If you're in your twenties, you are probably the last generation that actually relied on tangible encyclopedias for gaining knowledge about fascinating facts and scientific stuff, during your childhood. We don't see our brilliant old friends anymore, because today they have been replaced by even more intelligent search engines like Google and other numerous websites.
There used to be a time when the home page of google took more than a minute to load. When we spent most of our time playing in fields. The nerdy ones amongst us licked the entire encyclopedias during the summer holidays and then they used to flex their knowledge to impress girls at school.
The most prestigious books at our school library used to be the encyclopedias. The student who reached that section first to grab that book was considered the luckiest in the class! Oh, those smooth pages with the best colors and that smell of the book, was beyond what google offers today. These rich books used to be the source of all the fascinating and captivating facts and information that we knew back then. The wisest and the most intellectual aunt or uncle used to gift us these at our birthdays. Do you remember this particular encyclopedia which once ruled all the kids out there?
Well, if you remember this, then we are already friends. I can't give a number how many times I have turned the pages of this encyclopedia. It was filled with information regarding so many subjects! And the best part was that you can get these at enormous discounts by street book sellers if you get a chance to visit Bengaluru or any other big city.
The sad part is that we don't find such encyclopedias anymore. Probably because people don't need them. So much is available now that you can know about anything a couple of seconds, so why to turn heavy pages of these physical encyclopedias. They may still be available if one tries to find, but the users have reduced substantially. I appreciate the progress that we have made in terms of technology in the last decade. But at the same time I miss my old companins, because they have shaped my understanding, they have built my mind. So, here I express my gratitude to all the encyclopedias that we used to enjoy reading.
