A life dedicated to reading books

ALAPPUZHA

Mithralal S., lives in a small house in the sole company of a large collection of books at Koottuveli, near Cherthala.

Nowadays, the 53-year-old is at ease after taking voluntary retirement from his government job as an assistant at the Mahatma Gandhi (MG) University, Kottayam two years ago to pursue his one true love: reading. Sitting on an armchair surrounded by bookshelves, Mr. Mithralal says reading helps him to better "understand the world" and "realise the truth".

The bibliophile's home library has a collection of more than 3,000 books including ancient texts, classics, novels, poems, spirituals, short stories, and so on. "For me, reading is like breathing. Every book teaches me something new. It redefines my orientation about the world. By reading Neruda, you understand the revolution in an aesthetic way. Reading Kalidasa, ONV or works of other authors offers different experiences altogether. I quit my job to find more time for reading and meditation and to build a good library. Every book, for me, is a brick," Mr. Mithralal says.

He developed a love of reading when he was studying in high school. "At the time, I lacked the wherewithal to buy books and depended mostly on public libraries. During my college days, I bought books by making my father believe that certain books were needed for study purposes. I think developing the passion for reading at a relatively young age has helped me to become a lifelong reader," says Mr. Mithralal, who spends most of his money on buying books and travelling.

Mr. Mithralal says his perspective on reading, life and death underwent a profound change after facing a near-death experience when he was 31. “After that experience, I became paranormal and even psychiatrists could not identify what was really happening to me. By chance, I read Raymond Moody’s The Light Beyond. It changed my view on everything,” he says.

After getting divorced some time ago, Mithralal is living a life of solitude. "For me, family is secondary. Reading along with loneliness can teach many things. Living a life of solitude is a different experience. In solitude, we are not competing with anyone," Mr. Mithralal says.

Come August 10, he is going on a trip covering the entire of India, which he says will help him understand the ancient country better.