World Book Day: Ali Fazal, Richa on their favourite books

If "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn made actor Ali Fazal realise how "unimportant" the human species is, actress Richa Chadha likes to refer to the "Autobiography of a Yogi" several times in a year. On the occasion of World Book Day on April 23, these actors have spoken up on the book that changed their perspective on life.

World Book Day is a worldwide celebration of books and reading. So, here are some actors who are celebrating the day by talking about their favourite books:

* Ali Fazal: "Ishmael" by Daniel Quinn. The book is a conversation between a gorilla and a man. And it has to be read to be comprehended. It made me realise how unimportant the human species is. It talks about everything and yet nothing at all. Nothingness and fullness and their co- existence.

* Pankaj Tripathi: The book that influenced me the most is "Raag Darbari" by Shrilal Shukla. The side of my personality that is satirical and humorous grew in leaps and bounds after reading this book. There are so many other books as well. That is the beauty of a book, every single one of them teaches you something or the other.

* Richa Chadha: I read "Autobiography of a Yogi" at a delicate time in my life. My father introduced me to it. I read a chapter on faith and something shifted in me. It was the first thick non-fiction book I completed after starting. I ended up gifting lots of copies to friends. I refer to it many times in a year.

* Arunoday Singh: The book that changed my perspective on life was introduced to me by my middle school World Religion and Ethics teacher, John Chote. It was a collection of poems by Jalaluddin Rumi translated by Coleman Barks. I had always loved reading since I was a boy, and I had read widely and voraciously. But it wasn't until that book, that I ever became aware of their ability to heal and comfort all the formless aches in our soul. It was until that book that I believed words could weave magic spells too.

* Sumeet Vyas: "Animal Farm" by George Orwell changed the way I see the world and "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running" by Haruki Murakami shaped the way I narrate a story.

--IANS

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