READING UNDER LOCKDOWN

Times are hard... But then, there are books and what a boon they are, to mankind!

With all that’s been going around at the moment, the only thing that is keeping me sane, is reading. Reading is my escape. It shuts down all the negative tabs in my mind and instantly opens up a new world in front of me. It completely distracts my mind from all the things happening in the world and gives me space to think about things other than the great 'CORONA'.

Which is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT, because, this virus has not just snatched the beautiful outside world of ours, but has also creeped into our minds and phones and televisions (and blogs?) and is constantly updating its monstrosity, every few hours. It sucks and my only defence mechanism for it is, books! Oh these lovely paperbacks telling a story of their own.

So, any time of the day I’m free, you’ll see me crouched in a corner, immersed in a book. And within minutes, I start feeling all fresh and positive and happy! Even if the book has a sad story to tell, either the writing and the treatment would inspire me to get up and create something new or it would lead me to express gratitude after thinking about those in circumstances graver that me.

Now, a good thing this lockdown has brought in is re-reading old books. I am someone who wants to catch up on a new book every time and am not a fan of reading books that I’ve already read for I always thought I never had the patience to do that. Sometimes I would start re-reading a book, but then the minute I’d buy a new book, I would start reading the latest one. BUT since nothing is being delivered right now (for obvious reasons) and I hate e-books, I had to resort to re-reading old books. And it has been great. I’ve been getting so many new insights while reading ‘I am Malala’ the second time and I’m kind of judging myself for not having read HARRY POTTER more than once. Harry Potter is such a magical piece of art that it feels just as interesting to read again, as the first time I picked up that book.

Another reading habit that has been changed in the quarantine is reading 2-3 books at the same time. This has been possible because right now I have the time to invest in 3 different stories and also because not only do I want to tread back into the books I’ve read in the past (like Harry Potter), but also read something new at the same time. And these new books are the ones which I had bought a long time ago, but just didn’t feel like reading them. It was hard to pick them up and start reading, but once I started, it wasn’t so bad. And honestly speaking, these are really good ones like ‘The Secret Garden’ and the sequel of Little Women, ‘Good Wives’. But somehow I never felt like reading them. Until now.

So, thats all I’ve been reading and thinking while quarantining and yes, life’s been hard for all of us, but such small little things that are bringing in joy and sunshine in these dull days are what are worth clinging on to.

Stay Safe. Hang in there. And keep hoping for the good times to come.

Because, this too shall pass :)