Meena Paudel is a writer and researcher. She has studied and researched immigration for a long time and recently published her book 'Courage: Women trafficking, boycott and retaliation' has been made public.

  The

book discusses in depth the various dimensions of human trafficking in Nepal. The edited part of the conversation conducted with the same writer and researcher Paudel for the 'Five Questions' column of E-Kantipur is presented here . 

How did you get used to reading books? Why is this important?
Knowledge knows no bounds . I used to write poetry since I was in 5th/6th grade in school . Ever since I was involved in various literary programs, I had to read to write poems and essays. I used to study from then . Now I travel a lot . Passing time while traveling is by reading books. 

book is a must read for knowledge. A book is a repository of knowledge. The more you read, the deeper you get. In my experience, if you read one book, you will get dozens of book suggestions . And look for dozens of books. A book helps you go deeper . How does the habit of reading

affect personal and social life?
book makes people reflective . It makes a difference in the view of the society . It also increases the depth and volume of human thinking . Makes people attentive . Makes a habit of thinking deeply about anything . Philosophy and essays I read a lot . I rarely read stories. I read essays and books written about problems related to life, written about life and society. I read a lot of English books while outside. Also read some Russian and Arabic. I studied English only because I was not proficient in the language. After returning to Nepal, I read a lot of books based on real events published at different times.

What is the most influential book in your life?
Books written about sold women and migrants and dreams of the young generation give me more energy . Books written about senior citizens and books on culture and history are my favorite books. I read ``Grandma's Stories'' written by Amrita Lamsal . Read all the books available in the market. I read Narayan Dhakal's book . I have read almost every book written on immigration. 

How to maintain the habit of reading books in the digital age ?
As I travel a lot, I am reading books through digital means . Download and read online journals, articles. Internationally printed books are not available in the Nepali market. If available in the market, I buy and read. I read English literature books digitally. After getting into the habit of reading, while looking for the content you want, you don't pay attention to other parts of the digital . I am also active on social media. But I don't hang on to that. 

Which book would you recommend the new generation to read? There are many

s. Parijat's 'Shirishko Phool' influenced me a lot in terms of consciousness. All his other books have influenced . I read a lot of books by writers who give positive energy. At the speed with which the world is running, the new generation has many opportunities . They should read current politics . Economics should be read. Social issues and current immigration should be read . Different types of racial violence should be studied and thought about. 

To understand the caste system, one should read the book of sacrifices . I recommend Parijat for critical thinking. In Nepal, there are few works written by writers with critical awareness. Books signed by women are few. I recommend reading the book for