23rd April 2025
It is celebrated annually on April 23rd to promote the joy of reading, encourage lifelong learning & highlight the importance of literature in our lives.
This quote by Mark Twain sums it beautifully – “The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.”
For me, Books have enriched, upgraded and saved my life.
I have been an avid reader since childhood – a habit the shy, introvert, complexed younger me, picked up to avoid meeting people & spending time alone.
After having devoured my father’s small collection, I was always on the lookout for something to read and a large part of my pocket money used to be invested in books, comics & similar stuff.
Along the way…when all was well, great books strengthened my creativity, artistry, productivity & joy.
…when things were hard, they delivered hope, guided my way and offered a literary lighthouse that helped me navigate rough seas.
I believe that the single-finest way to lead your field is to increase your skills relentlessly.
If you truly want to become good at what you do, then you have to read every relevant book you can get your hands on, so that you grow into a genuine master of your craft.
I Buy More Books than I Can Ever Read – The Japanese have a name for this too – ‘Tsundoku.’
I buy more books than I know I will read in my lifetime.
It makes me happy to get a book. It gives me hope, activates my energy & allows me to assemble a library that I will pass on as a legacy for my children.
I purchase books on a variety of subjects; productivity, history, psychology, investing, emotional healing, self help, staying positive, executing on high-value targets, scaling a business and on the lives of great human beings.
I Go for a wide range and try to read works that push me to think differently so that I can produce uniquely.
I generally Highlight and Take Notes of the most interesting & relevant portions.
When I read, I read slowly & deliberately. I highlight, generally with a yellow marker. I also make notes in the margins & on those few pages at the end that publishers leave blank.
Live & breathe your experience with the book, let it change you.
I read books of different genres – depending on my mood.
My favourite pastime is browsing in a library or a bookstore.
Arrive early at the airport & after check in, it is straight to the book store and look for new titles which invariably end in a buy.
I have always felt that a book is a bargain at any price – if you can’t get access to great, famous people to be your mentors, reading books written by them is the next best alternative.
For the value which a book can bring, they are considered to be a bargain.
A Rs 500 book could change your life. If a book you read just gives you one idea that changes your perspective, it’s worth it.
Knowledge is powerful, and books are great teachers.
As they say “The tools for learning are abundant. It’s the desire to learn that’s scarce.”
Shall just like to end with these words of
Novelist Toni Morrison:
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it. The same is true of any endeavor: if the solution you seek doesn’t exist, create it.”
This World book day, start building your library, start reading a good book & stay blessed forever.