Sacrificed dreams – this will probably how my autobiography will be titled, if I ever decide to write one. My story began as a very calm, simple and yes, sacrificing girl. Right from my schooling in an MCD school, I followed the path decided upon by my parents at every stage in my life. I Read more…

Back in tenth grade, the one thing I absolutely abhorred was reading. In fact, I even wondered how reading could be regarded as a real hobby. My dad, who happened to be a bibliophile, would often argue with me that books could boost my analytical skills. However, more often than not, his words would fall Read more…

Once upon a time, there used to live a ranch owner on the foothills of the Himalayas. He was part of the Lepcha tribe. He had recently employed a fellow Lepcha tribesman named Atek to look after his ranch cattle. The ranch owner then left for his hometown to spend the entire winter with his Read more…

I always had a thing for academic books. Over time, I also began reading romance novels, making fiction a part of my reading routine. This was a paradigm shift in my viewpoint, for I used to believe that only theoretical books had the potential to shape our thoughts and personality. Reading romantic and inspirational books, Read more…

Most people complain that they are lonely or that they experience frequent bouts of boredom. They cannot understand how to freshen up their minds. But what they actually need to freshen up are their thoughts, by adding more information to their mental hard disks. And believe me when I say this, nothing can do this Read more…

Even by the lofty standards of teenage life, I was as rebellious and mischievous as one could possibly be. To put it bluntly, I was an out-and-out brat. Maybe I still am. As my mother would often say, I was like a raccoon: carefree, lazy and mischievous, yet remarkably smart and strong. I was terribly Read more…

By the age of twelve, I had already read a decent number of children’s classics and novels. Later that year, my paternal grandmother passed away, leaving their 22-year-old home empty. I had never been very close to my grandparents, so snooping around the house and rummaging through their stuff was out of question. Now, both Read more…

I have always enjoyed a good story and thanked my lucky stars I was born in a family of avid readers and wonderful storytellers. In fact, even before I had learned to read on my own, my mum would read me captivating fairy tales and Assamese folklore every afternoon. My dad would take over in Read more…

I got my reading genes from my mother. Whether it was putting me to sleep after dinner, or killing time on a long flight or train journey, she would invariably read me something. By the time I was a teenager, I was already familiar with some of the best works of celebrated authors like Sidney Read more…

It is strange how a single word – books – can evoke a myriad of memories, almost in a flashback-like manner. It all started back in my school days, when me and my siblings would fight for the best stickers for our brown-cover books. Looking back on those days, it never occurred to me that Read more…