Wednesday 17 March 2010

Reading along!

In school, english was the first language of instruction for me. I am glad it was so because it opened a door to the wonderland of the language for me. The english text books had chapters from classic novels which made us run to the library and read the novel to understand the references. I had teachers who were so passionate about the language that they considered it their duty to initiate all the kids that they could take hold of to the beauty and mystries of the language and its liturature.


We learnt Wordsworth and WH Davies and Shakespeare and Robert Frost. We learnt to appreciate the finer nuances of the language and it’s words. We read Jane Austen, Jerome K Jerome and many more such authors who not enhanced our vocabulary and nurtured a love for the language in us. We were encouraged to read…..not just the text books but all the books that we could catch hold of…..mostly classics. I am glad that we began the literary journey with the classics. Unlike the contemporary novels, these books instilled in us a sense of awe about the words, the style of writing and the grace of the language.

Though i cannot read as much as i like now, i still try to read atleast one book a month. Reading makes me feel good. It is one of the pleasures that i cannot forgo no matter how busy i am.

Wednesday 3 March 2010

A beautiful begining!

Have you had a day when everything just seems so bright? Have you had a day when everything looks gloomy? My bright days are always when I get up early. Since this is a rare occurrence it makes the day more special. The perfect day to get up early is Sunday. When the rest of the world is still sleeping, I get up to spend some time with myself. Sunday mornings always have a relaxing, calming effect on me. I can do whatever I want for a couple of hours before my husband and my daughter wake up. Every Sunday I wake up with a list of things to do in my head. A bunch of household chores, some extra cooking, some embroidery, catching up on some reading……..do nothing! That’s what I tend to do most of the times. I end up chucking the list of all the ideal things to do and end up with a book and a cup of tea by the window. For me, that’s the best beginning to any day.