World Book Day | Aahana S Kumra: Makrand Deshpande got me back to reading
On World Book Day, actor Aahana Kumra reflects on her life as she shares why her autobiography will be titled, ‘Finding the light through the tunnel’
In the age of technology, actor Aahana S Kumra still prefers the touch and feel of a physical book, and celebrating World Book Day today, she shares why. “I just can’t do apps. My nephew is a child in the age of apps and gadgets, and when he reads on a screen at night, I read with him too, but on my physical copy,” she says.
Aahana shares that she has had an on-again-off-again relationship with books, and it was actor Makrand Deshpande, with whom she did a stage play, who got her back to reading. “A few years ago, I stopped reading entirely. But when I met Makrand sir, he questioned me on why I was not reading anymore,” she shares, adding that it was the “distraction” of social media that pulled her away from books. “The regular scrolling had just taken all my reading time. And I felt lethargic to read a book. So, as a better alternative, Makrand sir suggested that I start reading magazines. And that made me think to do the same with books. He actually got me back to reading.”
Now, the actor is hooked to books: “My free time is either about watching something or reading something. It's so distracting to read in Mumbai as I am always out working. So, when I come back home, I prefer to read quietly at my place."
While she is currently not reading any book, Aahana does have a few in her list that she wants to start. "I have been meaning to finish a book on (author) Salman Rushdie, who I had met in New York a couple of years ago. When I read about what happened to him, I was intrigued to read his book. I also want to read Pankaj Mishra's The World After Gaza, as it talks about what happens to humanity after all the politics and genocides are over. I'm in that space of mind where I want to read about where we are heading," she says.
Ask the actor what the title of a book would be written on her life, and she responds, “Finding the light through the tunnel.” Revealing the reason behind it, she shares, “It’s because I always feel that I'm traveling at the speed of lightning, and because of that, sometimes you need to leave things behind. As someone who liked to hold onto things and people, it has been hard for me. But I have been learning the art of just letting go. So, now for me it’s about finding my purpose and that light at the end of the tunnel.”
