in a country used to consuming oral stories audio books have come as a boon with authors going the extra mile celebs adding star value and music jazzing things up you are set for an extravaganza its a sound idea hes travelled the world with his parents and hindi was his second language in school but utanko mitra knows the classic kakababu mystery sabuj dwiper raja by heart mind you the class xii student of st xaviers collegiate school cant read or write bengali well but a new technology a pair of headphones and an intelligent mind has let him access the magical world of adventure created by sunil gangopadhyay utanko you might have guessed heard not read the story on an audio book since then he keeps asking me to download more books he says listening to a story is an experience which cannot be compared to reading i have noticed that his bengali diction has improved and his concentration and patience levels have gone up since he started listening to audio books i wish more superhero novels of bengali literature are converted into audio i too have started listening to selfhelp books while driving says his mother durba mitra durba and her son are not alone even in kolkata a booklovers paradise a fastpaced urban lifestyle is turning many avid readers into fans of audio books the benefits you can plug in while youre driving cooking exercising an audio book can be a companion for almost all hoursnarrator is the key reading and listening are different activities they cant be compared i have listened to as well as read books by dh lawrence and thomas hardy for the audio books its almost like watching a film without visuals listening to a book by a foreign author and read out by a narrator from that part of the world helps me understand pronunciation of some words better thus improving my language says therapist diksha shah adding the narrator is important when it comes to audio books a recognized voice helps me connect better to the book that is probably why many celebs like naseeruddin shah vidya balan rahul dravid sanjay dutt konkona sen sharma boman irani jaaved jaaferi and soha ali khan have lent their voices to the audio book of the childrens classic karadi tales the title music for it has been done by shankarehsaanloy the concept of audio books is fantastic because music is a very powerful tool and can really make a situation come alive in the eyes of your mind says composer shankar mahadevan jaaved jaaferi feels it is a good medium to initiate the habit of reading in children provided its done in an interesting way books move in snails pace which is too boring for todays generation hooked on digital media as for adults it is an acquired taste i am also planning to buy and listen to one soon he smiles the audio book market is also evolving appropriate