In pursuit of happiness

I can still recall the summer break of my third grade, I was yet another 8 year old at her grandparent's s house with a  thin book by Ruskin bond in my bag which I had no fancy in reading because the thought of reading books seemed silly to my younger self. Now that I think about it I can't help but laugh at the thought of me ever voluntarily avoiding books!

The item which is of the most significance to me is this book titled "Mr. Oliver's Diary" written by one of the greatest authors  of  all times Mr. Ruskin bond. Never had I imagined that my one decision of trying to read a book would have lead  me to my almost obsessive passion for reading! This is the first  novel which I read which introduced me to a whole new world of dreams and was the  beginning of an adventure for me.

Growing up, I had the privilege of having parents who themselves loved to read and hence it was not a surprise when I grew up devouring books on a daily basis  because hey the apple doesn't 't fall too  far from the tree right? Ranging from simple yet beautiful stories by Ruskin bond to the genre of gruesome crime mysteries by Agatha Christie and that of the master mind sherlock homes by Sir Arthur conan Doyle, I started living the lives of a thousand people immersed in a thousand different timelines and cultures.

They say a reader lives a thousand lives before he dies and this became the story of my life when I  found myself staying past my bed time or walking the halls of my school with a book in my hand promising to myself that this would be the last chapter but failing to do so miserably and finishing the whole novel in one go because it seemed to me as it would be the end of the whole universe if I did not find out what happened to the protagonist at the end!

At a point of time where my class mates used to wonder why I was wasting my time reading thick books which did not even have pictures, I used to pity the ones who did not have the power of having this portable magic which would never ever leave them alone.

When most of my friends were saving their pocket money to be able to finally buy the latest video game, I was saving up to be able to go to the international book fair with my dad and my little brother and attack every shop and stall and buy as many books as I could possibly fit in my bag 😂

I don't proclaim to be a nerd or a geek for that matter but I do believe that every well read person in this world is a challange to mediocracy whether it be mediocracy of the systems who govern us, mediocracy of intellectual capabilities or that of the orthodox mindsets which governed us for decades.

When I first picked this book up I had in no way anticipated that I would be embarking on a journey where I would find so much solace in reading that I would fall in love with people I had never met, countries and places I had never been to and lives I had never lived before.

I had no idea that seeing the life of a family whose daughter was engulfed by cancer through an author like John Green's eyes and way of storytelling would move me to tears or how the alchemist would inspire  me with an ocean filled with motivation and courage to follow my dreams and never give up due to failures. I found a teacher, a friend, a guide and a whole new universe in books and I am eternally grateful to this book right here which lead me to this magic portal of indefinite knowledge and encouraged me to become a writer myself when I grow up and find the impact of my stories on the faces of the people awestruck and overwhelmed by the emotions which every book delivers.

The crowning fortune of a man is to be born with some pursuit which finds him absolute happiness whether it be to make baskets or swords, statues or songs and I will always be a reader first and a writer second because such is the power of books on me