From 07 to 117: My Journey with books!

Who I Am: A Dancer with a Second World

My name is Apeksha R. Tandel and I am a choreographer. Many people know me for my dance. I love to perform on stage, I love the lights and the music. But when I come back home, I enter into another world — the world of books. I am still learning English. It is not easy, but books are making it easy for me.

The Beginning: Just 07 Books and a Big Dream

I still remember the day I started. I had only 7 books. I kept them very clean and arranged them neatly. I would read them again and again. My dream was very big; I wanted to build my own small library.

The Dream Comes True: My Library of 117 Books

And today, that dream has come true. I have 117 books! For me, a book is not just paper and ink. As I have written on my wall with my own hand: Book is my Friend, Book is my Teacher, Book is my Happiness, Book is my Everything.

My Two Precious Jewels

This journey is not mine alone. I have two kinds of jewels in my life. First is my book collection. Second is the people who made this collection possible. My family and my dear best friends they are the most important and precious jewels of my entire life. They trusted me, they encouraged me when I felt low, and they gifted me the world of knowledge.

What Books Taught Me

Every single book taught me something. One book taught me a new English word, another gave me a new thought, and another showed me a completely new world. My most favourite book is 'Sea Prayer' by Khaled Hosseini, who also wrote 'The Kite Runner'. That small book touched my heart deeply.

My New Dream: Apeksha's Reading Club

And now, a new dream has begun. I have started a small reading club named 'Apeksha's Reading Club' located at Tonka, Kasarkod, Honnavar'.

Every Saturday and Sunday, my friends and little children come to my library to read books. I tell them moral stories, and they listen with so much happiness and excitement. Seeing their smiling faces is my greatest joy.

My next dream is to induct many more new storybooks especially for children into my library, so that more children can come, read, and grow.

The Journey Continues...

From a choreographer who only knew dance steps, to a person who now lives among 117 books — this journey has taught me one thing: If you have a passion and if you have good people standing behind you, you can achieve anything.

This is not the end. My next goal is 500 books. This is just the beginning.

Apeksha R. Tandel