Addicting Actions..

I have had a strange captivation for the written word for a very long time. It started with flipping glossy magazines as a toddler.

My strong language programmes in school pushed me further into this habit. Now, with the advent of the information super highway, reading is more like an obsession to me.

During elementary school in the US, I was too shy to admit that I had read 'The Scarlet Letter' for my sixth grade summer project. This master piece by Nathaniel Hawthorne dealt with some mature themes and was not the perfect reading matierial for a school girl of my age.

My tryst with books continued even when I joined a convent school in Mumbai. I was caught reading 'To Kill a Mockingbird' by the Principal (a nun) during school hours. I went to the Principal's office to recover my confiscated book expecting some form of reprimand. Strangely enough, she returned the book without saying a word.

I was more into journals, magazines and newspapers during my college days in Allahabad. I still read some amazing books that came my way during that period. Some of my all time favourites like 'The God of Small Things' (Arundhati Roy), 'City of Joy' (Dominique Lapierre) and 'The Thorn Birds' (Colleen McColough) were read during my student life in Allahabad.

I couldn't get enough of the newspaper that was kept in the hostel lobby in Allahabad. That single copy of the newspaper was meant for about 300 girls in hostel. Somebody always took it to their room after the lunch hour. Besides, our gruelling schedule in college did not leave enough time for frequent trips to the library.

I ordered my own copy of 'The Hindu' from the local newspaper vendor. That paper was a Delhi edition that came a day later to Allahabad. Neverthless, it served my purpose.

I was known as the girl who went around to other people's rooms to borrow/read newspapers in my hostel. There were a number of girls who ordered dailies other than the one I bought.

During our hostel farewell, my juniors called me onto the stage and presented me with a package. Beneath that colourful gift wrap was a bundle of old newspapers. The crowd roared when I opened my gift. I remember feeling sheepish but I figured this was better than being known for something else.

I was really glad to have complete access to the internet and a wonderful library during my post-grad days. A Suitable Boy (by Vikram Seth), a book that I read during these days, provided me with some priceless insights about choices in life.

I enjoyed my work as a Research Executive in Mumbai mainly because it revolved around this addiction of mine. The Research team had a small library of latest journals, newspapers, internet and subscriptions to online databases at their disposal. I loved getting paid for doing something I considered my hobby.

Marriage disrupted this obsession of mine to a certain extent. I was allured by the passion, love and strength of being in a relationship.

I am back to my habits now that life has stabilized just a little more. I am lucky to have a husband who understands this uncanny obsession.

He has taken subscriptions to various magazines he knows he will never get time to even skim over. He brings me few newspapers from office everyday knowing my liking for curling up in bed with the daily roundup of news. He even introduced me to an exclusive portal meant for self-learning.

There are very few people whom I have met who share this genuine fondness for print. I must mention that I met one such specimen, Akshay, during post-grad days. There is no end to the expanse of topics we cover when we both start talking. The rest of the gang used to melt away out of sheer frustration when we were in the state of conversation.

I know that too much of anything is not helpful. I try to balance the other activities in my life with my hobbies. I don't know how successful I am in doing that but I am definitely trying.