I would describe myself as a reader in one sentence: “Do not leave me unsupervised in a bookstore.”

I started reading books when I was nearly 8 years old. Once there arrived a ship full of books in the port near my home. I visited it with my elder sister. I was utterly awed to behold stacks upon stacks of books. My journey into the exciting world of reading started right there.

I started reading sci-fi, mystery, thriller, horror and fantasy books, with the sci-fi genre being my favorite at the time. I drowned myself into the world of aliens, robots, time travel and a plethora of other science fiction stories. I soon found myself looking for books of all kinds and genres. I started reading history, mythology, philosophy and science books, enriching my knowledge and expanding my vocabulary along the way.

Kaushal Shah has his reading habits to thank for his poetic prowess

In my opinion, books are the gateway to both the outside and the inside world. The inner world is much richer than the world we see outside and this is something I realized after reading books of offbeat genres such as dystopian, psychology and spirituality, which enabled me to delve deeper into the depths of my spiritual being and explore the unknown profundities of my consciousness. Today, I am a proud owner of more than 300 books. It is, quite obviously, my very own personal library.

After reading voraciously for several years, I found that my English vocabulary had become as good as that of a native speaker. It has both enabled and inspired me to write poetry, a sample whereof I would like to sum up my story with.

AN ODE TO THE LIBRARY

I often go to this wonderful library
To escape the world which is awfully dreary

It gives me solace when I’m nothing but broken
Where I get lost in the fantastic world of the fiery dragon

I become a knight who is brave and fearless
And saves the day and the damsel in distress

I wield my magic wand to fight the devil
And destroy everything that is dark and evil

It puts me in charge of my life, which is often bleak
And allows me to be happy, free and unique

A NOTE TO OUR READERS

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