Dear Jeyamohan,
I did not read anything until I turned 21, even though I was raised in an upper-middle-class family and educated at a prestigious school and a well-regarded college. I had many friends, both male and female, and no one was interested in reading.
Generally they are interested in consumeristic things, travel, and food. Only a few have an interest in movies. I had only one friend who had some interest in politics, and he was an outsider at my college. I used to roam on social media; I was an active participant on Insta. I followed Instagram celebrities and constantly discussed fashion trends.
Suddenly I had something in my life; I had a breakup. I experienced feelings of exploitation and betrayal. For more than 2 years, I had a very active sexual life with two friends, and I believed they treated me as both a friend and an intellectual companion. I believed that we belong to a modern society where sex is a pure physical pleasure and it has nothing to do with personal life.
Subsequently, following the end of that relationship, I came to the painful realization that those individuals regarded me merely as a sexual object, rather than as a friend or intellectual equal. They referred to me as an “item” when they discussed me among themselves.
I was heartbroken and went into deep depression. I was often thinking about suicide. Then one day, I found your book titled “Stories of the True.” I found it accidentally; someone wrote about it that it is a book with a positive outlook. It actually saved me, and I became a different person.
While I was in deep depression, I used to roam on social media for more than 12 hours a day. However, I cannot recall any specific words or faces from my time on social media. But I can remember every single word from your book.
I started to read, and I found I can read only serious books. In just one and a half years, I’ve made significant progress from those early days. Now I am reading a lot, and I found I can write something. I don’t know whether I am ready to create something serious, but now I am convinced that true literature is the only companion in our life for any person with a basic intellectual quality.
My sole regret now is that if I had been introduced to literature earlier, I would have easily identified those fools and saved myself from the shame I am now feeling. I wonder how I spend time with those dull-witted guys and immerse myself in silly things. I believe many girls today are living this lifestyle, which causes them to waste their time and mental energy.
I am now dreaming of writing something; this dream makes my mind alive. Thank you for that talk.
K
