Orchid of India

Reading is like breathing for me…If I stop reading….I’ll stop breathing….. :)

'I read till I drop dead'..... :) A line given by fellow Shelfarian....Thank you Raj....:)

My name is Lubna!!.. A frequently asked question on Shelfari....:)

My passions besides books is writing, painting, cooking and traveling! As is... more »

Reading is like breathing for me…If I stop reading….I’ll stop breathing….. :)

'I read till I drop dead'..... :) A line given by fellow Shelfarian....Thank you Raj....:)

My name is Lubna!!.. A frequently asked question on Shelfari....:)

My passions besides books is writing, painting, cooking and traveling! As is evident I am a bibliophile....a book addict as most on Shelfari! I have always been a voracious reader of fiction and non-fiction books. My curious mind always asking for more & more and invariably reach out for anything new and unusual.

I am surrounded by thousands of books that I own and have on my shelf at home on almost all topics and various subjects eg. Classics, Literature, Best selling authors that I love, Mysteries, Travel, History, Geography, Literary criticism, Humour, Poetry, Fiction, Memoirs, Romantic, Thrillers, Suspense, Biography, Autobiography, Philosophy, Psychology, Anthology, Anthropology, Spiritualism, Mystics, Medicine, Biology, Religion, Islam, Astrology, Zodiac, Numerology, Tarot, Art, Painting, just to name a few.....yes...right...there sure are many more subjects those are still not mentioned here....:)

Children's books, with wonderful stories & illustrations, Comics, journals & magazines also represent a significant part of the collection on this shelf.

I am absolutely in love with the Libraries anywhere, any city and in any country!! I use the library extensively many a times to read books before I indulge in buying them. I can spend hours and hours in the reading room at Gymkhana Club, bookstores, book fairs and libraries, these definitely are my favourite haunts! I just love the feeling of being there with so many books within my reach…browsing…flipping pages in between…..reading the back page.. reviews…..credentials…..love to read the preface as well…..the information on the first page….publication year, publishing house, author’s address etc. interests me also…..well anything written in the book……:)….Invariably I loose track of time while reading and am so much engrossed in a book that in fact there are times when the librarian comes and politely reminds me with a smile on his face….Ma’am its closing time now!!.....lol

In my historical and wonderful city... New Delhi..where I live....there are hundreds of libraries both public and private. The most popular being the American Library and British Council Library among the expatriates and residents as well. India International Centre the library for bureaucrats abundant with research books and journals available for reference on Arts and Social sciences…..I spend hours in IIC doing my research work and they sure have latest stuff & journals on various subjects! Gymkhana Library has almost become my second home…frequently visiting every other week…:)….familiar surroundings, familiar faces….one of my favourite places where I hunt for fiction novels, new, just released books, all best selling and upcoming authors!!

The love for books started at a very young age for me when I was 10 years old. My early schooling was in a British International school in Bangkok where much emphasis was given on reading in junior school.

In Grade 4 we had to read one book per week and write our reviews after reading it. My first introduction to the world of Enid Blyton children’s books started, way back then and the interest in reading continued with my growing up years till Grade 6. Exploring and absorbing the magic worlds of fairies, goblins, pixies and amazing animal stories.

In Grade 6 we, Annabel, Inga, Sarah and Dorothy, my friends in school, as young teenager girls, shy of people, shy of ourselves, were quite fascinated by Nancy Drew Mysteries. These books giving us the secret confidence in ourselves by always being smart and helping Nancy solve cases. This was our world where only selected friends were allowed where we exchanged and discussed our favourite books. It was also the time when boys were considered to be nincompoop…. :) and ours was a definite 'No entry' zone for them! And we scoffed at Hardy Boys vowing not to touch them or any ‘boyish book’ as we named them.
Though it all ended soon….the feud…the boys and girls one…..on my birthday I was presented a couple of Hardy boys and Super Seven books….I had no choice …read it…loved it….and was hooked forever….lol

In Grade 7 I had my first girlie crush, on my handsome History ‘Sir’ Mr. Gosling (I still remember his name) who one day smiled at me and complimented me on my essay writing & gave me an ‘A’…..that did it!! Lo and Behold! …there and then….I was in love with him and was ready to die for him….lol It was then that I was on romantic novels and read hundreds of Mills & Boons, Silhouettes, Barbara Cartland and many other romantic stuff. My crush died when he left for England and so did my interest in romantic novels.

