Impact of Reading

“How much do you read?” My friends keep on asking me. Yes, I must admit that I am passionate about reading. Some people like to be well dressed all the time. Some like watching movies. Some like to roam and I love to read. My major expenses, apart from food and utility bills, are books. However I do not deem buying books as an expense. I neither consider it as an investment. I read just for the joy of reading. I don’t read intentionally to gain knowledge. I read because I love to read. If knowledge is a positive side effect I don’t mind it.

Reading has had a great impact upon me. It introduced me to the world outside. Indeed books, magazines and even newspapers served as a window to the world. They introduced me to different cultures. They acquainted me with people from different countries. They took me to the most exotic places in the world. They made me laugh. They made me cry. They taught me about the latest trends in fashion. They taught me about the latest inventions. They told me the stories of today’s youth and they introduced me to the yesterday’s past.

Of all the genres I like reading biographies and autobiographies the most. It is so nice to get an opportunity to peek into the lives of others. It so soothing to know that the well known personalities were human too. They too have had their shares of struggles. They too had to work hard to make it big. They too had to fight against the odds. They too had some dreams and their dreams were realized. It is so inspiring to read about their achievements. The first thought that comes to mind after reading these success stories is that if they can do it, I can do it too.

I met Helen Keller, George Washington Carver, Kamala Das, Shobha De, Paramhansa Yogananda, Ann Frank, Swami Ramananda on this literary journey. It would not be wrong to say that I lived their lives along with them. I learnt a lot from them. Such has been impact of reading upon me. They say one who reads lives many lives and one who does not read lives only one life.

Reading also turned me into a writer. I had increased my vocabulary by reading. Whenever I come across a new word, I make it a point to find out its meaning from the dictionary. I use the word in my communication. Soon that word is my friend. I am an essentially emotional person. So many things keep happening inside me. Now that I have the weaponry of words, I can articulate my feelings. It is cathartic. Reading has given me a new bout of life. Such has been its impact on my life, on my personality.

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.