Books:My passion

From childhood,I had been happy to listen to my dad's narration of different stories and tales at bedtime.I hadn’t ventured to pick up a book and read it myself.But on my seventh b'day dad gifted me Enid blyton series a collection of stories around elves,pixies and goblins.I refused to read it. It seemed too hard. After much coaxing and dad refusing to tell me a story,I relented and agreed to read only two stories.I did and was hooked.Dad sat watching and he taught me how to read in my mind.Slowly I moved from the fairy world of Enid Blyton to Famous five to Nancy drew ..and then on there's no turning back.My hunger for books grew as I grew older, and I went quickly to authors like R K Narayan, James Herriot, Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, and PG Wodehouse before I turned 13. I loved reading different genres and appreciated the simple Malgudi as much as I grew to love the twinkle-eyed Miss Marple and Tom Sawyer..to the latest books..the list goes on to this very day..books have and had been my passion and a good old friend.Dad..who had opened up a world of treasures for me, a mentor who had taken pride in my growth.I was never alone..even when no one is around.