Is this a Cobra guarding the book!?

What do you see in this picture, a Cobra guarding the book like it is a treasure? Yes! In all probability, because books are a treasure to many and the Cobra is protecting it.

According to several tales, folklore and as seen in many movies, Cobras and other venomous snakes are kept as guardians of treasure. Even today it is believed that highly venomous snakes are guarding one particular vault filled with invaluable ornaments, diamonds and precious wealth at Sree Padmanabha Swamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram. So no one dares to open the vault!

As you can see this book is already well-taken care of, it is shielded by a transparent plastic book cover, to ensure that it does not get soiled and to make it appear new forever! And this Cobra is not real! It is a bookmark to help the reader and to protect the book from dog-ears.

There are two types of people in this world: people who use bookmarks and people who dog-ear books. The feud between bookmarkers and dog-earers is centuries old. And as a bookmark user, I absolutely cannot understand why people dog-ear their books, perhaps countless times before they finish reading the book.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think books need to be kept in a cage and never touched. I think books should go out in the world and be loved as much as possible. And that's why bookmarks are so important: They let as many readers as possible read the book, with minimal damage. Bookmarks help books stay readable for longer.