Impact of books

In this blog post I am going to tell you about my best friends and the impact which they have had on my life. I met them first when I was a child. Everybody in my house held them. Then I began going to school. Though I went to an English medium school my grandmother taught me to read and write in Marathi as well. My father would bring me children’s books in Marathi. Those would be small in page numbers and would have a big font. I would read them while my grandmother cooked the food. If I didn’t understand their pronounciation I would spell it and my grandmother would tell me how to pronounce it. She would also tell me its meaning.

Such was impact of this habit that I started loving reading books. My father would buy me books all the time. I lived in a small town so getting English books was difficult. Then too I enrolled to a library which was known for its English books. I borrowed books by famous British authors. I was unable to understand anything. They contained words which I had never come across. Referring dictionary for word in every sentence, killed the joy of reading. Even the cultural setting was different. I would get bored soon and keep the book aside. Novels were not for me. I had decided.

I started buying English newspapers. On Sundays the newspaper would have a supplement. I looked forward to these supplements. Times of India would mostly carry an interview with an Indian movie star on the cover page of the supplement. I loved reading it. I was able to comprehend what was written in it. I would enjoy other articles as well. I loved reading Champak in English as well. I didn’t like Chandamama though. I loved mythology. But I hated reading it in English.

Slowly I moved on to reading English books. Those were the days when self-help books had just sneeked into the Indian market and I simply loved reading those. Most of them were written by American authors and few of them were also written by Indian authors. They had many inspiring stories and anecdotes. I loved reading them. It also changed my thinking process. It changed my attitude towards life. They taught me that the reins of my life were in my hands. At the end of the day it is thinking that makes all the difference.

These books had a great impact on me. Whatever I am today is because of those books. I owe them everything including my life. They were repositories of wisdom, which no one not even my teachers or elders knew. I am thankful to them. For their impact has made me a better person. 

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.