THE JOY OF READING

 When I was a child, once in a year we had buses packed with books of all kinds-short stories, general knowledge, riddles, autobiography, and a lot more-every type of book a bookworm would dream of. There was always a constraint. Papa could somehow manage our admission fees and our traveling fare. When one bus would reach our school I would ask for money from my mother. She never said 'No' yet I dared not ask for more money. In little ways, she had inspired me into doing great things. Whatever little money I had during my afternoon break,  I would run on hearing the school bell ring and surf amidst the books. Among the books, I brought one was the autobiography of the former President of India, a visionary and a great leader Dr.A P J Abdul Kalam. Once or twice I brought bookmarks as well. One of the bookmarks read 

"Love cures people both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it".

Our school library had a large collection of different sets of books-fairy tales, Famous Five, Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Goosebumps, etc. In the library class, we would line up and rush to get the books. We would read for 45 minutes and then return, issuing the books we love. That was the start. Since then I have read quite different types of books. My love for books has grown manifold with the passage of time. Some of the books that I read and that has inspired me in several ways are

1) Homoy

2)Sangeet

3)Naharor Niribili Saa

4)Akrosh

5)Deu long khui

6)Ashmiot jar heral sima

7)Ganaa Silonir Pakhi

8)Batahot Moron Fand

9)Adrisho Handhan

10)Simanto

11)Mritunjay

12)Miri Jiyori

These books are written in Assamese. They are some of the most widely read books in the genre of Assamese literature.

Some of the other books include

a)Harry Potter Series-

.....Harry Potter and the Deadly Hallows

.....Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

.....Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

b)Treasure Island

c)Pride and Prejudice

d)The Little Prince

e)The Little Princess

f)Blue Umbrella

g)The Angry River

h)Breaking Dawn

 With time these numbers increased manifold with newer additions. Going to Odisha I got the opportunity to attend the numerous book fairs organized in Exhibition Ground. On one occasion I got to attend a storytelling session. The story narrated was "Blue Umbrella".The book is centered around a little girl Binya and is written by one of India's most; loved writers, Ruskin Bond. That was the start. After that in two years' time, I started reading one book after another. Some of my favorite writers are Sudha Murty, Amitav Ghosh, Ruskin Bond to name a few.

The library at NCERT, Bhubaneswar had some very good and old collections of books. Whenever I felt like I want to be so much with myself I would rush to the library, take the Gitanjali in my hands, and rush to the lawn in front of the library. I would select a shade and recline to a tree. And get lost in the beautiful verses of Gitanjali. Reading Tagore's Universal Man helped me to have a different perspective of India.

My father has contributed immensely to help me develop the habit of reading. As a child, I remember him advising me to read more and more books. Reading books has opened up new gateways of knowledge. I also consider myself lucky enough to meet some people who had this penchant for reading. With time I started reading different genres starting from historical novels, science fiction to mythology. I listen with rapt attention when someone narrates to me the review of a good book. Books are our best companions. What more than I can ask for on a rainy day?A warm cup of coffee, a good book, and my cozy corner.

 

                  

Few images from my personal collection.