In Grade 9 being in a senior school brought about lot more confidence. I raided my father’s shelf and started reading his books secretly one at a time. Secretly, because I was forbidden to read…to avoid lagging behind in school. But being a typical daughter I just had to do what my father was doing and I was intrigued by his behind a novel for hours with that look on his face!!....you know…..the content look….. :) And Of course! I was compelled to emulate him…. :) Started with his thrillers James Hadley Chase, Perry Mason, Agatha Christie…I must say I loved them and then I entered the world of Harold Robbins, Arthur Hailey, Sydney Sheldon, Robin Cook etc…..there’s no turning back since then….it goes on and on… :)

College years are…. the years of Dreams, Idealism and Freedom!
Freedom of thoughts….Freedom of actions …Fearlessness….Rebels were born…. Aspirations for Life…Presentations….Projects…....Examinations….in all busy… but the best years of each individuals Life!....the unforgettable phase of our Life!...Each one of us having wonderful precious memories of those days….well preserved too!...... :) Books read during this phase were more academic with a rare read during holidays!

Being brought up in academic & bureaucratic environment, my parents have instilled great values in my upbringing. My father being a world renowned economist with UN & IMF, a diplomat with Government of India travelled all over the world therefore I experienced many aspects of life and met many people from all walks of life. Exposed to various cultures since early childhood, have toured the world extensively, have visited over twenty countries in America, Europe, Africa & South East Asia.

My love for books takes me to such exotic and quaint places in many cities all over the world. I love traveling to unusual places...:)
As much as I am fond of reading I also love buying and owning books....another addiction! I always loved to buy, still do, buy one book from the numerous Airports I passed/pass or use in transits and I register it on the first page of the novel...the year/date of purchase, place and country. ...:)

When I had gone to Lusaka, Zambia, where my father was posted on an IMF assignment, to spend my holidays awaiting my graduation result. After doing a stint at a computer job at Bank of Zambia I was all of a sudden left with ample time leaving me restless and feeling worthless. My father suggested that I become a member at the British Council Library and Wow! I found my haven...:)I practically devoured all classics available there in the Literature section…..reading the whole series…..it was all they had…the rest being reference and academic books. Reading the whole series became an obsession, a peculiar habit, developed during this time….my reading one book….liking it….and …reading all written by the same author.

I lived in picturesque Istanbul, Turkey for three years. To my utter horror I discovered and understood what "language barrier" actually meant.......everything written was in Turkish....even the most popular American Soaps...Santa Barbara....Bold and Beautiful.....Knight Rider....Remington Steele etc....all my favourites.... were dubbed in Turkish!! .....lol

Oh! My God! How was I to survive in this country.....no books....meant no joy for me! I started my hunt to quaint markets in the bylanes of Istanbul to look for books in English....found only a couple....disappointed but did not give up hope.....:) One day we were invited to a consulate party at Hotel Hilton.....and I found the bookshop with new bestsellers!...cool!....and then frequented at all the five star hotel's bookshops in Istanbul.....:) What a delight that was!....to find my life line!....although expensive I had to buy to survive....:)

That was the time when I started my embroidery as I had to use my time constructively......with such few books in hand....cross stitch became my favourite hobby...and I made quite a number of masterpieces all adorning the walls of my Delhi home!! This is the reason you will find number of embroidery books on my shelf!

Many avid readers, like me, at one point of time in their Life, does have 'that' strong feeling, the desire to write their own book and share their thoughts. I did too and started my writing gradually. My writing experience began during school with collecting quotes and scribbling thoughts that continued through my college years. Mostly, I wrote poetry, short stories in school academic newspapers and yearbooks. During the last five years I have been involved with science research writing, poetry and painting. Presently I am involved in writing my memoirs with conviction and honesty. My writing comes straight from my heart...a sweet blend of my feelings, my emotions, my personal thoughts and my life experiences.

The book I aspire to write would be about eternal love.....Inshallah!

About happiness, sadness, sacrifice, sorrow, faith in love and how one turned to faith for revival in a hope to one day find peace, an inner peace that could not be found in the world. About ‘Love’ an emotion that surpasses all!! So tender, so delicate, so fragile, so beautiful, so divine….need I say more!

My Shelf on Shelfari contains both, books I own and those I have read from the library, friends, or have exchanged. I have read more than 90 percent books on this shelf.... the rest 10 percent are the ones I have to hunt and must read. These books are those that I have now and ones I've read in the past, as I remember them.

