World Book Day

For some people, reading is a meditative act. For some, an addiction. Some people like reading books as a getaway from reality. Others like reading them to connect a bit more with reality. A book can give the most thrilling experience of your life with a twisted, macabre tale of murder, it can scare you to the ends of wanting to sleep with a little light on, it can make you fall in love with a fictional character that you wish you were dating, or were friends with, or had a sibling like that, it can make you want to become a witch or a wizard, transport yourself into a different land - the end point being, there is no end to what a book can provide you with.

When you have a book to read, good or bad, you are truly never alone. The characters, the depth of the story, the plot line, the pages (or for many of us, the Kindle), all make you feel complete, with no need of a companion for those moments. You might be cutoff from the outside world, but there is no abandonment or loneliness in the act of reading, not truly, anyways, because you're connected with the world of books. the world that your story is bringing to you, the world of your characters.

I have not always been a bookworm. I used to be the kid that read books halfway, and left them for another time, which never came, because I would pick up some other book. The gifting of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Harry Potter Series #7) led to me to the world of reading. I had not read any of the Harry Potter books before receiving this gift. I don't even know what pushed me to go buy Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (Harry Potter series #1). But once I read that book, there was no stopping me. I wouldn't leave those books until I had not finished reading them. If I finished them, I wanted a new one to read. I would start reading anywhere and everywhere. And after I finished the Harry Potter series, I just wanted more books to read. So I thank the world of Wizardry, brought to all of us by J.K. Rowling, for having introduced me not only to the magical world of Hogwarts, but to the magical world of books. From then till date, books have always been my best friend.

So on the very special occasion of World Book Day, I would like to urge every reader - beginner, novice, avid readers, bookworms, to celebrate it every single day. Don't make the excuse of work, studies, not having time, too fast of a life, I can't even end the list of excuses. Don't let something as beautiful as the art of expanding your views, your knowledge, your creativity, your spirituality, whatever it is that tingles an emotion in you when you read a book, be it genre specific or in general, be brought to a halt because of the mundanities and responsibilities in life. You owe yourself that much. And more than yourself, you owe your best friends (books, literary magazine subscriptions, Wattpad, Goodreads, etc.) that much of attention.

#worldbookday #opinion