Hi, I’m Kanimozhi, and this is my very first step as a writer on Medium. | by Kanimozhi Thangamani | Sep, 2025

Hi, I’m Kanimozhi, and this is my very first step as a writer on Medium. 🌸 I love books, quiet reflections, and the little moments that bring peace. Through my stories, I hope to share pieces of my world with you. Thank you for reading and supporting my beginning.”

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Books: The Friends Who Never Leave Me
How my grandfather and old newspapers led me into a lifelong love of reading.

Reading is my hobby. By reading, I learned and gained knowledge about things happening around me. I developed an interest in reading because of my grandfather. From the day my memory can reach , I remember my grandfather’s first task in the morning was to buy the newspaper. Though we had a TV and he watched the news three times a day as the channel broadcast it at morning, midday, and evening, he continued buying and reading the newspaper until the last day of his life. Not only did he read it, but he also made us read the newspaper too. He said it would help us know what was happening around us and that it was important to be informed . That ‘s how I started reading newspapers; afterwards, reading became my hobby.

In my primary school, it was compulsory to read the newspaper every day. During morning assembly, each one of us in our class would read that day’s headlines .

The interesting thing that encouraged me to read was the additional book that came weekly. In that book, I was interested in doing crossword puzzles , finding differences , solving riddles, and coloring pictures. These activities slowly made me like reading.

My reading began with short stories published in those books. Then, the cinema news caught my attention. I liked to know about the upcoming movies and reviews of new films .

My grandfather marked important updates that one needed to know and showed them to us, like changes in ministry, historical facts , etc. Though I can’t remember all those details , I enjoy learning about new things happening around the world.

My favorite subjects in school are Languages and History. The reason I like these subjects is for the stories. More than subject knowledge, I read them for my own pleasure. In these subjects, there are many things to learn, but what allures me the most is the background stories. Due to this interest, I scored well- not the highest marks, but I managed to achieve good grades . I have always had a liking for historical stories , so when I read those in these subjects, I came to love them . I never seriously read for marks ; I studied in the form of stories, which made it easier for me to understand. I think I have gone off track from what I was saying. Back to how reading became part of my daily life.

As I mentioned, my reading started with newspapers. Afterward, when I settled in my hometown, my access to newspapers became limited as we didn’t buy them; I could read only at my uncle’s house, where I read in two languages. I became familiar with magazines that my uncle regularly brought home . As fate would have it, I met people who encouraged me to learn, including my uncle, who also motivated me to read. He named a few useful magazines, and I read what he read . I studied Arts, which paved the way into the fictional world as well as nonfiction.

Through it, I came to know about different cultures, countries, traditions , regions , religions , politics, and history. In the present technologically developed world, we can learn these things on our mobile devices, but I prefer books because of the tangible feel they provide .

Though with modern technology, I can read in PDF form, these days , I often read books on my mobile, which is convenient. However, I love the thrill when I see new books, and I enjoy touching and feeling them . Like many others, I love the smell of new books.

Books have become my companions when I am bored. Whenever a problem arises, I immerse myself in the fictional world ; I don ‘t use it to escape from reality, but as a way to calm myself. When I make decisions while emotionally unstable , it often leads to mistakes . So, when I face critical situations , I read, which helps relax my mind.

My sisters tease me by saying I am always into my books. I read when I am sad, feeling lonely, sometimes to be away from someone, and also when I am happy. Rather than gossiping or engaging in social media, I prefer books as they are my companions and good friends .

The reason I call books my friends is because when we are in public and suddenly meet a close friend , what do we do? Happiness comes over us. I feel the same way whenever I see a bookstore . I hope I didn’t bore anyone by sharing my love for books and reading. There are many like me who love to read , and I hope they also feel a good sense of joy when they do .

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Thank you for reading 🌸 If you enjoyed this story, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. You can also follow me here on Medium for more reflections on books, nature, and everyday moments

Cover image created with AI (CreArt).