Teacher's Day Remembrance: How I Became a Reader

The first book I ever read!

This is the story of how I became a reader. And, when you read it, you will understand that it was all so full of co-incidences, a little bit of luck and some pushing- the end result was something I still cherish- being a reader and picking a book after another: the greatest joy only a reader can understand.

It all started in 1989 when I was in the 5th std, our English Teacher (Teacher Prafulla Naik), gave us an interesting assignment. In one of the English lessons, there was a reference to a dog whose name was inspired by "Tinker Bell", a character from a Children's novel, "Peter Pan" by J. M. Barrie. It brought a lot of intrigue amongst some of us as to who was Tinker Bell, and why would a dog be named after it, and we darted these questions to the Teacher, who was very approachable and always tried to make learning a joy. Sensing our curiosity, she asked the class to read the novel and discover for ourselves who Tinker Bell is. By doing this, she wanted to inculcate the reading habit into her students.

And there I was at the bookstore with my mother (who also happened to be a reader at that time), and I saw a heap of copies of Peter Pan stacked on top of each other. I picked the one on the top, and confirmed that it was indeed the same novel I was looking for, just by looking at the cover page- that had what looked like a prince or warrior holding a sword in his hand shielding a girl. I waved this book in the air and told my mother in excitement! My mother was probably also happy to see my newfound interest in reading books at the tender age of 10!

As I started reading this book, I kept turning pages, chapter after chapter- it was a story of a Sailor and his journey to an Island. For a long time, I didn't even come across the name Peter Pan, leave alone Tinker Bell! I finished reading the book and loved it, but the quest for Tinker Bell was still on. Back in the class, when the teacher asked us who all read the novel, I raised my hand, but I couldn't share much about Tinker Bell. Hesitatingly, I confessed to the teacher that I never did come across the character called Tinker Bell, but I enjoyed the novel. The teacher saw the book, skimmed through it, and replied with a smile- "The title on the cover is Peter Pan alright, but the content inside belongs to the book 'The Count of Monte Cristo' by Alexandre Dumas! Discovering Tinker Bell was not as important as you complete reading the book." she said with a contented smile. The purpose of the exercise was achieved- I had read an entire book, and a reading habit was ignited.

I was now hooked and wanted to read more novels. Back in those days, when we went to buy textbooks for schools, we just had to go to the bookstore and say- "5th Standard Textbooks", and the store would give us a bundle of books prescribed by the Education Board. Interestingly, I knew that in this bundle of 5th std books, there was a novel, that probably got in by mistake or as a result of an oversight, and the title read: "Uncle Tom's Cabin". It was a novel recompiled in simple English language and compressed for children. After the Monte Cristo reading experience of getting immersed into a book, the characters, the adventures, the challenges, and the world of fantasy it created, my eyes were now set on Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Reading these 2 books started a chain that continued for a long time- I used to frequent the bookstore and buy 2-3 novels. Many novels followed, mostly classics for children like: "The Treasure Island", "Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "David Copperfield", "Robin Hood", "Arabian Nights" and many more! As I grew older, in my teens, I began reading "The Hardy Boys", a series of mysteries solved by 2 brothers Frank and Joe who were amateur detectives. Today, it's a hobby that takes me into another world of knowledge, perspectives, viewpoints, fantasies, and facts. I continue to be a reader, and hopping between genres. 

Two coincidences and a push by the English teacher made a reader out of me- and the series of picking that next book has still continued. This is one habit that I feel should be inculcated by all teachers, more so now in this age of mobiles and smart TVs. On this teacher's day, I can't thank my teacher- Tr. Prafulla Naik enough for giving me this life-long gift.