“Library”, a boring and dull place for few but a slice of heaven for the rest. I, once belonged to the former category until the heavenly abode of books and blogs called out to me and since then it has been an irresistible indulgence.
Formerly, Library’s
in school for me, used to be all about taking a nap, chatting with my friends
or in the direst situation a place to complete my long-due homework or worse, a
detention.
Ah! How I wish I
could rewind my life only to go back in time to fix this, if only I could go
back to a library as peaceful as my school’s, where for the first time my
librarian forced me to pick up a book and give reading a shot. I am forever in
debt to her for having opened doors (literally and otherwise) to the ever- magical
and enchanting world of books.
I started with books
that required basic comprehension skills and a basic grasp over the English
language. Of course, you can’t start right away with books featuring the vocabulary
of “Shashi Tharoor”, that would not only be ridiculous but also hamper your
future inclination towards reading.
I started with the simple and humble yet
enthralling books by Sudha Murty, her stories have an authentic Indian
touch to them. Her stories depict incidents from her life as well as those
resembling lives of other Indians. You can be in any part of the world and
still feel close to home when you have a Sudha Murty book with you. Her work is
more than just a compilation of pages, it is more like a cool breeze on a warm
summer afternoon, a concoction of overwhelming emotions that often leave you
lost for words.
Reading and only
reading has transformed me into the person I am today. I am not only far better
read and aware than I was, I also have a myriad of new words under my belt. I
am much more confident when voicing my opinion plus my comprehension skills
have enhanced. In short, there are no negatives about reading, its all just
adding to your persona and making you a well-informed, aware, smart and confident
individual.
Over the years, I
have picked up books of various genres, be it a crime-thriller by Sydney
Sheldon, a mysterious read by Agatha Christie, I have dived deep into the pages
of history with Sagarika Ghosh, read autobiographies, plunged into Twinkle
Khanna’s witty and intriguing stories, found myself mentally fighting a battle
of emotions with Khalid Hosseini in Afghanistan, pondered over biases and
discrimination with Harper Lee, enjoyed the sloppy worded “Hinglish” work of
Chetan Bhagat, defeated prejudices with Jane Austen and understood the complex
yet subtle perspective of life with Mitch Albom.
Never have I ever
come across a book that has failed to surprise me, it could be a matter of
criticism for others but for me, I usually find something in every book that
leaves me pensive for days on end. For me, books are way of escaping life,
escaping reality.
It has never been
about gaining knowledge (although that’s another plus point about books) rather
it has always been about the visualization, creation and the perspective that
we choose to adopt because we are free to create our own mental characters,
visualize them the way we want and then leave it to the advancing plot to vindicate
us.
“Books are more than just means of education,
They are an eternal source of imagination,
It’s all about the sensation and the satisfaction,
And I Hope one day, the youth will find as much
fascination”
Written By - Tushna
Choksey
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