out of the printing press was so heavenly. It filled my heart with pride when I saw youngsters and adults flocking to the bookhouse at the release of a new book or to meet their favorite author. They spent a lot of time reading their favorite books and spent quite a fortune on books. They also bought books as gifts to their families and friends and also kept abreast about the bestsellers. On weekends especially, it was so crowded here. People came to buy books, music CDs, stationaries and gift items. There were special counters for adults and kids and discounts were also given. There was even a loyalty card on which you could collect points and pick up a thing of your choice when you had enough points. There was always a hustle and bustle all the year through, especially during festivals, it was a different atmosphere here. People were so happy, cheerful and enjoyed spending time here.
But now..
Online stores have almost killed my business of books.
The numbers have dwindled now. It's an era of Kindle, iPad, and e-readers. Gadgets have replaced the print medium. No one wants to spend money on books anymore. Save paper, save trees is a huge cry now. People read books on gadgets. Books are easily available there and are also very cheap. There is a lot of competition among online companies to provide books at cheaper rates than the ones available in the bookstores. But the print and the condition of the book sometimes suffer. But people are ready to compromise at it. They want things quickly, don't want to spend time in the queues or in traffic. So they get everything delivered at home or at the office.
People fail to understand that when they visited me, they met people, like-minded people, strangers who had common interests. It was a good place to socialize, to talk, to share and spend good quality time with friends. They have more time on hands now, but they are lonely, hooked to the gadgets. They want to save time to spend time online, not with real people of flesh and blood. I was their stressbuster and now they have so much time and money that they get stressed out on that too!
Isn't it a paradox?
By the way, I haven't seen those office colleagues cum friends, Mrunalini and John since a long time now. They seem to have forgotten me by now. They paid a visit here almost 2-3 times in 6 months when they were working in the same office. They had a common interest in books and blogging. I still remember their wonderful talks and the twinkle in their eyes when they loitered around the bookshelves. I wonder, what are they up to now.
I wish I see them sometime and they get to relive the good old days they had spent together as friends.
Signing off now. Time to close the shutters for the day!
Beautiful interpretation! Sad how the whole society is changing and how the change is killing simple things in life
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