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…

Being inquisitive by nature, I always looked to be a part of each and every conversation around me. I seemed to have an opinion on every issue, be it economics, world politics, technology or entertainment. However, two things always prevented me from putting forward my thoughts in a convincing manner. The first was my glaring Read more…

Have you ever smelled a new book? If you are a normal person, you probably haven’t. However, to a bookworm like me, it is one of the best smells in the world. When it comes to actually reading a book, I am invariably a slow starter. As the story begins to unfold, I’m always unsure Read more…

At a time when, fortunately, our parents offered us a very restricted, if at all any, access to mobile phoContentnes, and soap operas mainly catered to the saas and bahus (read cheesy family dramas), we had no option but to look for other modes of entertainment. As fate would have it, I stumbled upon my Read more…

Years ago, the 10-year-old me was very excited as we made our way to our village on a fateful holiday, and I had every reason to feel that way. After all, I was exceedingly fond of my grandmother’s special pedas, which, mind you, are still my favorite. As I wandered around the old granary, I Read more…

I’m trying to convince myself that it’s alright not to be fine. The past two years have been a period of great mess. From trying to find my footing to coping with everything else going around, my life hasn’t been short on drama. It hasn’t been clear sailing, to be honest. But then again, life 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…

The foundation of my relationship with books was laid by my desperate need to find a pastime. We didn’t own a television back then. It didn’t have anything to do with poverty, though. You see, my father had this notion that the idiot box was nothing but a sure-shot way of damaging one’s eyes. As Read more…

Coming from a small town, studying in a state-board school and choosing the science stream for my high-school life (yep, checking all the boxes for an engineering career), I was told that I was supposed to be reading every day. And read I did. I read my textbooks, every single day. For all its benefits, Read more…