As with any other habit, you don’t start reading in a day. Sometimes, it may take several attempts to fall in love with books. I remember making the most of every opportunity I got to not read up until tenth grade, regardless of what a book was about. Little did I know that they would Read more…

To me, reading books felt like taking sleeping pills. I would drift off by the time I was on the second page. However, all of this changed three years ago. It all started with the Tamil historical fiction, Ponniyin Selvan. Never before had it occurred to me that a book, much less a novel could Read more…

I was ten when I first began reading non-curriculum books. The fancy covers of books had always attracted and intrigued the child in me. That unique aroma of paper would also lure me like one would expect an oasis to draw a thirsty man. I remember asking my dad to buy me all the books Read more…

My love for story books began in my school library. In fact, the picture of my first day in second grade is still fresh in my mind. We all queued up near the library with our fingers to our lips. The teacher opened the library gate, and what a surprising view it was in there. Read more…

It all started when I was a young girl. I still remember the days when my father would bring me the Janhamamu (the Odia version of Chandamama) comics. I would eagerly wait for school to end so I could read those illustrated books. He knew exactly what stories I loved to read. While he brought Read more…

It was the month of May. I was traveling by train from Howrah, West Bengal to Shillong, Meghalaya for my summer vacation. The train journey usually took two days and three nights. As most Indians would agree, spending two days locked up in an Indian Railways’ sleeper coach is no mean feat. To add to Read more…

Hi everyone! I am Heet Barot and I am about to take you on a fascinating journey, one that turned my life on its head. Believe it or not, this journey started hardly a few months ago. That was when I read a book for the first time ever – outside of my academics, of Read more…

In the Onge tribe of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, there is a very prevalent folktale that has been passed down from one generation to another. The story goes like this… In the days of yore, on a bright sunny day, the village kids were playing on the beach. They were building sand castles, playing Read more…

As a kid, I loved reading children’s stories and fables, and that was largely due to those exquisitely illustrated books. My mother would get me all these storybooks – from the stories of Akbar and Birbal to the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes to Aesop’s Fables and whatnot. However, I could not stand the books that Read more…

Books were my first friends ever. They have been a true soulmate for me, having healed my soul in more ways than one. There are times when I am still transported back to the old days, when I was a rather shy, timid girl. Picture a seven-year-old girl who cannot so much as say hi Read more…