It all started back when I was a little girl. I hail from Nagpur. I have spent all my life here in the Orange City. My mother worked as a lecturer in a reputed college. She also used to give evening classes to the children living in the neighborhood. I would often accompany her to her college whenever staying alone at home became boring.
Now, there was this library, in the same building in which she gave her classes, and I used to spend a major part of my time surrounded by beautiful piles of books. That’s exactly where my love for reading started to flourish. Losing track of time and absolutely dreading the moment when I had to leave that place were two clear signs that I was head over heels in love with books! Back then, a small storybook costed a mere two rupees! Having my parents buy one for me would send me into raptures.
As I grew up, so did my hunger for reading anything I could lay my hands on: while traveling, I would not even spare the newspaper scrap in which the samosa was wrapped! However, with the approaching medical entrance exams, my course books slowly took over and leisurely reading took a back seat. I moved to another city in order to pursue my medical education.
Then came a time, when certain circumstances in my life pushed me inside an emotional shell; I became reserved and started keeping things to myself. I gradually became aloof and lonely. Depression seemed to be setting in. It was undoubtedly a very negative phase of my life. And that’s when I came across a library near the place I was staying at as a paying guest. That rekindled my love for books. I started frequenting that place – the place where I eventually found my long-lost happiness and pleasure, in the company of books. I still felt alone, but I was lonely no more. In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong to say that I once again became my former positive and outgoing self. I rediscovered the pleasure I used to find in communicating and interacting with others.
Books kept me company and, in a way, boosted my self-belief and gave me immense mental strength. I am proud to say that books have made me what I am today – a successful doctor, a passionate writer and a doting wife and mother to two beautiful daughters. My mother is an avid reader as well, and I am thoroughly overjoyed to see that passion being passed on to the next generation as well – to both my daughters, who are now proud owners of a mini-library, which, in itself, is a heaven on Earth for us.
Thanks a lot for sharing your story with us, Apoorva! We hope you would keep inspiring your daughters and everyone else in your circle to take up reading as a hobby.
Everyone has a story – and each and every story is beautiful in its own right. If you are a budding or a seasoned reader who is itching to share yours with us, what are you waiting for?
I was a super lonely kid growing up, and my parents would fight constantly. So, I turned to books as a way of ignoring them fighting and as a way to help fill the void of loneliness. It also ended up becoming a huge source of strength for me emotionally and mentally. My mental fortitude, but also my way of dealing with being alone in healthy ways started to become more concrete. It also me turn into someone who grew to appreciate learning and education. Books can be so amazing that way. Thanks for sharing your story! It was so lovely.
We can completely understand how difficult it must have been for you. Perhaps that is what elucidates and underlines the beauty of books – people from all backgrounds (whether happy or sad) can find solace in them; we can all relate to them in some way or the other. We’re really glad that reading helped you cope with that situation! 🙂