Why do Indians give no priority to book buying?
It s not only a question of just buying books. It is the question of the very attitude. We wouldn t mind spending on a pair of Nike shoes worth Rs 4,000, but would hesitate to buy a book of that price range. We don t know the difference between loneliness and solitude and the great majority of us don t spend time thinking, talking to oneself or just by themselves. Then, we are not inquisitive enough. Even when we read a book we merely read it without feeling it. That s probably why we grow up without knowing the difference between flowers or different species of butterflies. And the few who do buy books are very status conscious. I mean they would buy a Vikram Seth, for that would go with their status. It is said that more than the Indian reader it is the Indian publishers who cheat the writers/authors. Is it true? Authors are the most ignored class in the country. They have sweated it out, yet have rarely got a good deal. However, here I must say that my rapport with the authors is su
