How it became a habit | 5% for SL Charity

Reading is a most valuable gift that we can do. Most of us love to read. And you may be called as “Poth Gullas” at your school or houses. Not only that, if you are such a book lover, you also may be blamed by your parents, teachers too...😁😁

Today I found a book that was presented to me and my sister 15 years ago. That takes me past and reminds me how I became such a book lover. Today, I am going to tell you about how the reading habit came into my life. 😍

When we were small kids (Me and my sister), our Mother’s younger sister lived with us. She is a teacher. She is a really lovely and kind person. We call her “Puncha”...She loves us very much.

At that time, both of us did not go to school, or even to the Pre-school. We couldn’t read a letter in Sinhala. So she brings books that contain large pictures and small words and small sentences. In the evening, she came to both of us and sat on the floor or chair, keeping me and my sister on her both sides. Then she read the book by showing pictures to us. First she read the sentences loudly. Then simply explain it to us by showing images and using simple words.

One of my favorite stories was, “Punchi Hithen Loku Wadak” book. It had beautiful pictures and it contained a story of a small, encouraged boy.

Then when we were starting schooling, she let us read by ourselves. She helped when we found any difficulties. She bought books from shops and the school library and made them for us to read. We have read a huge number of books. Some of them are Adisi Aganthukaya, Hari Puduma Schole, Madol Duwa, Hath Pana….etc etc etc...The story of Baskervill was the book that I read as my first SH book. 🙂🙂🙂

Still I can not stop reading until I start to read a book. Normally I am not a night owl. But when I have a book, I sacrifice some of my sleeping hours to finish it.

Like that, we read a lot of books. Oh..No... Actually we did not know that she was teaching to read. But she taught us gradually and in an interesting way. She made our childhood more wonderful.😍🥰