There are so many hobbies that we pick up and drop in our lifetime. They change/evolve with our age, lifestyle, and situation. So go ahead and reconnect with that lost hobby or find a new one. In times like these, when social distancing is very important and is going to be long-lasting, so every one of us needs a distraction, all the more because our screentime has collectively gone up, the time has slowed down and anxiety levels have shot up. To beat the compound effect of these factors, why not go back to the time-tested method from a childhood of picking up a hobby?

My passion for reading books:

Reading is not always about marks or a competition, it is up to you whether you take reading seriously or not. Reading has formed a part of my life and I believe reading can take us very far, not because we can read properly, but because it is something well to say I am passionate about. Reading is part of my life and leads me to say: “This is my passion and this is what I do and as also books are known to be our best friend”.  

When I am reading I just forget about my worries that I have and it just gives me peace of mind and it brings happiness and joy. It is something I am passionate about and it is what I look forward to and sometimes certain books get me totally immersed in the story and its characters.  Reading should be a child’s responsibility and passion, but not all of us are gifted/passionate for reading. There are many different types of books but not all of us are interested in such things as reading. When we do orals or reading it improves our reading and also helps to speak proper English.

I have a kind of enthusiasm for reading. We all should read books according to our personal interests. Students must be encouraged to read books and novels as much as they can and write about the book or story they have read. In this way, they'll create more interest in reading and read them with pleasure.

However, today the market is flooded with cheap books. Such books should be avoided. They can spoil us. They can mislead the readers, especially the youth. So we should be aware of our choice of reading. Good books shape our thoughts and mould our characters. Besides being a source of pleasure, reading is a symbol of culture. So, we should develop the habit of reading from an early age, which I did.

Many people seek delight in reading books on tour, travel, and adventure. Reading such books instills in them a spirit of fight, fearlessness, and adventures. It takes us far away from the dull and dreary world.

Reading fiction and novels has its own distinct joy. Reading novels is so engrossing that the reader is completely lost in its world. He forgets the real world. For a short time, he becomes a part of the fictitious world of the novel. He even forgets all his worries and woes. He identifies himself with the characters in the novels. This identification serves him as a source of tremendous pleasure.

Many people enjoy reading books on religion and philosophy. Such reading enriches the soul and enlightens the readers. It removes darkness from their mind. This type of reading serves as a guide. To name one of my latest books that I took up to read was  “Mrityunjaya The Death Conqueror” written in Marathi by Shivaji Sawant and translated in English by Nandini Nopany and P. Lal.  Incidentally, this book was a farewell gift to my granddaughter for finishing Class XII by her school. My experience of reading this particular book has no words to express as I was totally engulfed in it. It teaches us lessons on morals and ethics. Well, works of literature, philosophy, and history make serious reading. Reading these books gives an insight into our glorious past. We come to know about our culture, art, tradition, and architecture. We learn about the socio-culture and political life of contemporary society. While books on literature provide food for our thought, they are appealing to people of all ages and their reading enriches our knowledge and broadens our outlook.

Well, I would just like to conclude now by saying that reading is a peaceful hobby and can be done silently at home and it keeps us occupied without making us feel alone or disturbed. With the advancement in the technologies, it has also become an inexpensive hobby and can be enjoyed by anyone fond of reading. Reading is not only a survival skill but it also is power, it leads to self-improvement. The pleasure of reading cannot be expressed in words. One needs to read to experience the joy of reading.

Parsan Narang

12th May 2020