As a child, I had the most loving and caring parents in the world. I grew up listening to my father reading me bedtime stories such as Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and Aesop’s Fables. As he narrated those tales, I would imagine all the characters and draw sketches in my mind.

And that’s how I embarked on my journey across the world of books. Unlike my friends and classmates, I used to spend my vacations engrossed in books.

The one book that had a profound impact on my life was Louisa May Alcott‘s Little Women. It taught me that, even in the darkest phases of life, we can still hope for brighter times ahead. If I were to pinpoint one event or incident that proved to be a game-changer in my view on books and made me a die-hard reader, then it was reading this book.

The demise of my father was a bitter pill to swallow. Given how close I was to him, losing him made me feel that I had lost all meaning to my life. Ironically, what helped me recover from that situation was the very habit whose seeds had been sown by my late father in my young and impressionable mind: reading books. They proved to be my best friends during those grim days.

Now, being a lecturer in a reputed engineering college, I invest my leisure hours in reading engineering-related books. It helps me enhance my understanding of the subject and improve upon my problem-solving skills. Reading is what has made me both, an analytical engineer and a rational human being.

Now, being a proud mother to a little princess, I feel that it’s my duty to inculcate a love for books in her. My musings on the lessons I have learned from books in general and my parents’ teachings in particular are my guiding principles in life; those are the two pillars that strongly support and maintain my thought process.

I feel that reading has a monumental impact on our imagination. To some extent, they shape our judgmental process as well. I’d like to sum up by citing one of the most memorable quotes by an author par excellence:

“I do believe something very magical can happen when you read a good book.’’

– J.K.Rowling –

 

So, there it is. A short, but sincere story. Well done, Moumita!

Do you have a story as to how you started reading, or how books brought about a positive change in your life? We’d love to hear.