Not everyone knows the culture of reading.

Hello everyone. This is my first medium write-up and i am pretty much soaking in anxiety. This is my story, just a small one! Buckle-up!

I never had a peculiar interest in reading or writing. I am not brought up in that culture, where mum reads you stories to bed, or Grandparents stocked their shelves with classic collection of medieval literature and poetry.

Let alone Writing, I thought i could only write boring essays for marks in my exams.

To me, the whole world of reading, books and whatever seemed to rhyme with the whole culture of the mentioned, was unknown, NON-EXISTENT, until I met my mates in school, around 7th grade.

I am a great fan of the HP series, the movie, of course and without a second thought, borrowed the first series. There! That was the first book i ever read apart from academia (where you don’t read, but you “study”!)

I was not that slow reader, I finished the book in an average time. Initially, I struggled with distraction. But with time, i got better!

By the time, I’d discovered the joy of reading Fictions, I was in 10th grade I’d say. Pretty Late, HUH! I was very selective, and exposure was still very less.

Come Graduation, I still had not read that many books to account for, and i thought the habit of reading, whatever little i had left is gone! Pfft!

I wondered, How could Bookworms, or readers, writers concentrate/focus so much, Just HAAUUWW??

I was struggling, Nevertheless i pushed myself to read the newspaper daily. I would either end up consuming 45 minutes reading every inch of the paper, or just turn the pages and read comics or celeb gossips! ( for like 5 mins?)

The only few poems and literary works i would have read would have been Julius Caeser, MacBeth, The Solitary Reaper, Night of the Scorpion, (Guys, I can literally count them) , The Road not taken, The Mirror. etc

I studied them in my school. But did not realize of what they meant to me, until i was not in touch with poetry, the words anymore.

When I entered my Graduation, Languages were not in the syllabi.

Something was missing.

Oh God, everything just had some math or chemistry, No feelings?

Where are the words that read and wrote emotions?

Where are the words which told us stories of history and life lessons?

Where are the philosophies ?

Where is LIFE?

And I found my answers…!

I started reading again, the poems that i had read, now seeing in a different perspective, reading classics, articles, articulate matters, poems.

I was amazed about the result for it taught me patience, concentration, Imagination, (aah! the smell of new books)

And most importantly a quest for knowledge, the urge to know something always. That curiosity which keeps you on the edge, always driving you.

This happened not so long ago and I am still going through the process.

At times, I write when I am deeply hurt or confused, Or I don’t feel like expressing it to a person, but to myself in a diary. It has helped me a lot.

But nowadays, I write, that, which affects me, any strong emotion.

Writing is a lot fun too.

It’s just like art, you should never force it or modify it.

You do it, because it flows out of you, and the way it flows,
is your art ,
even if others cant see it.