#shareabookindia

India, not a country to be visited, but a country to be felt.

The mother who cradled the most valuable and most efficient stuff in the history of mankind. The birthplace of Sanskrit, the origin of all other languages. The giver of the most brilliant of the brilliant minds in the world. To keep the streak going, the base of the nation and the builders of the future should be refined.

As we count down the 6 days that are remaining for our Milaap fundraiser, we would like to urge you to follow our journey with us to see the effect your contribution can make a lives of children in low-resource communities.

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After falling the last pitfall,

I was fed up of them all!

Until then I hadn’t realised,

Lost I was on the path of life.

Lost of purpose, drained of hope,

With just so much, I’d had to cope.

So many things in my mind to keep,

When would I get a good night’s sleep?

Textbooks and notebooks became more than just objects,

How do I learn all these humongous subjects?!

“Electrostatics”, “Probability”, “Economics”, and “Solutions”,

My so-called ‘troubles’ were mere illusions.

Troubles are things that everyone face,

Yet, some handle them, with grace.

Strong aren’t only the people who get recognized,

Many strong people remain forever disguised.

Times of hardship, nothing to eat,

To them, no one bothers to smile and greet.

Towards them, we forget our ties that bind,

But in a newspaper, their pictures you might find.

Having no shelter, not a sock’s pair,

All year round, the same clothes to wear.

Life, we know, is anything but fair,

So why not show towards them some care?

Unnoticed heroes, undocumented in any file,

Yet on their face, remains a big smile.

Has anyone ever wondered: HOW?

Is it too late to help right now?

Facing challenges undaunted,

From their goals they don't avert.

In the end emerge superheroes,

They put in that much effort.

For them success means a glass of water,

A slingshot for their son or a flower for their daughter.

Such hope and strength, we must pass around,

Positivity and happiness, resonating profound.

Help all those we can, we must,

To all around us, let us be fair and just.

For every problem, there exists a solution,

For poverty, diseases, hunger and pollution.

So let us aim to be heroes in strife,

For now, we’re all lost on the path of life.

It’s only August, and I have already read a record 100 books! Which is way more than I have ever read in one year. I have always been an avid reader and reading was never boring to me; I’d rather read than watch YouTube/Netflix- something that still stands. Unless, of course, it has a certain Peter Kavinsky in it ;) (I mean, that is one beautiful man! Have you seen the movie yet?)

So anyway, like I have been saying, this year has been a phenomenal reading year for me. And I can only hope that this streak continues. So without further ado, let me state a few points which I have personally used this year and they have helped me immensely in setting this record.

1.      Since you might feel that to read a novel, you need more time, I would definitely advise getting a planner. What it does, it helps you prioritize the things you need to do or have to do, and sheds light on the time you waste as well. I personally keep a bullet journal and that has helped me immensely in organizing my day to day activities and as such, I find myself with enough free time on my hands.

2.      Set monthly TBR goals! (TBR stands for To Be Read.) So I try to set a goal of 10 books each month- when I think that it’s a busy month, or else I set a minimum of 20 books per month. But you also have to keep in account, the size of the book- don’t be disheartened if you read, say perhaps, just 5 thick books. The size or the number of words/pages really matter as well. I read books with a minimum of 300 pages each mostly, so I can easily cross 15 every month unless I’ve got exams or such school activities. Setting a goal always helps!

a.       Now one thing that always works for me is to set higher goals that I think I can achieve. It’s something like the saying goes- aim for the moon and you’ll fall on the stars (?). Something like that I suppose. Now, this ideology really helps me- because I am a naturally competitive person with myself- I always am aiming to do better than what I have done previously. So if I set the goal at 20, and I only reach 15, that’s a pretty good number too! However, the catch-22 here is that this can also affect someone else in a completely opposite manner. So I definitely recommend you try this one out once and go on from there. This sub-point is so not for everyone.

3.      Set deadlines for each book. Setting deadlines just as goals, really help too. While I have specific deadlines for the books, I sometimes fly past them- I am a university student after all, and I have to give more importance to my course books, of course. Nonetheless, it really helps me to finish the books I want to. My deadlines vary as such-

a.       150-200 pages – maximum of 2 days.

b.      250-350 pages – maximum of 3 days.

c.       400-500+ pages – maximum of 5 days.

4.      Indulge in guilty-reads! Sometimes, when I can feel the ominous onset of a reading slump, I go back to my guilty-reads. Guilty reads can be described as those books that you really love- but would not call them something serious, rather something light and for mindless fun. For me, the guilty reads are all the vintage Mills and Boon books. (How many of you have also loved them?)  

5.      Going on the same vein, do read books that you actually love. Don’t force yourself to read something you hate (unless you have to, for school! ;)) If you keep on forcing yourself to read books you hate, your brain will condition you into hating the process of reading itself!

6.      The most important tip perhaps is to keep a book with you always- an eBook for when you go out but are not carrying anything except your wallet and phone perhaps, and an actual paperback copy for when you have a bag big enough to fit it in. Then, you can also read whenever you want. If you are a person who prefers to read a single book at a time, then make sure you also have an eBook of the same.

7.      For inspiration, take part in readathons- something I actively do in Instagram. On the same vein, follow a few bookstagram profiles that can help inspire you.

8.      Join book discussions. This will condition your mind into looking forward to these sessions, as a result of which, you will actually finish reading the book.

a.       Also, join book clubs!

9.      If you think you need help while reading, regarding the word meanings, keep an actual dictionary with you, rather than using your phone. This will ensure that you won’t stray and end up watching a YouTube video or two.

10.  Always have a set space for your reading/studying. This goes for both active and passive reading. Continuously indulging in this, will condition your mind to just read/study in that place. I have my desk where, I automatically start working, because that’s the place where I have always read and studied and the like.

Our dreams as children were something of an art, something immaculate. We could reach as high as the sky, as deep as the ocean and as wide as the universe because we read the stories with intellectuals, gurus, prince and princesses and believed that something magical happens to everyone. In this advanced world let the children see the unseen and grow beyond restrictions. 'Cause then that is what will give us our next Newton, next Ramanujan, next Shakespeare, next Mozart and next Picasso.