Around the World(s) with Three Gifts

Life, a loving family, and an attitude of gratitude

- Smt. Sujatha Rao

There is something nice about receiving gifts. They are 'free' and we Indians love anything that comes 'free'. It's no wonder then that we have so many successful campaigns around 'Buy One, Get One Free' in our country.

Receiving gifts of personal value also highlights the importance of gratitude. That's why I like the Thanksgiving season. It gives us an opportunity to look back at the past with fondness and gratitude. So, as I sat ruminating over some of the best gifts I received in the not-so-distant past, I could come up with the following three gifts that set me on three different journeys in their wake.

Time Travel

Reading has always been one of my passions. Right from my childhood, books were like those time machines enabling me to travel to different eras and worlds.

Many books have left their mark on me and shaped the way I turned out in life. But as I grew older, reading books with smaller fonts started becoming more and difficult with my degenerating eye sight, and reading started to wane even against my will.

That's when I received a 'Kindle' as a gift from my elder brother, who too shared with me not only the passion for reading, but also the dwindling eyesight. With the freedom to increase the font as per my comfort and the convenience of carrying an unlimited number of books, with a built-in dictionary on a device that could easily fit into my handbag, I felt liberated and my passion for reading was rekindled (pun intended). Soon, I started devouring books with a renewed zeal.