A Journey of Books, Bravery, and Belief

People often ask me how I got so fascinated by History. Well, it took some time. After the tenth board, I opted for PCB (Physics, Chemistry & Biology). And even though I was preparing for medical, I loved reading newspapers daily. I used to read Dainik Jagran & Amar Ujala thoroughly. Every weekend, there was a special column in the newspaper about History, and I looked forward to reading it and felt proud to learn about India's rich history. 

My interest in history made me realise that I had chosen the wrong course for my career. So, after taking a drop of almost one and a half years, I made an energetic decision to switch towards Journalism. Moreover, I was great with my speaking skills and people around me would often praise me and suggest to go for Journalism. So, the decision made sense. 

Surprisingly, my parents were elated with my decision. They were like, ‘Hum toh chahte hi yahi the, PCB tumhare bas ki the hi nahi!’ I enrolled at Chandigarh University. Interestingly, while I was on my way to attend my first class, I had a book in my hand called ‘Why I am an Atheist’, written by Bhagat Singh while he was in jail. 

When I read the book for the first time, I was amazed at the skill and knowledge of our Shaheed-e-Azam. I read and reread the book. And it changed my perspective on life and inspired me to read and watch more movies based on the revolutionary legends of India. 

I grew up listening to the brave stories of our freedom fighters from my family members. But when I read those books and watched the movies, I understood how far we have come and what all we have gone through to be where we are today. To gain more knowledge, I read the history books from class sixth to twelfth within a month. And now I have read more than three hundred books on freedom fighters. 

You know, the best thing about Bhagat Singh was that he tried to pass on whatever knowledge he accumulated through talks or the precious books he wrote. I’ve also tried to do the same by passing on more than 5000 books to the people around me. I also tried to connect with schools and universities to pass on my knowledge. Initially, I didn’t get a positive response. Most of them thought it wasn’t important. But their response has never forced me to think twice about my vision. 

Till now, I have taken more than a hundred sessions and published a book. My second book will also be published by October end. For the last 6-7 years, I have written a letter every day. Our country is full of rich history. I see schools implementing foreign novels in the regular curriculum. All these are good. But what if we concentrate on introducing our history to them? I’m sure we will have a better India with a true sense of patriotism. Hope it happens someday soon!

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