Books motivate me: Poonam Bajwa

Poonam Bajwa talks about her love for books
Child talk
I’ve been interested in books right from a very early age When I was in the fourth or fifth standard in school, I started reading voraciously — whether it was children’s books by Enid Blyton or comic books like Archies and Amar Chitra Katha, I would read anything I could get my hands on. However, all my reading came to a standstill when I was in the ninth standard, due to academic pressures.
Romance in the air
Once I had completed standard 12, I got back to books in a big way. Romance novels were the biggest rage at that point for girls of my age. I indulged in soppy love stories and read a lot for a whole year. It was such an overdose, that after one year of break-neck speed reading, I stopped again. I felt like I needed some breathing space.
Pulp Fiction
Once I recovered from that phase, I got into fiction. I remember being crazy about authors like Sidney Sheldon and Jeffrey Archer, who wove the most interesting and gripping stories. They were my biggest heroes. I used to faithfully read all their books over and over again.
Power of books
During my second year of college I started reading motivational books. I think one of the first books in this genre that I picked up was Creative Visualization. I found it at a road-side store in Pune quite by chance. It is a thin little book and the synopsis drew me to it almost instantly. Once I had read the book fully, I knew something had changed within me. The book touched me a lot and got me thinking. That’s when my obsession with motivational books began.
Motivated obsession
I became a major hoarder of books once I got into films. Being in this profession allows me the luxury to travel a lot, and while waiting at the airport for the flight, I normally walk into the bookstore and look for books in the self-help genre. I now have more than 1000 such books at home and there’s hardly any space for new ones. My mom has given me an ultimatum now: one more book, and it’s either the book or me at home!
Self-help overrated?
I try to get my family and friends to read such books too, but they’re just not interested —they think self-help is an overrated genre. You need to have a basic belief that these books will actually help. If you go in with scepticism, there’s no use. Also, while motivational books provide all the tips and pointers, it’s up to the reader to take action. The words only act as a catalyst to trigger off a train of thoughts. Translating thought to action is a different ballgame.
Stress relief:
Books are the best stress-relievers for me. After a hard day’s work, when I start reading, I forget about everything else.
As told to Anusha Vincent