A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies . . . The man who never reads lives only one.”
̴ George R.R. Martin
Today we celebrate World Book Day, (actually World Book and Copyright Day or International Day of the Book), an annual event organized by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) to promote reading, publishing, and copyright, which was first celebrated on 23 April in 1995, in memory of William Shakespeare.
Dear Readers of The Checkup,
Congratulations on being a reader! You are soon becoming a member of a dwindling tribe, thanks to rise of screens, reels and OTT. So what, you may ask. Stories in any form are stories, aren’t they.
But the art of imagining, and escaping into the world created by your own minds through small paper bound portals is a luxury no OTT can offer. Your versions, interpretations, and truth make the story relevant to you.
Which is why The Checkup asked its Doctor-writers to reminisce and share the joys of their trysts with reading and these little miracles called books.
Books; our accessible miracles
You live, in a cupboard under the stairs, fighting the cobwebs, waiting for your letter and a ticket that will take you to platform 9 & 3 quarters. You’re the cleverest witch of your age and you stomp down evil, loathsome little cockroaches. You’re the curator’s granddaughter and you break the literal da Vinci code to find the literal holy grail. You stand on the richly threaded carpet in Kabul, looking at the children playing on bullet and missile free streets, running for the last kite remaining, hoping to see some sign of life on the face of a boy, who hasn’t spoken in months. You can feel the guilt and anguish in a father’s crinkled, weather-beaten face who gets traumatized by the bell sounds, signaling a child’s entrance, echoing from the mountains. You paddle in the ferries in Amsterdam, under the lit-up cherry blossoms, the oxygen cylinder precariously placed, looking at the starry-eyed boy with his crooked smile and somehow, you don’t find much fault in the stars. For one moment, you know you’re not a sad story, you are alive and you stand up and see the lights on the buildings and everything that makes you wonder, and you’re listening to that song on that drive with the people you love most in this world and in that moment, even if you’re a wallflower, I swear you become infinite.
And you think with wonder that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives, because we all overcome the world. You read. So that, you can live a hundred different lives in a single lifetime. And no movie, however well made, will match up to these images and these emotions that live in your head and beat in your heart.
I’m Dr Vibha K V, I have completed MBBS and MD Psychiatry and I work as an Assistant
Professor of Psychiatry at St John’s Medical College Hospital, Bengaluru. I’m an avid
reader and an amateur writer; I like writing about everyday things and empathy. I have
completed a Fiction and Creative Non-fiction writing classic course by the Bangalore
Writers Workshop, where I learnt about the nuances of storytelling, which deepened my
passion for writing. I like organizing academic and nonacademic activities centered
around books and am a part of more book clubs than I can keep a count of!
Firsts are always special: ‘Anne of Green Gables
They say ‘Firsts are always special’. My favourite book till date remains Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery, as it was one of the first novellas I read, which hooked me to reading…
The book is special to me because of the sheer beauty, joy and tenderness of the fairy-tale world conjured by the author, as we follow the adventures of Anne from childhood to womanhood. As the central characters Anne and Gilbert are shown to pursue literature and medicine respectively, it rings even closer home; as before opting for dentistry it was always my secret wish to pursue a career in writing. I may have followed Gilbert ‘s path and love it too; but my heart still longs for the romance of words.
More importantly, what always has remained with me is a term coined by Anne, ‘ kindred spirits ‘. This is used by her to refer to people who no matter their age, have learnt to maintain a sense of humour and childlike joy. This is something that I try to follow and whenever I think am losing my mojo, I always go back to this book.
Dr Nikhita Gune
Junior Consultant, Paediatric Dentistry
NH SRCC Children’s hospital
Food for Thought: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
If you enjoy books that make you think, then this is the book for you. It tells the story of a society falling apart because the government controls too much and rewards laziness over hard work. It shows you a world where hardworking people are held back by bad policies and lazy workers. The book asks big questions about freedom, responsibility, and how government interference can ruin progress. Though long and complex, it makes readers think about success, responsibility, and freedom. Atlas Shrugged is a thought-provoking book that challenges how we view work, government, and society. Take up this reading challenge and it will force you to examine your beliefs about the structure of society as we see it.
I’m Dr Tanvi Andrade, an orthodontist with a private practice in Bandra, Mumbai. When I’m not working on smiles, you’ll probably find me with my nose in a book, planning my next getaway, cooking something new, or hanging out with animals. I’m all about good vibes, genuine people, and finding joy in the little things.
When words fade on screens: Essay
The wave of movie adaptations of books has now become a full-fledged tide of web series. To name a few, Bridgerton, Dexter, 13 Reasons Why, have all been popular especially amongst the young audience. However, to a reader, the experience of a page-turner will always be superior to that of a gripping film. One such experience for me is The Twilight Saga. For a fourteen-year-old new reader, the story of Bella was fantastical and the charm of fictional creatures almost magnetic. The characters are complex with a good blend of enigma and eeriness. The films diluted so much of the character sensitivity behind glitter, that the audience couldn’t help but focus more on the inconsistencies in comparison to the books, which would otherwise be overlooked as creative liberty. New Moon makes the readers feel Bella’s pain and yearning while sympathizing with Edward; Breaking Dawn introduces so many new characters that are amalgamated into the family beautifully. While the movies skip important events making it feel incomplete. “The Meadow” takes us readers on a trail of pivotal moments in the couple’s lives while the ones who’ve just seen the movies think of the proposal.
Why I believe that movie adaptation can never match up to the wholesomeness of reading the book is because it takes away the freedom of imagination from us. Each reader experiences the book differently, finding meaning in different scenes and it is impossible to make everyone happy with one adaptation of the book, as many scenes might either be poorly designed or omitted completely, leading to audience dissatisfaction. In every spare moment, I’ll find myself reaching for the bookshelf, rather than the remote.
-I am Khushi Gupta, a dentist by profession, but like to be introduced as an ardent reader who
occasionally enjoys writing fictional narratives. Growing up I picked up lots of hobbies but
reading has been a constant. Exploring diverse themes sharpens my perspective, while crafting
stories and reflections allows me to express creativity beyond the dental chair. I thrive at the
intersection of science and storytelling.