Recalling books read earlier and adding on this shelf is really exciting and exhilarating for me....there are still a thousands more to be added......:)

And thousands more to read.....Gosh! This lifetime is less for me......lol

A science graduate in Biology / Zoology honors. I always wanted to be a doctor, couldn’t be one, nevertheless have always been a keen learner of Medicine, Health & Wellness, Nutrition and Biology Sciences hold a special place of interest for me. I have written many research papers and articles on Medicine, Food and Nutrition related to various diseases.

Freelance writing is interesting because it gives me choice of my topics on different subjects to write on! It is unusual but I love to read and write on many topics and my interest in reading is diversified! It kept changing over the years!

Being a curious person I was always attracted to any new thing, new topic, and new subject eg. Feng Shui, Mysticism…Computers....Internet....Reiki..Tarot...Vastu....Numerology....in fact anything new...... :)

The books on my shelf that I have been adding these past couple of days have been with me all along my life. The non-fiction collection is a huge part of my journey as I grew and evolved! These books have had helped me and were there at all the stages of my life! Teens...Friendship...Marriage....Relationship...Pregnancy....Childcare...Business...Communications.. Painting....Philosophy....Religion....Love....etc.... :)

As a freelance professional writer, I have written research papers on various diversified subjects a few mentioned below…


Clinical Depression
Incest
Rites of Passage
Sexual inclination
Battered Woman Syndrome BWS
Youth Offenders
Socrates
Stem Cells
Domestic Violence
Developmental Issues that Impact Childhood Grief`
Client centred counselling
Female circumcision in Africa
Karl Marx
T-Cells
Love
Death
Gerontology
Geriatrics Nursing
Cognitive Therapy
Counselling Depression and Suicide in Adolescents
Gangs
Taoism etc. etc.

I had written a research paper on Taoism last year ...It required extensive research......Had spent hours on reference books in libraries and research engines on the internet...... :) On my shelf now! A few lines from my paper..... "'The Tao Te Ching contains universal truths that are recognized in philosophies, both religious and secular. ‘Tao’ is a Chinese expression that literally means ‘way’, or ‘path’. Tao is the way that something is done, and the path that one follows to a destination."

Another recent request on Shelfari was for definition of Battered Woman Syndrome. A few lines from my paper...

BWS is a collection of psychological symptoms and are measured by a trained mental health professional. Battered Woman Syndrome cause a woman to act in ways that confuse her well wishers who want to help her thus making it extremely difficult for her to cooperate with the legal system. There are four psychological stages of the battered woman syndrome.

Denial: The woman refuses to admit to herself that she has been beaten or that there is a “problem” in her marriage. She calls each incident an “accident”. She offers excuses for her husband’s violence and each time firmly believes it will never happen again.

Guilt: The woman acknowledges that there is a problem, but considers herself responsible for it. She feels that she “deserves” to be beaten because she has defects in her character and is not living up to her husband’s expectations.

Enlightenment: The woman no longer assumes responsibility for her husband’s abusive treatment, recognizing that no one “deserves” to be beaten. She is still committed to her marriage, though, and stays with her husband, hoping they can work things out.

Responsibility: Accepting the fact that her husband will not, or can not stop his violent behaviour, the battered woman decides she will no longer submit to it and starts a new life.


I could go on writing pages but this profile has got so long that I had to stop.....:)

There is still so much to say. These are a few droplets........in an Ocean!!

My words would never end!


You all Take care,

Enjoy Life as much as I do….:)

Lubna

PS - I am amazed at the number of notes and friendship requests that I recieve on Shelfari!......:)

At times I do wonder what is it that I have done??..... to get all this attention.......I have been a book lover all my life and have been reading eons years ago.....and as I wrote would go on doing so....lol

I never thought that I have achieved anything ..or have done something extraordinary.......or am doing something unusual.....I just love reading....thats about it !!!

One thing I learnt after joining and adding my books on Shelfari was the number of books that I have read......earlier when I attended parties or dinner..... I used to mention conversationally ...Yeah! I have read more than a thousand books.......and would get Wows!!......:)

But now I know its more than 15,000 and I said Wow! to myself too!!......lol

I would like to thank all of you who have written such beautiful notes for me! I accept friendship from you all....the pleasure is mine!

Thank you so much! « less