The other day I found a novel which was written by a very old Marathi writer. Reading through the first ten pages of the book, suddenly a thought struck my mind. That thought was about Literature- its past, present and future.

What is literature? What is it all about? How does it help us? These were some of the questions I was left to grapple with.

The concept of literature brings before us infinite names or books, writers, authors and poets. Shakespeare,

Goethe, Rabindranath Tagore, William Wordsworth and so many other people who have made wonderful contributions to literature through their works.

I feel Literature is an expression of life. It is a history of the human soul, part and a reflection of our cultural heritage.

But if we compare today's work and the work in the past, we can observe so many things, that charm is missing in

today's work. The purpose of literature has changed like new music and contemporary literature seem to have lost its melody.

Literature is a source of fun, entertainment, tragic stories and information which educates us. It is valuable not because it provides answers but because it helps us to formulate questions we must ask. It promotes a spirit of inquiry. It helps us to acquire a habit of observation. It gives us an ability to step outside ones own perspective to understand others' perspective. Literature helps us to enjoy our life and gives us better understanding of characters and hence easy acceptance in real life.

A reader and writer always has the quality to introspect oneself and this ability makes them successful. Reading inculcates the ability of thinking and improves communication skills, which are very important in today's world.

The importance of literature is invaluable to everyone but I feel literature is the most secular thing that I can think of. It has transcends barriers of all languages or country. Literature is a treasure and everyone's heritage.

Deepali Desai

B.A (Journo, Psy & Eng)