NABINA DAS
N abina D as is an Indian poet, novelist and columnist. She is the author of a short fiction collection, The House of Twining Roses: Stories of the Mapped and the Unmapped , a novel, Footprints in the Bajra , and two poetry collections, Blue Vessel , and Into the Migrant City "It is with poetry today we shall be winning our battle against fascism and hatred " What is your earliest reading memory? As early as I can recall. At home books sprouted from desks chairs beds and even shoe racks. I understood we didn't have much money to show but enough books. My parents even gave books as wedding gifts to friends and family members. From picture books, to children's stories to poetry, and the epics, the earliest reading memory is that of long hours of smelling books while reading them. Besides, there was always storytelling -- from my grandma, and my parents. A book that I remember leaving a lasting impression in my head was War and Peace, a gift on