The point for today’s submission is whether books that we read are more effective or the books that we listen. This did not and can’t come to my mind, since I have never considered books to be something that should be listened. I am discussing it based on an IndiSpire prompt for this weekend.

Yes book reading has been something I loved for quite long time, now I rarely read anyway. May be internet is the villain in this case, there is no time left for reading. That habit also has been lost to great extent.

But listening to books? I understand that listening to music is nice and I  can keep listening to songs and ghazals sung by my favorite singers for hours and hours. So the audio medium is quite good for music no doubt.

Sometimes when somebody wants to worship and does not remember the prayer or mantras, he or she can play cassette, CD etc. of the mantras. Sometimes people also prefer to get the chanting done by the digital medium and by listening to the Mantras etc., they consider their worship to be complete.

Further the audio medium is good instructor, when people want to do some yoga, exercises or  any procedure of dhyaan etc. for their well being, they can use audio system. The audio can be a good instructor and we can follow the audio instructions for all that.

So the basic difference I feel is that – ‘books are best friends or companions’ we consider. This is true for the books in print only. I can’t think of any audio item (CD, Cassette or whatever digital audio form), to be book. These can be good instructors, good medium for listening to music, but I do not find it easy to accept that as a book, to listen to any story or say novel in audio form.

Further for listening to a big story, novel etc.  in audio form, the narrator needs to have some extra ordinary oration skills, it is not easy to keep the interest of the listener intact for long time. When we read and find something not easy to comprehend in first reading, we read that again. The orator has to keep in mind what may not be understood by listener in first instance. The atmosphere has to be created by the orator and interest of the listener to be kept alive.

For study material, the audio medium may be used  to some extent but it can not compete with the print form in any way.

• This is my humble submission on the subject- Books that you listen vs books that you read. Which of these is the winner? #Books on #IndiSpire.

Thanks for reading.

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