Libraries of the Rich and Famous

Go here for the libraries of the rich and famous. For example:

• Woody Allen
• Diane Keaton
• Michael Jackson

What? All these are show personalities. Why do they have such beautiful libraries?

Walk into any Bollywood star's/director's flat/residence can you even find a single book anywhere? I haven't been to any Bollywood personalities' flat/residence so far in my life. (I have given up hoping, too!) But I wonder if I would find even one book in any one's residence except perhaps Amitabh Bachchan's residence. Forget it. Nobody would even have a book shelf to boast about.

American show people at least have libraries to show off. Every home in America has to have a book shelf. They buy books at least to display in their bookshelves (the most they can do is buy a book and memorize its title to drop names in cocktail parties). It also exhibits their awe of books and their reverence of their authors. Which again shows that success comes with wisdom and wisdom comes from being well read and knowledgeable. Forget Bollywood personalities, even our aspiring writers don't read. I find the interest in book abysmally low in the present generation. They would rather listen to pirated music on their ipods.

In Bombay find me a good bookshop except Strand Book Stall and Nalanda (at the Taj Intercontinental). There are none. A bookstall in Vashi station has converted into a facility selling Vada and Pao (potato fry and bread).

And our libraries (except American Centre Library and David Sassoon Library, perhaps) are in a sorry state.