By Vasvi Sood

Dear Reader,

Let me tell you about my first love. I was a little, dreamy-eyed girl when the world of books opened up in front of me. I was enthralled as I flipped through the pages of “The Alchemist”. I was astonished as I traveled with the protagonist through the desert. I watched him fall in love, and above all, I was impressed as he pursued his mission in life. I can be anyone—a wanderer or a trader; one time I was a girl who went to Switzerland to pursue her dreams, and another time I was a woman who would stop at nothing to avenge herself and her mother. Books are like clouds that give you peace amidst the lightning and thunderstorms.

This journey was a special one. It made me forget all worries and realise I can live any life I want through my favourite characters. I hope one day every young girl and boy experiences this feeling as they discover themselves through the engravings on a piece of paper. I’m sure then they will believe that they too are the heroes of their own stories and can create their own destiny just like me.

Vasvi