Jane Austen remains one of my favourite authors. The romance in these novels is intense in their own way. The romance of families and friends is both seen in different ways. Nature, buildings, humans, birds, morals all have a place. These books have made me the person that I am, I think.

My father was a Professor of English at Patna University in India. He used to teach Emma. I still have memories of him walking down the road with the book under his arm. He always walked to the university because it was only about two kilometres from home. Some where along the lines he must have inculcated the book into the family but with modern thinking, which was the call of the millennium.

The summer after my GCSEs, when I had nothing much to do, my father let me have access to his classics book collections. He let me read them and guided me along. He would have great discussions around them. He got me into a habit of reading. His mantra was that I must read at least fifty pages a day. That mantra has kind of stayed with me. Sometimes not possible but I like to think that it still guides me. I have to read before going to bed, it is great habit I have. One never stops looking up to Dads I feel.

Pride and Prejudice was the love of my life through my growing up years. The book, movie, series any shape or form, the story has been my absolute heart warming favourite of all times. Thinking about it even now, brings a lot of pleasure and a smile to my face. Nowadays one can watch these movies anytime with Netflix. I watched Sense and Sensibility recently and again it brought so much happiness. Jane Austen will truly remain immortal.