Which book have you read more than any other?

Books are to the readers what oxygen is to life. As an avid reader, I have read numerous fiction, non-fiction, academic and self improvement books. However, a few books have made a deeper impact on me than many others.

One such book that immediately comes to my mind is a novel in Bengali, Pather Panchali, written by a famous Bengali novelist, Bibhutibhusan Bandyopadhyay. The english equivalent of the title of the novel is The Song of The Road.

An excerpt of the novel was in the academic syllabus of the fifth or sixth class in my school. The novel is about the childhood of the protagonist, Apu, with his sister, Durga, in a village of West Bengal. The imagination of a child, the fun of frolic  in natural environment and the excitement of seeing a moving train are so vividly depicted in the dialogues and the narration of the excerpt hat I felt compelled to read the entire novel later.

Also legendary filmmaker, Satyajit Ray, made a film on the novel, which got him international acclaim through  recognition and award. I watched the film a number of times to absorb its content and appreciate the artistic creation of a great filmmaker.

The excerpt and the novel introduced me to literature and inculcated an interest in it. Today that I am writing this piece is a tribute to the books that I read at the early stage of life.

Are you a lifelong learner?

The world is a treasure trove of knowledge and life in itself is a great teacher. There is absolutely no way that someone does not learn something in every twist and turn of life. And it is only advantageous if we learn or else life teaches us hard lessons.

I am a lifelong learner, and this stands me in good stead when I deal with this inchoate world. Besides, I enjoy my learning because it introduces me to new experiences and keeps me engaged.

I read extensively literature and did a course in creative writing in my thirties when I was busy doing my job. Writing in itself is a vast subject as there are different genres in fiction and non-fiction such as poetry, story, essays, drama, novel and scripts.

Even in terms of physical activity too, I am eager to learn. Swimming fascinated me in my childhood, but even after a lot of efforts in my village ponds, I failed to learn the skill. So when I found a swimming pool in the campus of my office, I practiced it and learnt the skill at the age of 33. Learning swimming helped me teach the skill to my children when they grew up.

I am learning photography and am quite good at it now. Sharing photos on social media and also making people happy by showing them something interesting or photographing them and presenting them with their photos keep me engaged continuously. It gives me satisfaction that I am spending time in meaningful activities.

I draw inspiration from my father. He is in his nineties and does not see well but is still willing to learn new things in english, history and geography by hearing YouTube videos on his mobile phone. Learning keeps us up-to-date and smart. I am a lifelong learner and it defines me in some way.

If you had an unlimited budget for 24 hours, what would you do?

A windfall often goes waste because one has not anticipated it nor planned for its use. Having an unlimited supply of money to spend in 24 hours could suddenly make one tizzy like a befuddled rat.

I am no expert of money, but I know that money can be more fluid than air or even water. If not restricted, it can just gush out in a torrent and make the source dry just in a moment. It can go down the drain or create wealth for use in the future.

Many things that we want to do in life remain undone because of the lack of money. I want to build a hospital in memory of my mother and a school. In 24 hours, I could perhaps enter into an agreement to buy pieces of land available on sale in my home town and make payment immediately. I could build a hospital later on one of them and sell the rest to generate funds for infrastructure, medical equipment and employment of doctors and nurses. The same would be for building a school as well

Of late, l have developed an interest in photography, which is an expensive hobby. I have a Nikon camera. I would like to buy all the gears such as long lenses, tripod and ND filters for this camera and a camera of a different brand.

If I could do this, I would believe I have utilised the windfall in a short time.

What’s a thing you were completely obsessed with as a kid?

Innocent about the ways of the world, a kid tries to explore it through anything they see in front of their eyes. With a bundle of energy, a kid would naturally be drawn to things that are in the domain of their elders and are dynamic.

Of the many activities I was obsessed with, the thing that I remember most is cycling. In the nineteen-eighties, people in the villages of India mostly had bicyles as vehicles for commuting short distances. My father did not use any bi-cycle while my uncle was always on the move with his one.

Luckily I found a bicycle in my neighbour’s home, which used to remain idle most of the time. Every morning after my studies, I used to take the bicycle and simply walk it from one home to another. It was a kind of obsession I could not get over and became a daily routine. I was still not able to ride it as that would require me to be tall enough to be able to be seated with my legs reaching the ground. Also it needed training and physical balance.

Later slowly I learnt to ride half pedal. I reached the pedal on the other side by putting my right leg across below the cross bar. Riding half pedal was enough for me to go around my village.

It was many years later when I grew up that I learnt to ride a bicycle. But I remember those days when I used to simply walk it. That  activity kept me engaged and gave me a lot of fun.

What’s the most interesting local custom you’ve encountered?

Customs are an essential part of variegated cultural life in India. In this country of gods and goddesses, customs originate mainly from the religious practices of Hinduism. The daily routines of men and women are informed by these very customs.

I saw my mother wake up early in the mornings, take bath and workshop God. Again after sunset, she would light lamps before the idols. It brought a kind of order and routine with which she spent her entire life.

I have spent a long time in the southern part of India. One custom that strikes me is Rangoli. Women decorate their door steps by drawing patterns every morning with coloured powders.The creative patterns are the marks of taste of the householders and make the first good impressions on the visitors. If one passes by the household, they feel welcomed by it.

Then the next morning, again they wash the floor and decorate it with a new pattern. Rangoli is a positive start of activities for them every day.