Love affair with reading!

It started when I was in school. 

When we are really very young...we have no idea why exactly doing certain things makes us happy or that thing will one day become a very important part of our life...that it will shape our future. We are just blissfully unaware of the whys and whats and are just aware that it makes us happy... 

Like take the case of a girl who was in my school (let’s name her Ms. Sketcher). All the last pages of her books were filled with sketches of neatly drawn skinny, modern girls with cool haircuts and amazing clothes. When asked why she sketches them, her answer was, “I don’t know! I just love doing it!” Today she is a dress designer and has her own label which she started along with a friend. WOW!

So, back to my affair with reading. As I said in the beginning it all started when I was in school. When all the kids were busy checking out their new bags, lunch boxes, stationery, new uniforms just few weeks before re-opening of school after 2 months of long summer vacation...I on the other hand would be busy reading my language (English, Hindi and Marathi) textbooks. I would skip boring lessons but read all the interesting chapters and finish reading them all in a day or two. That’s why I guess I scored well in my all language exams! :D

Back in school, we all use to get one story book that we had to return after a week. But I used to finish reading mine within a day and then would go on my hunt for someone who is not at all interested in reading and would happily exchange his/her book with me...

After coming back from school, I would rush to one of my friend’s house, who was few years older than me. She had interesting story books which she used to read to me. I enjoyed that hour as I would drift in to this amazing imaginary world of the story and never wanted that hour to end! 

I think the escape from the regular grind and getting transported to another world is what started my love affair with books. Reading introduced me to people that I would never meet, took me to places that doesn't exist or is far from my reach, taught me few things, made me aware of emotions that were hidden in me.

Strangely my parents never liked my habit of reading apart from my course books. Which is why for a long time I could never buy books, I always had to borrow. Not to forget I couldn't afford them also. :P Normally parents encourage reading habits but not mine. They came from a different world. They grew up in a remote place where people read cheesy novels and cheap magazines which were in-famous for their adult content. So that in turn made them against me reading the so-called novels. I never tried to explain them that the books I read were not some cheap magazines. But as I was never a confrontational sort, I continued reading books but only after they went to sleep, in the washrooms or in a dark room under my cell phone screen light!! :D In front of my mom it was sometimes easy to read but not in front of dad.

Never mind! I grew up, slowly gradually I started reading in front of them and now things are not that weird anymore. Although I still spot my dad’s questioning eyes at times and I also avoid buying books with not-so-modest cover page!

Guess what?! My reading habit led me to take up writing as a career. What just started as a hobby is now helping me to shape my future...wonderfully so...happily so... :)

One day I would love to write a blog-post about my favourite books!