Books, as we all know, are immensely effective when it comes to transforming lives for the better. They are like a cold and relaxing breeze on a sweltering summer afternoon – often unexpected, but welcome nonetheless. They also play the role of loyal friends throughout our lives, sometimes triggering the most beautiful and sublime thoughts Read more…

Books have been my best friends since the time I could read. My very first book was my aunt’s gift to me on my fifth birthday. It was a fairy tale book. Of all the gifts I had received in my childhood, that book was – and still remains – my favorite. The very evening Read more…

For a very long time, I saw books only as a means of jotting down notes from and passing examinations. This was the case up until one day, when things started to take a different turn. It all started when I was in the tenth grade. On fine day, I was discussing some clichéd stuff Read more…

Hi everyone! My name is Aanchal and I would like to share my story with you. I hope you will like it. It was a childhood incident that endeared books to me. Back then, I wasn’t particularly good at my studies. Like most children my age, I would rather prefer to play outside than to Read more…

People who are familiar with me even in the slightest, know for a fact that I am probably the biggest cinephile in their circle. Now, I’m well aware of the eyebrows that will be raised by a few fellow peers as to how (and why) a cinephile – a pseudo-intellectual one at that *cough cough* Read more…

I was first introduced to leisure reading through the classic Champak magazine. It soon became a necessity for long train rides during vacations. This habit evolved when my father gifted a Robin Sharma special, The Greatness Guide, to me. It was like an instrument that made me believe that I was doing something productive while Read more…

In my teenage years, a friend recommended me a book. I looked quite hard for it, but was unable to find it anywhere, until one fine day, when I got lucky and stumbled upon it in a library. It was based on Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five. The effort was worth it: the story was Read more…

Native of Bihar, brought up in Mumbai. I came from a very orthodox family, but my goals had never been mediocre. I always wanted to do something extraordinary in life. Being an average student, I knew that academics were not going to lead me down the long and arduous road of success. I didn’t quite Read more…

This is a story that spans more than three decades. This is the story of me. And my first love, books. As far back I can remember, I have always been, what is technically known as, a bibliophile. I can read anything, fiction or non-fiction, comics, graphic novels, classic literature, noir literature, any genre from Read more…

For a kid who was into video games from his early schooldays, I did not have the time for or the interest in reading. That has pretty much been the story of my life, more than half of which has been spent playing video games. I still play them, though they have ceased being my Read more…