I don’t remember the first book which I read.
From the day I was a child, I love to hear stories and no wonder books like Balarama or Poompatta, (books for children with cartoons, stories and riddles) took my attention immediately. During my school days not many books were available and I had to be happy with the texts.
Once I entered the College, it was like a butterfly enters a garden. Where to go? Which book to read? I studied in a college which had a huge library. The college restricted the circulation by saying one should keep the books minimum 2 or 3 days before returning. I managed to get a reading speed of some 50 to 60 pages plus an hour, especially if the storyline is interesting. Naturally I was short of books. In rare occasions I read books twice, but usually I ask classmates to take books and then I will read and return. On an average I used to finish 2 books per day. (Earlier I used to keep a record of books I read then discontinued the journalizing habit. The number of books I read during college days definitely will be counted in thousands and not in hundreds.)
After college, before traveling to gulf, I was hungry for books and a local library came to my help. It was comparatively a small library and my choices were limited. After coming to Dubai and struggling to cope with life and its demands, somewhere I lost my reading habit. Price factor and lack of availability were the 2 major reasons which prevented me from continuing the journey. I am lucky and happy that I managed to restart it, though some good 10 years are lost in between.
As of now, finding time to reading is…hmmm…..a bit difficult, but yes…you know how? I go for lunch by walking some 2.5 KM away from my office. So I just carry a book with me while passing through the pedestrian area. I go when the street is not that busy and the traffic signals give me sufficient extra time to read. May be I will finish 10 pages or say maximum 20 pages a day. However, within say 10 or 15 days I will finish a book. A bit difficult, but I like the thrill of finding time for it.
Reading while eating…oh! Yes…I do that and I can say it is a perfect combination.
I tried reading while traveling in buses for some time but then at the end of the travel I found it is a bit tiring exercise and stopped the habit.
The best way to find time for reading is to generate enough curiosity for reading. Fix your mind and you will find your time. When there is a will, there is a way.
If having a will or desire is so important what made me addicted to reading? As I told, the first thing which attracted me is stories. I generally go for novels and for big novels. Have you read the largest novel in the world? The book was written by a famous Malayalam novelist, which had some 4000 plus pages in small types and published in 4 volumes. (It was difficult to get all 4 volumes in order and I think I read volume no. 3 before 2…Lol!!!). I like short stories too, but when the story ends in 10 or 15 pages I feel very disappointed. I used to read poetry too, but without knowing what is poetry. By the time I learned (somewhat) what is poetry, the charm for it is already gone.
The second factor which attracted me was my desire to succeed. When failure was looking at me from all sides and I had no choice but success, writing by great souls came for my help through various books. Biographies, autobiographies, How to kind books, Success series…(of course this happened after my college education only and I wished I started it earlier) Books on leadership, Self improvement, Psychology, Sex Education….everything which required to keep my balance as an individual and which can take me to the desires I look for…I used to buy all these kind of books and mark whatever I find good for me so that I can read again when I requires it. When I moved to Dubai, I had a collection of a shelf full books which I gave away to friends where I have few good friends. Pleasures of life, the thriving desire for success and progress…that was a force which pushed me a long way.
The last but not least interest for my reading was based on my social thinking, social awareness, planning and development. Being with youngsters I wanted this as one of my face value. Religious write ups also form part of my deepest interests along with philosophy and what a better way I can get the ideas of great people who thrown their heart and brain behind the mysteries of the earth and principles of existence for human kind?
Ability to think faster, knowledge, development of skills, change in personal behaviour, character and attitudes, formation of value system, ability to view other person’s point of view…can I list all the pluses (even though not perfect) I have from reading? No minuses for the reading habit? Oh…yes…but let me keep all these for another review? If you manage to read till this line, I can guarantee that you can be a good reader. Otherwise, I understand that I have to improve my writing.
Happy reading!