My experience with books and reading -

When I talk about reading, I always get emotional, for it  pulled me out of the crutches of darkness during my worst times. This experience has been enriching and to be honest I wanted to share this love for reading and want people to understand the plusses of one of the most beautiful habits. This started when I was 5-6 years old, I admired my grandfather's bookshelf so much, I asked him almost everyday as to when will I be able to understand these books and I remember him telling me that one day I'll stand there and ask myself, 'when did I finish all of these?' . He kept narrating me fascinating stories from the world of books and that made me more curious about reading those. 

When I was in class IV, My father bought me tinkle comics every month and I remember hiding those inside my maths book during classes. Won't deny,  it did earn me a good deal of punishment in the  classes but that did not deter my love for reading

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As I grew up, I shifted to teenage romance books and almost lived in my own utopian dreamland. It made me dreamy and created a world where teenagers found comfort far from the harsh realities of life. But in 2019, when I was in my not-so-great phase in life, I do not know how or when, I took  to reading as an escape from reality. I fell in love with books the hardest. They were my teachers, mentors, friends and critics. I fell in love with fictional characters. I fell in love with the writers. I fell in love with the pages and the magic of words which could heal a broken heart or a bruised soul.

I confess that I've never been able to fall much in love with non-fiction, but I've a long way to go and I'm sure someday, I'll start reading non-fiction someday. I'm a amateur and it is a little embarrassing for me to share my reading experience because I've just started, but I really wanted to share how my love for reading evolved over time and each book has nurtured me into a different person everyday.

Shabnam Nehar Sultana