Academia, reading and beyond

Abha Lal is known for her extensive work as a journalist, editor and researcher. Currently a third-year PhD student of Cultural Anthropology at Rice University, Texas, US, she is an enthusiastic reader and avid researcher. Lal says reading a wide variety of books has helped in her academic life and even on a personal level.
In an interview with the Post’s Kshitiz Pratap Shah, Lal talks about her reading journey, experience in academic reading and how to read for writing purposes.

I started reading pretty early when I was a child. One of my first memories is that there used to be a lot of load shedding back then, so I couldn’t watch the TV. I would then turn to reading in the candlelight or using a flashlight.

One of the books I remember reading was ‘Enchanted Tales’, a collection of these really wacky fairy tales I found fun. There was also this Nepali book series about a tooth that gave you moral lessons. I read a lot of similar stuff as a child: fiction and fantasy.

What kind of books do you like reading, both personally and for academic purposes?

I mostly read ethnographies that explore a particular place or historical period for academic purposes. I’m particularly focused on science and technology studies these days, so I read extensively about science from a sociological perspective.

When I’m free, I like reading novels. However, because of my degree, I have very little time to read nowadays, so I read fewer novels. I really enjoy reading realist fiction whenever I’m free. Some of my favourite books are by George Eliott and Emile Zola. I like some contemporary fiction as well.

Reference:
https://kathmandupost.com/books/2023/07/26/academia-reading-and-beyond