You get to build your perfect space for reading and writing. What’s it like?
The narrative reflects on the evolution of study spaces and the challenges of concentration amid distractions. It contrasts the past’s communal study environments and cramming methods with modern demands for personal study rooms, emphasizing minimalism and functionality. Ultimately, it advocates for simple, serene spaces conducive to effective learning and writing.
Except for the occasional call of Barbet, the area was quiet. The balmy sun was shining bright, with a few fluffy clouds in the azure sky. The park, with thick vegetation, a Victorian structure, and a few old British cannons placed for show, was serene. On one side in the background, there was yet another Victorian structure housing a library. Dotted with a few students studying under the clumps of shrubbery, the whole ambience complimented the sky.
Watching students study in isolation instigated an urge to follow their way. I tried to do the same. One afternoon, lugged with course books, I also went to the park to satisfy my wish. Like few of them who were engrossed in their studies, I, too, after spotting a clump, sat to study. Concentrating apart, I was unable to read even a line in the book. The words would lift from the page and vanish in the air. I tried hard and sat there for quite some time but couldn’t concentrate on the book. Most of the time, my mind was distracted.
I stood up and leaving the study materials on the ground, started walking up and down in a limited area. The surroundings were alluring, and I enjoyed it, forgetting about my “studies”. I couldn’t understand how others concentrate on their studies in such an atmosphere.
It was a time when having a separate room for studies was not in currency. The family used to live in a common room where privacy-like things were beyond imagination. Students used to go out in the park to prepare for their course to secure good marks in the examination. Electricity was a luxury, and children used to read in the feeble and flickering light of a lamp (“Dhibari”) or a lantern. Sitting encircled around a lamp like ants on a piece of jaggery, they used to fight for more light, pushing others to the side.
The study used to be cramming the lesson or topic; at least, I thought so. Understanding a topic or lesson was out of scope. Teachers also did not focus on understanding. Mediocre students like me did not understand the topic. The topic appeared written in Greek and Latin. The best and most convenient way to anyhow manage and pass the examination was to cram the topic. The stigma of “failure” was so big and ferocious that the very thought would shake the student head to toe.
It used to cost heavily to the tender minds of a teenager, but it was not anybody’s concern. Passing the examination was the prime goal and getting “first division” was a premium. A student getting above fifty per cent marks was considered satisfactory since he was capable of clear the examination.
Time slipped. The teenagers grew to become young men and women. Studies and their approaches, though, remained the same for most of them. As they say, old habits die hard. So was the habit of cramming. It followed till the end of the studies. Students in this category paid a high price. They took very long to realize that understanding a topic was the easy way to get through the examination with ease rather than cramming.
The housing concept changed with time. The increasing population and pressing financial conditions of families led to the concept of the nuclear family. Children, especially boys, started going far and wide to seek better jobs. Increased earnings with relatively low responsibility gave rise to housing demands. Initially, the houses used to be big and sometimes palatial. With the increasing urbanization and taking over the housing sector by the government, the sizes of houses started shrinking. Changing lifestyles gave rise to the demand for a house having separate rooms for couples, children, study, common room (“living room”), kitchen and dining areas, et cetera. The houses started taking the shape of closed boxes with limited or no sunlight or ventilation.
Houses built by government agencies were devoid of aesthetics which did not meet the expectations of the buyers. Individual tastes and interests in decoration and comfort were taken care of. People started seeking professional help for the construction of houses. Designer houses having modern amenities and expendive, sometimes imported, fittings started making inroads. The cost of housing soars like a shooting rocket. New money-making avenues were opened, giving way for middlemen and contractors to become key players.
The idea of having a separate room for studies and writing started germinating. The sapling has now become a tree. A spacious room designated as an office or study becomes an essential part of the house. Some want two separate rooms as an office and study, while some have one room serving both purposes. The decoration is subjective and depends upon the personal choice of the occupants of the house. Some prefer simplistic, while others prefer loud arrangements and colours.
The showing of racks laden with books is in vogue. The books are sometimes arranged in a meticulously haphazard manner to convey the careless approach to everything except for reading and studies. Expensive and designer books for cosmetic purposes are prominently displayed to advertise the “intellectual” bent of mind and affluent lifestyle. It perfectly fits the idea of living where they try to show their best by artificial means. Unfortunately, books that happened to be the companions and sources of knowledge are becoming a means of gaudy status shows.
I believe in a minimalistic way. The minimum is the maximum is my mantra. A cosy, uncluttered, spick and span room is all that is needed for studies and writing. The study room should not look like a bookshop. Books should be kept in a small covered almirah made up of material other than wood. A properly illuminated table with a simple mug to place writing instruments, a notebook, and a laptop computer are all that are needed for the study room. The walls, painted with soothing light pastel colours of pear-green with fewer shadows, are optimal for the study room. A decent wall hanging of a natural scene with mountains and a flowing river with tufts of wild, colourful flowers acts as an enhancer and breaks the monotony. It all contributes to the freshness and positivity of the room.
People are different and so are their choices. It is subjective and no foolproof layout can suffice the taste and choices of every one of us. Still, a decent setup is preferable and adopted for a room dedicated to mental work of study and writing.
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