A Ferocious Reader

That’s what I consider myself. I know the correct term is “voracious” but I choose to stick with ferocious. And I will tell you why.

Many eons ago when I was in the final year of my graduation I, just like everyone around me, joined a CAT coaching institute. On the first day, the English teacher asked the batch - how many of you consider yourself readers? I did not raise my hand. Even though my reading habit had ingrained itself and I was going through books at a quite decent pace I still considered myself a novice in the world of reading. I believed there was a lot more I needed to do before I called myself a “reader”. I did not raise my hand.

There was this one great guy, who later became a very good friend, who did raise his hand. When the teacher inquired in detail about his “reading” his answer contained 2 key points.

One - He called himself a ferocious reader. Everyone laughed. Including the teacher. I did too.
Two - He listed out the most generic books possible that everyone read in those days. Actual examples - Five point someone and The Alchemist. Some people laughed again.

But he remained unperturbed by everything around him. He kept smiling, beaming with confidence. But after that two things stuck with me that I am still retaining.

First, I fell in love with the word ferocious in the context of reading. This is actually the closest word to describe my feelings for books and reading.

Second, I learned that I should also always be proud of all my achievements. No matter how small. Even if I am a complete novice in something that I do, if I achieve something I will be proud of it.