My Hobby - Reading

             

A hobby is generally defined as an activity that is done for enjoyment, usually during one’s leisure time. Hobbies are therapeutic.It can be anything, anything that gives you pleasure - from collecting stamps and coins, to cooking and baking. I have quite a few hobbies, but my favourite one is reading.

Reading has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My tryst with reading first took place when I was in kindergarten. I remember my father coming home one day with a couple of Barbie storybooks and me being mesmerised with them. I also remember him warning me against scribbling on the books. Those were the first books that I hadn’t scribbled on and it made my five-year-old self feel very grown up. After this, I kept asking for more books and slowly and steadily, I was getting into a habit of reading. That habit slowly transformed into a hobby.

For me, reading is an escape from reality, it is liberating. Whenever there is something bugging my mind, I find myself rummaging through my cupboard for a book and getting lost in it until someone brings me back to reality. Reading is the way one can live several lives in a single lifetime. You can find yourself as Lucy in Narnia, meeting Mr Tumnus, or as Harry meeting Ron and Hermione on the Hogwarts Express. You can also be Elizabeth Bennet, bickering with Mr Darcy. Whoever said, “once you read, you will forever be free” couldn’t have been more accurate.

The experience of reading is different from that of watching movies. When you are watching movies, you know what the characters and the places look like, but when you are reading, you will never know what the places and characters exactly look like, even if the book is illustrated. The reader finds himself imagining the places and characters, without actually knowing what they look like, leaving the readers guessing everything. This mysterious aspect of reading makes it even more appealing to me. Whoever mock people who are constantly reading do not know what they are missing on, for the person reading the book might as well have been transported someplace which isn’t in the reach of others.

Other than giving the readers immense pleasure, reading has many other benefits. It increases your knowledge, improves communication, builds confidence and reduces stress and boredom.

The habit of reading is one of the best qualities a person can possess. Reading a good book is one of the most pleasurable experiences known to man. Books are the truest companion of man. People come and go, but once you read a good story, it stays with you for eternity.