Why I Fell In Love With A Kindle
Nirbhay Kanoria
May 18, 2018
Recently, when I least expected it, I got quite the fright. It was compounded by the fact that I had never thought anything to do with this little black object could, in any way, alarm me. You see, my Kindle had less than a quarter of the battery left, and I had lost the charger, a few hours before a nine and a half hour flight.
Luckily, I am still old school and have a stack of physical books in my anti-library. I chose Half Of A Yellow Sun and The Twelve Caesars, and promptly put one in my hand luggage and one in my suitcase. Nonetheless, my dreams of switching between multiple books- taking a break from the heavy-duty Narcopolis by reading a chapter of A Chamber of Secrets, of entertaining my daughter by reading her favourite Fox In Socks and of picking up a few business tips while perusing Zero To One– all while 35,000 feet in the sky, were shattered. My romantic-self had imagined a picnic mat stretched out on the green grass of Hyde Park, my kid running around the ducks, while I reached into my pocket and pulled out my handy little black device and settled down to read An Era Of Darkness: The British Empire In India (yes, I get the irony).
Studies have shown that since laptops and smartphones are backlit, the ‘blue light’ they emit reduces the production of melatonin. Using them before sleeping may cause insomnia, harm your sleep quality, and even increase the risk of certain cancers! Now my Kindle Paperwhite, on the other hand, is front lit and does not emit the blue light, so according to experts, it is safe to assume it does not pose the same threats as smartphones, tablets, etc. Of course, it would be ideal if I could read a paper book, but I’m guessing switching on a light of any kind would lead to a rather irate spouse.
Furthermore, I’ve decided to add to my already excessive workload by deciding to learn Spanish. I’ve downloaded Spanish Short Stories For Beginners which, as the name suggests, is a collection of easy-to-read short stories in Spanish for those wanting to learn the language. If I don’t know a word, I can simply highlight it and the translation service will give me the English version of it. Now, I feel quite proud when my Spanish teacher tells me I am picking up the language way faster than other people but little does he know my secret.
It is funny how sometimes words come back to bite you in the you-know-where. I was, unfairly, the biggest critic of the Kindle, and refused to even touch one. And look at me now, gushing and babbling like a baby. I have fallen in love, this time, not with a human but a device. Oh, and, in case you are wondering, not only did the battery survive the flight, but after landing in London, I simply ordered the charging wire, and a picnic mat, both of which arrived in two days. I juiced up my Kindle and headed over to Hyde Park the very same evening, with my kid in tow, and the Kindle and duck food secure in my backpack.
As a young boy, Nirbhay had the annoying habit of waking up at 5 a.m. Since television was a big no-no, he had no choice but to read to entertain himself and that is how his love affair with books began. A true-blue Piscean, books paved the path to his fantasy worlds- worlds he’d often rather stay in. Nirbhay is the co-founder and publisher of The Curious Reader.
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The illustrations are super cute!