Books… My First Love
A heartfelt reflection on World Book Day
(Dr. Shahla Gondal)
I don’t remember when I fell in love with books.
All I remember is that the first book I ever read was the Quran.
I read it twice — once spelling out each word, and once fluently — all by the age of five and a half.
Then I stepped into school.
The teacher in the first grade asked me to recite the alphabet, and I recited it all — from Alif to Yay.
I was placed directly into the senior class instead of the preparatory one.
From that day to this —
Books have been a part of my life,
A silent companion that has stayed with me through every turn.
When I finished the textbooks of my class, I would borrow Urdu books from senior classes.
In second grade, I had already devoured the Punjabi and Urdu books of my cousin.
I was in love with reading, but writing felt like punishment.
Whenever I asked my mother for a coin, she’d say, “Go write your slate,” — and I would sneak away quietly.
My uncle gifted me a set of children’s books.
My father introduced me to astrology, numerology, physiognomy, magic tricks, and psychology.
Then came the Imran Series, Umro Ayyar, Inspector Jamshed, digests, magazines, Phool, Kaliyan, Sunday Magazine, Akhbar-e-Jahan, shop signs, wall posters — if it was written, I read it.
In seventh grade, I was drawn to poetry.
I picked up palmistry from my uncle.
By eighth grade, I had finished reading all the Islamic commentaries and religious books at home.
In ninth grade, I was enchanted by Naseem Hijazi’s historical novels.
Reading a thousand-page novel in a single sitting became a habit.
Life kept unfolding new chapters —
Shahab Nama, Raja Gidh, Ali Pur Ka Aili, Alakh Nagri, Manto, Bushra Rehman, Sadeeq Salik —
the world of words kept expanding.
At UET, I explored English novels.
During my job, I read every Urdu book in the institute’s library.
After moving to Norway, I immersed myself in various translations of the Quran.
During my younger daughter’s hospital isolation, I read all of Baba Yahya’s books on a tablet.
After my PhD, I had some free time and devoted it to Oslo’s library.
That’s where I read Nimra Ahmed’s Haalim — and my heart whispered, “Time travel is real.”
Then came mobile reading, tablets, e-books — a new way to read, but the love remained the same.
I also read Khalil Gibran — words that touched the very depths of my soul.
I began writing on Urdu Falak with Safar Hai Shart and this Easter, I penned a science fiction story titled Waqt Ke Paar —
a tale that dares to dream beyond the ordinary.
My writing journey began in ninth grade with a poem titled Main Kya Hoon.
Then came poems, vlogs, and stories for my YouTube channel, Shellz Diary.
Be it Safar Hai Shart or the narratives in my diary — every word bears witness to who I am inside.
And today,
On April 23, 2025, in honor of World Book Day,
I have donated my entire collection of English and Norwegian books to my school.
The rector received them with deep gratitude,
And after hearing about my science fiction, Waqt Ke Paar, recommended I read Orbital —
like a quiet pact between two readers,
that this passion shall not end, it will simply enter a new orbit.
Because a book isn’t just a string of words on paper,
It’s a bond beyond time,
A connection woven from emotion,
A nourishment for the soul.
World Book Day isn’t just a single day —
It is a celebration of every moment
when we’ve found ourselves on a page,
when a word has filled a void within,
when a story gave us the strength and empathy
we couldn’t give ourselves.
My first love,
my precious collection of books,
will now grace the shelves of my school —
to ignite that same spark in another young eye that once gleamed in mine.
And I know,
the journey of words never ends…
It is merely the beginning of a new book’s first page.
April 23, 2025
Dr. Shahla Gondal
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