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 World Population Review 2024, the United States had the most prolific readers in

the world. Every week, the Americans spent almost seven hours, reading poring through books 357

hours per year, consuming 17 books during the period.

Not surprisingly, India came second, with its peoples clocking just under seven hours per week, only

about five minutes per week behind the Americans. In the annual reading hours of 352, the Indians

consumed 16 books. By the way, even without these data, many of us know that the Indian nation

is at the forefront when it comes to reading, writing, thinking, planning and executing. Imagine

how much more the Indians will read—and how much more wiser will they become, imbued with

new knowledge and insights—if their nation of more than 1.46 billion people manages to lift

millions out of poverty in, say, a decade?

By the way, not only the superpower and the regional power, the shadows of what used to be great

empires also read, quite a bit.

The United Kingdom, for instance, is quite a reader (you see, old habits die hard), with its peoples

reading about 6.5 hours a week or 343 hours per year, devouring 15 books annually, even in this

day and age when the great empire exists no more and the habit takes precious pounds off their

dear earnings.

Another European economic giant, France, is also a well-read country, with its peoples burning

precious Francs reading 14 books per year by spending about 5.8 hours per week and 305 precious

hours per annum.

Then comes good ole Italy, the nation of fifth most voracious readers, globally. Per the review

report, the Italians consumed 13 books in 2024, reading for 5.33 hours weekly and 278 hours.

That’s impressive, if not colossal, for an empire that is centuries past its glory days, isn’t it?

Then come Russia (11 books, 223 hours), Australia (10 books, 217 hours), Spain (nine books, 187

hours), the Netherlands (eight books, 187 hours), Switzerland (6.9 books, 157 hours) and Taiwan

(6,83 books, 157 hours).

It is quite commendable that these great nations continue to read voraciously, though most of them

no longer have to shoulder the burden of civilizing the brutes around the world.

By the way, yours truly was shocked to find the middle kingdom of the yore turned the world’s second largest economy (with the size of the economy at around $19.23 trillion) and the third most powerful military (power index: 0.0788) nowhere on the list. Statista, though, estimates that an average Chinese reads about 8.15 books — 4.75 printed books and 3.4 e-books — every year.

What is the second most populous nation of more than 1.411 billion people doing?

Are the best minds of this neighbour of ours busy playing marbles or busy innovating, developing

the 5G technology and thinking beyond the horizon?

The analytical minds preparing the world population review report would know better.

As for us, the internet does not seem much impressed with our reading habits.

How many hours do we spend reading every week and every year? What portion of our income goes in buying books? The worldwide web does not offer much data.

This probably indicates that we are not a nation of serious readers—and thinkers.

As a nation, we have lots and lots to learn from dismembering of a great nation located in a region

where nations have vanished like rays of the sun in a black hole. But we hardly read—and think

about our past, present and future as a nation—and appear determined to not learn anything from

the immediate past, leave alone history, as results of periodic elections have shown time and time

again. These polls have made it clear, more than once, that our leaders can fool us all the time.

Here’s hoping against hope that our aversion towards reading, thinking and acting strategically

won’t land us in a major crisis anytime soon. Let the ancient deities of this ancient country turned

the youngest federal, secular republic protect us all.

Text and images: Devendra Gautam