The Silent Magic of Books – Senator (r) Javed Jabbar

The writer is a former Federal Minister and has, to date, written 21 books. Awards received include the UBL Award for the Best English Non-Fiction Book “Pathways”, at the 9th Karachi Literature Festival, and the State Award of Hilal-i-Imtiaz for Literature.     

In 2026 when, more than perhaps at any other time in human history, in addition to the hysteria of Breaking News on TV channels, plus   the noise and clamour, the hyper-speed of social media content and its attendant fleeting grab of attention-spans, during the onslaught of memes, forwards, clips and clamour, the sheer silence of a book can enrapture like no other medium can. With its quiet, calm, unhurried content imprinted on paper whose texture and warmth which we can touch and feel more deeply than the cold, electronic screen on our cell phones. 

There is the partly well-founded, widely-held view that book-buying and book-reading have declined significantly with the advent of the new media. Yet the fact is that even the reduced number of book shops still continue to retail books — at airports, railway stations, markets, and by home delivery. While attendance at literature festivals in cities across the country is plentiful and enthusiastic, the tens of thousands who drift through the annual book fairs at the Karachi Expo Centre reflect an abiding attachment to the printed word — regardless whether actual purchasers amongst the thousands number only dozens or hundreds. The fact is that the allure of the book abides.

After all, it is the only medium of communication through which, undistracted or guided by an intrusive voice or face or physical presence of the conduit, there is authentic, unfiltered direct transfer of content between writer and reader: a supreme fusion of origination, transmission and reception, mind-to-mind, in sublime silence, with no diversion.

While, fortunately, there is an enormous number of books on virtually every subject, there are also supportive ways to find the selected number well worth reading. In the whole range of spheres: fiction and poetic literature, history, travel, autobiographies, biographies, critical forays, science, science fiction, religions, humour, environment, contemporary affairs et al.

Just being in the company of books is itself an experience that is, by turn, soothing, inspiring, exciting. In a library, in a bookshop, in one’s own study, anywhere — regardless of whether one has read many, or most, or all the books that the eyes can see, or the titles one knows about, regardless of the fact that one will never be able to read all the books ever published, or even all the books one possesses. Just the knowledge, the wonders, the mysteries, the sobering realities, the tragedies, the joys that books contain and reveal to us — one-on-one, in total privacy — no other media can match the treasures and promises they bless us with.

Like our body which needs a balanced daily intake of nutrients, proteins, carbo-hydrates, liquids, solids, etc., so too does every human mind need…repeat need… a daily consumption of enriching content from diverse sources. By observation of life and nature around one, and by reading in quietude for 30/45 minutes or so, of, say, at least about 20 to 30 pages of a well-chosen book from any one of the spheres cited earlier. 50 pages are ideal. This is apart from absorbing the content of social media, TV, radio, cinema, etc.

And never think or say: “I don’t have the time”. Because if you really want to do something, you can always find the time. Remember: it is the busiest people who always have the time.

Next time, if invited to do so, will share names and brief details of a handful of books in English recommended for readers’ consideration.