Why read?

“History teaches us that man learns nothing from history.” The wise words from Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel ring so true for the whole of humanity, especially in this day and age of 5G technology, artificial intelligence and the internet of things that offers the human race a rarest of the rare opportunity to make this living planet liveable for all, and make significant dashes for higher heavens at the same time. To say the least, two great wars and limited wars in Europe and the Mideast, which might morph into broader wars, have shown how exact Hegel has been, all along. Those who don't learn from history are doomed to repeat it, goes another nugget, from George Santayana. This home truth emphasizes the importance of studying the past—and learning lessons—to avoid repeating the same mistakes, It’s a given that there’s not much learning without studying, right? Now, let’s try to find where we stand in the league of voracious readers around the world, as a nation. According to the...