"Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for."

It is a quote credited to Socrates (470 – 399 BC) who was a classical Greek (Athenian) philosopher. Socrates is credited as one of the founders of Western philosophy, and as being the first moral philosopher of the Western ethical tradition of thought.

Hi I am Santanu – and during my school days we had the Indo- Pak war- that led to formation of Bangladesh. Pretty ancient! But I too was of your age sometime and learnt a few things about life.

Most important of them all is the habit of reading. Why do we have to read so much?

Scope and possibilities of a single human life is boundless. We see examples of it in many great personages from ancient and recent history of human race. While everyone might not achieve same heights of achievement such as Gandhiji or Socrates – it would be waste of lifetime – if we did not even familiarize ourselves with the power and potential inherent within our own life. Reading good books is the key.

At this time when we are forced to stay indoor – what better way to enrich our intellect than to begin this habit of reading. Of course all young people have to be reading for their school or college. But education should not be confined only to school curriculum. Put another way education does not end with completion of college and university. That way of life can lead to the somewhat unwholesome phenomenon of someone being qualified but not really educated about life. We will discuss that in another time.

But today I want to leave you with a few of my suggested books to read. Depending on your age – you might find some of them easy or difficult. But they are all classics – meaning their wealth of wisdom and ideas have transcended the time and period when they were written. They still can be great books to read, Some of you might find the language or the writing style – somewhat unusual. But please make serious attempt at reading one book – I guarantee you will enjoy it as you struggle through the first 20-30 pages. You might then want to read it again- and possibly you would! After-all generations of humanity have read these books and enriched their intellect and emotions of life.

I leave you today with a list of Classics which are all available online for free – some are social drama and some adventure stories. See if you find yourself in some of these characters – who are all pretty old by the way!

The Count of Monte Cristo – By Alexander Dumas

A fictional tale set in France about betrayal of friendship, political intrigue, learning and educating oneself under a mentor, building undying spirit of grit and perseverance, loyalty and eventual justice. 

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1184

Pollyana – Classic by Eleanor H Porter

About the optimistic outlook of a girl orphaned at a young age – whowas taught by her father “The glad game”. This story of wit and strength of this young girl – was adopted for a number of movies.

http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1450/

The Eternal City – Classic by Sir Hall Caine

An European classic novel of love, idealism to create a just society, loyalty and friendship. This was the first novel to have sold a million copies worldwide.

http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/19732

So please enjoy your reading and do let us know what you think.