Snap! A fragment of a bright azure shoelace went sailing through the air, which was weighed down by trepidation. The distraught victim hastily rummaged through his kit while the nervous cackles hastily receded like the ebbing tide. The contestants braced themselves as officials scurried about, apparently harried by route markers, tags and pylons awaiting their designated spots. All of a sudden, the throng dispersed like the chilly morning mist fleeing the first rays of the smiling sun. A deafening ‘boom’ echoed. All at once, a billow of dust obscured vision and aroused violent bouts of sneezing as the gruelling marathon against time itself kick-started. As initial reactions subsided, a screen blared and all intrigued eyes focused on the live telecast of the incredibly strenuous run.
 
Hopes were soaring as keen onlookers’ eyes eagerly followed the unrivalled star, ‘Library’. Emanating intellect, Library flew as fast as the wind, sweltering in the scintillating sun, striving with all its might to retain its erstwhile glory. It was off to an exemplary head start, brimming with indubitable tenacity, while other contestants slogged behind. Even the nastiest impediments cowered, and hordes of proud book enthusiasts howled in unison. Soon, the humongous hurdle of the twenty-first century loomed ahead and all of a sudden, stupefaction enveloped all as Library was overtaken by a passionate debutant, oblivious to the raging heat or the towering hurdles. Impeccably, it progressed by leaps and bounds, followed by a wind-ruffled wave of awe and incredulity, as Library let out a cry of consternation. Its shriek was interrupted by a gasp as the air was sucked out from its lungs owing to its faltering on a hurdle. The very instant it crashed in a miserable heap, the fledgling loftily started flaunting its medal, glistening in the sunlight. Library was out of sight, out of mind; the world ecstatically glorified the emerging superpower. Megaphones echoed its name in even the darkest, bleakest, dreariest nooks of the globe. The moment of glory for the lionised ‘Internet’ was ironically transformed into something far from a moment.
 
Very similar is the pitiable scenario in today’s fast-paced racecar world, whizzing past those imprisoned in the crippling meshes of past partisanship and physical bonds of warmth. From the high-spirited hares of youth to the limping elderly, all have embraced the inevitable. Woefully, sore fingers from scrolling down those relentless screens have been willingly accepted with a sheepish grin, while the invigorating aroma of turning the pages into a transcendent world has been lost in oblivion. Books have always been the irrefutable treasure of power, profound gravity, fulfilment and seamless horizons. Their companionship has always been absolutely honest and unfailing. However, digital advancements have left those engrossed in this intellectually gratifying quest few and far between.
 
When was the last time you curled up under the covers, in one hand a cup of tantalising hot chocolate with inexplicable olfactory appeal, and in the other a fat, vivifying volume of that classic series ? Most probably ages. As phones and laptops upgrade themselves and apparently wield the invincible weapon against the setbacks and stumbling blocks life hurls at us, books become unwaveringly smeared with a coat of smug, smirking dust. While sites across all domains crash owing to overload of browsing population, libraries fall desolate, very like an abandoned field blanketed in weeds and nettles no one desires. The very objects that once opened, would unravel gleaming illuminated worlds of possibilities and stairways, have now been slammed shut, the doors banged shut on ceaseless horizons of novel explorations. Such is the unfathomable irony in the “progressive society”.
 
It’s high time that we become akin to how we ourselves are paving the way for utter devastation. Instead of imparting luminosity to the road accentuating our thirst for knowledge, we  are extinguishing and smashing each lamp with our own reckless hands, in a blind passionate fury of advancements. Books are indubitably our best companions, irreplaceable in our lives, while internet has perilously narrowed our horizons. We are teetering on a frail precipice of hope, on the brink of a lethal plunge into the pounding surf of tragedy. Let us once again unlock those libraries, and with people messing with books, enable floods of enlightenment to mould our creativity with expertise.