My friends and I were once on a Goa trip. During our train journey from Vasco da Gama, I noticed that my friend was carrying Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. Now, I had heard tales about parasmani (a stone that is said to have the ability to convert everything into gold), and I immediately felt like giving the book Read more…
I have been a grandfather’s boy all my life. Daddy, as I fondly call him, has been my biggest inspiration to become a well-read person. Thanks to him, I have learned to see books as the drivers of individual growth. For Daddy, reading has always been a solace. Back in the day, I would make Read more…
I am Riya Negi, and I work as a software engineer at a multinational giant. Years ago, this was something unimaginable for me. Until grade twelve, I was just an average commerce student who hardly thought or planned for her future. I just went with the flow of life, living every moment to the fullest. Read more…
The first book I remember reading in my childhood is Vivekananda in Pictures. Even though I was just a toddler at the time, the pictures and stories from the book are still fresh in my mind. Right from the scene of Vivekananda’s mother scolding him for getting himself in trouble to exclaiming that Shiva sent Read more…
You may wonder what inspired me to read and write. Well, it seems all hazy when I rack my brains. I do have a vague picture in mind, though: I was only seven years old. Just like any child my age, I too had a dream. I started writing songs, which may or may not 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…
Looking back on the days when I started writing, I invariably end up thinking about my nightmarish days in the eighth grade. After all, that was when things really changed. Back then, I had started losing all my so-called ‘friends’ because, well, my grades had hit rock bottom. I even flunked a couple of subjects. 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…
“Now that you folks are in class V, you’ll be taken to the seniors’ library from this year,” announced our teacher as she made us all queue height-wise. Being the little person that I was (and that, FYI, I still am), I stood at the front of the line. I was both eager and excited. Read more…
