How Literature Shaped Me ?

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.” 

From childhood itself, I had a strong fondness for reading. My journey began in my school library. From Standards 1 to 5, I remember the name of only one book, Adukiyo Dadukiyo. My schooling was completed in the Gujarati medium. I read many books during that time, but I did not yet have the insight to read them critically. In higher secondary school as well, there was a very good library, and I read many novels and stories there too. During that period, I received guidance from a teacher who taught me how to write poetry how a poem is structured, what its format is, and how it should be written. I wrote many poems as a result.

Later, I developed a strong desire to write a novel. At that time, I had read Saraswatichandra, and from then on I constantly felt that I too wanted to write a novel. However, it was not easy. Writing a novel requires deep thinking deciding what kind of characters to choose, how to present the novel, what themes to write about, and how to make it engaging. I selected characters and even began writing; I wrote five to six pages. Later, I felt that perhaps it should be written differently, so I made changes, yet I still did not feel satisfied. At that point, I realized that writing a novel is not easy; it requires critical insight, an understanding of society, and thoughtful representation of social realities. At that time, there was no one to guide me on how literature can be interpreted in multiple ways. Consequently, I gave up writing the novel, thinking that I would write it later in life when I was more mature.

When I entered my bachelor’s studies, there was again a library, and I continued reading books. I lived in a hostel during that time, so I had ample time, and I read the most books during my bachelor’s degree. While reading novels then, I would view life through them, but this feeling lasted only for a short time. Some books gave inspiration, and sometimes I felt that I wanted something similar to happen in my own life, but again, only temporarily. During that phase, books functioned as friends for me reading them made me forget everything else, and I would become completely immersed in their world. This was a positive aspect for me, and it still remains so.

Later, during my master’s studies, there was again a library the largest one I had experienced so far. Although I had less time for reading, one important positive outcome was that because of the novels included in the syllabus, I was able to look at novels in an entirely different way. I could connect my own life with the characters in the novels, and most importantly, I learned very clearly that the mistakes made by certain characters should not be repeated in my own life. Through literature, I learned a great deal, and it has changed my entire life.

From childhood to the present, many changes have taken place in my life, and even today, its impact is visible at home. If something wrong happens, I now speak up something I was unable to do earlier. Thus, literature has had a profound and lasting influence on my life.