They say when you dream, you gotta dream big. Lakshmi Rakhesh is a fourth grader who already has her ambitions set really high. She first wants to become an IFS officer who reaches out to and helps Indian people in foreign lands. Beyond that, she aspires to become none other than the Prime Minister of India! She truly admires PM Modi because, in her words, he went from "zero to hero". His humble beginnings make her believe that she too can reach great heights one day. And if her reading habits are anything to go by, she most definitely will achieve all this and a lot more.
This young li'l whiz kid has read a whopping 1,500 books already! And she won't be stopping anytime soon. She says, "Earlier, I used to write the summaries of the books I read. But that caused a reduced flow in my reading. I used to write it as a blog." On being asked which book is her favourite, the response would surprise just about anyone who thinks they know how kids think. "My favourite book is the 1862 classic novel by Victor Hugo, Les Misérables. In that, my favourite character is Bishop Myriel. I feel if everyone was as kind as him, then everyone would lead a happy life in the world."
Lakshmi is a kid full of pleasant surprises. Her favourite book by an Indian author is Sudha Murty's How I Taught My Grandmother to Read. When one realises that she is just nine years old, the obvious question that pops into their mind is, "Is this kid for real?". Her mother says, "We were completely taken aback by her reading speed. At first, we also thought that she might be kidding around. But when we would quiz her on what she read, she would regurgitate even the minutest of details from the books that she's read. That's how we realised her love for books and reading!"
She also fancies cartoons like any child of her age. "I love watching Peppa Pig and Masha and the Bear a lot." But don't be fooled into thinking that she is just another child. She is a great follower of fellow bibliophile, Dr Shashi Tharoor. "I love him because he is also a book lover. I am a huge fan of how he uses long words." And to prove just how much she loves those long words, she correctly pronounces the word "floccinaucinihili
