Escaping into the Written Wor(l)d
Agood book can provide you anything and everything. Whether it is a lesson, good imagination, escapism, a partner in your sorrows, a guide, a mood lifter, an inseparable companion, good ideas, motivation, inspiration, gratitude, information, or anything you wish for. Reading a good book is like feeding your soul with an elixir. The impact is pure bliss. It not only fills you with emotions but creates a sense of satisfaction. The feeling of contentment which a pleasant book can bring in an individual is unparalleled.
I would not call myself a bookworm, but I love reading. I don’t always carry a book in my hand, but I carry some stories in my heart. Books have fascinated me since I was a child. My choices have changed from Champak comics to national best sellers, but my passion for stories has remained the same. I have always wanted to read more and more stories, not sticking to a particular genre. In my school days, I used to read all the chapters of my literature books even before the session began. The language did not matter, I used to open the bundle of books, take out English, Hindi and Punjabi textbooks and read them while enjoying the striking fragrance of a new book.
Soon, these stories paved the road for advanced novels. I started with Enid Blyton’s The Famous Five and similar mystery novels which gave the 10-year-old me a new dream. I dreamt of being a secret detective with a fun group of kids and finding a hidden garden and treasure. The stories set my mind free to wander along the limitless imaginary world. I remember reading short Russian stories, translated into Punjabi, and thinking how splendid it would be if my life was also magical. I found magic in my imagination. I escaped from my mundane life into the world of books. I found magic in my every thought.
I grew up reading novels of Erle Stanley Gardner, JK Rowling, Sophie Kinsella, Stephenie Meyer and others rather than watching multiple television programmes. The world of novels introduced me to a new world of fantasy. A place where I met different persons, sojourned in various places, cried with characters, laughed with them, filled my heart with emotions, thought beyond my life and built many dreams.
Even now, when I read a good book, I take the time to introspect what new the book has taught me. The impact of a book lingers with me for quite some time before I make my way back to the materialistic world. Such is the power of written words. It may educate some people, teach a message, entertain or even awaken a forlorn soul.
The genre makes no difference. Everyone has a different preference ranging from romance, mystery, thriller, action, sci-fi, comedy to non-fiction books. Any book will be an excellent read when it instigates a new thought in your attitude. A good book allows the person to fly without boundaries, to think without limitation, to live a life in the parallel world, to think beyond their presumptions, to go beyond the reality and to experience the unthinkable. It may open those doors in your mind which you never knew existed. It may make you walk the road you have never seen.
It was World Book Day on Sunday, so gift someone a book which can change their life and make them see a whole new world. Better, gift it to yourself. Feed your soul a good book and live one more life.
A GOOD BOOK ALLOWS THE PERSON TO FLY WITHOUT BOUNDARIES, TO THINK WITHOUT LIMITATION, TO LIVE A LIFE IN THE PARALLEL WORLD, TO THINK BEYOND THEIR PRESUMPTIONS AND TO EXPERIENCE THE UNTHINKABLE.
The writer is a Patialabased freelance contributor