| Writing has one purpose: to communicate. In ancient times, our ancestors wrote symbols, drawings and letters to tell something. Reading has two purposes, to learn something new, to amuse oneself. |
I am a reader, I love reading all kinds of genres of books. For instance, I read poetry, short stories, flash fiction, novels, dramas, essays, memoirs, biographies, autobiographies, religion, philosophy, anthropology, history. However, when I am reading creative writing, I prefer prose over poetry. Short stories and novels are my favourite genres in prose. When I read non-creative writings, I prefer anthropology and religion.
I’m a voracious reader. Usually, I spend substantial amounts of time doing some serious reading. When I was young, I used to read different kinds of books, however, as I grow older, I am becoming more selective about the subjects I read.
When I was a kid, I read what my father wanted me to read. I read Hans Christian Anderson, Grimm Brothers, Panchantra (Hindu fables) Jatak Katha (Buddhist tales), folk tales and moral stories from different cultures and countries.
In my early adolescence, I read simplified and abridged versions of the books by Shakespeare, R.L. Stevenson, Charles Dickens. As I grew near the upper teen threshold, I took an interest in reading religion, philosophy, psychology, culture and world literature.
In my adulthood, I became more interested in Hindu religion and philosophy, Buddhist religion and philosophy, western philosophy, social/cultural anthropology, history and literature.
Reading has multiple purposes, for instance, for knowledge, wisdom, life skills. Reading is one of the important learning techniques. Reading is necessary for the development of the mind and conscience. Reading is very popular, and, of course, a very cheap, medium of entertainment. Reading makes you aware about your inner and outer world. Reading increases your social responsibilities.
Every man and woman should read according to his or her interest. Reading and writing go hand in hand. I read fiction for pleasure as well as to learn the craft. I read non-fiction to acquire knowledge and wisdom, and find subject matter for my writing. I read novels, stories, poetry and essays. I love to read history, religion and philosophy, social/cultural anthropology, psychology and such more. I read because I write. The first thing I read after I began to recognise the alphabet was a story from Panchantatra, a Hindu book of fables, in my mother tongue, and The Little Red Riding Hood, in English.
I still remember the evening when my father had bought these books and spread them before me.
Perhaps, this event indicated that later in my life I would be a book lover and a book collector. Unfortunately, most of the books I read as a child have been lost while moving home. However, today I have built my personal library with about 5,000 books, 7 thousand magazines and 7 GB of ebooks.
Reading is just a matter of interest, therefore, we should not criticise people because they don’t read, or make fun of people because of their reading interest. Those who never read could also criticise us for not partying or playing games. Thus, the title of this article is directed towards those individuals who love reading.
By Binaya Ghimire
