WHY DO I DIG BOOKS ?

Books have been a part of my life since I was in grade 7. They have not exactly been a soulmate for me, but they have been close enough to be one. The only problem I faced with books is that, they cannot reciprocate to your thoughts.

But the reason remains, WHY DO I DIG BOOKS ?

- Why not play a sport ?
- Why not hang out with friends ?
- Why not live a exciting life, going places, watching things ?
- Why stick to the lonely room & the PC ?

These things may sound like a confession of a miserably boring moron, well as they might be ;) they are also confessions of a guy who cant help but read something all the time.

This reading stuff has a history. I was part of a really normal nuclear family. Mom , dad loved me a lot, had loving & caring relatives whom I used to visit a lot. None of this has changed yet. But there was something missing. There was always this GUY URGE to explore, to enjoy the adrenalin rush, to play pranks, basically to do all the stuff that is expected from a kid. Notice the use of the word "was" in the previous sentence.

Now what does all this have to do with reading? Read Along...

Ever since I was a kid & showed remarkable similarity to any normal kid, I liked to play in the sun, in the mud & practically at any place with loads of fun. But there was one problem. I was born in a place where I was going to be devoid of all these kiddy guy stuff. I was born in the building where there were no guys to play with. The best part is, there were GALS. ALL of them.

I used to get out of my home everyday in search of action & adventure, I never wanted to play with gals (back then). "Fate, it seems, is not without a sense of irony". I had no other option. I wasnt as open as I should have been, or else I could have gone to play at the local playground with complete strangers. I stayed, I played with these gals half heartedly. I had to spend my energy on something & this was it. I ended up playing all the girly stuff that I should have just learnt from overheard girly talks. But nevertheles, I played & satisfied my urge to get out of my home. Eventhough it wasnt worth it for me. I dint know it back then, but all I did thru my childhood is weaken the sportsman in me.

The saga continued, it was 1995, the first day of my life when the whole yard in front of my building was empty. "WHAT ?" " NO GALS ? "

I was stranded there, alone. No one to play with. I dint get it back then, but after all these years, I think the gals got gal conscious. Tht was a blow below the belt for me. I couldnt stand being lonely. For a year or so , played with a tomboy. It got boring after that. Then I got extremely lonely, I used to spent my evenings in front of the tv. May be thts how i got my Spects. Imagine a 12 yr old boy who has lonely evenings.

Thts when I jus looked around the house & found 10 story books from a set that i had got, a gift from my parents. Opened it up without formalities & started reading. They were interesting ( aesop's fables to be precise ). I spent a whole week on them to understand every story properly. I wasnt a keen reader back then.

But after that week, i had a new source of entertainment. I started reading. Although i was into drawing & painting stuff, this reading thing was special. I actually used to anticipate the evening reading time. This time killing hobby was soon about to become an obsession. I got Robison Crusoe from a library & that was the first ever act of fiction that I read , which was over 200 pages in size. I simply loved it & just went on.

Today I jus gave a thot about all the abstract stuff that i know, all the nice things that i have incorporated in my life, certain amount of know how which works as information sometimes..it made me realise how important it was for me to get frustrated in 1996. I could have missed all this reading action without that lonely childhood.

Thts why I dig books so much, bcoz they make me realize that i am lonely. They make me realize the importance of company & helps me to be away from the " 4 Wall syndrome ". Who said you need dope to get high ? one good book can keep you high for weeks together.

So this is a sob story of my dope, really dont care now that i dint play. As now my fav sport ( F1) doesnt demand that i actually play it & WHO HAS THE TIME TO PLAY EITHER ;) ?


But I still miss that sportsman anyway.....