So... we're a family which reads a lot. While voracious might be an exaggeration, but, I mean, i'm pretty sure that we're amongst the top 1% of poulation when it comes to devouring the written word.
The day obviously starts with the newspaper. Sunday, we take a couple of extra editions, laze around & read extra, simply because we have the time to do so. There was a time that i wouldn't go to the loo without the newspaper. I couldn't do my business without reading something on the pot :)
Reading was something which was never forced upon us by our parents. Us, being my sisters & I. Fortunately, my spouse also reads a lot and happily, my daughter is following in our footsteps :)
Dad used to read a LOT. He always had a book in his hand when he went to bed and dozed off while reading...Of course, there were ups and downs in life, stress at work and his reading suffered in between. But, he would always come back to reading. He read fiction and i as a result also developed a liking for fiction from him. There were tons of RD's ( Readers Digests) at our ancestral home. I remember whenever we used to go there, i used to pick up old issues and read from them randomly. Both Mum & Dad were supportive of us reading. I don't remember a single instance of them saying - No. They always bought a book which we desired. And to be candid, we never took advantage of this fact. I got to find out a lot of second hand book sellers and used to regularly browse and buy from them. They took a library membership during the holidays and i would go down to pick up a new book every single day. They let me read whatever i wanted, never said don't read this or that. I don't remember them ever saying - read X but don't read Y.
I used to read Mandrake the magician and Phantom in TOI. Those are my earliest memories of reading serialized comics. And then of course, I progressed to full comics. And to be politically correct, they're called graphic novels now :)
I remember my first book / novel. Peter Pan. A 150 odd pages or so. Blue cover with Peter on the cover & Tinker Bell hovering around him and Captain Hook in the background. I still have it with me... somewhere.
I was about 6 or 7. Probably 6. And we were on a ship ( don't remember the name). Dad was a marine engineer & we sailed regularly, till i was young. One night, i couldn't sleep and I asked Mum, what do i do. She said, go read that book we got you. I did. I think i finished it in one sitting and I was hooked. Well and truly hooked. I've not looked back since.
Of course, there have been periods of drought, when i couldn't read as much as i wanted to, but, I've always come back to my first love.
During college, I used to buy books from stalls @ CP or near Priya. These were revisited when i started my career and was working in Delhi. I didn't have enough money to buy brand new books, but i just couldn't keep away from them.
I think, i've spent more on books than on any other material thing in my life - even foreign vacations (individually). We've bought hundreds (maybe even thousands ?) of books and given away hundreds. Yet, we still have a lot of them at home. There are bookcases which were constructed behind doors, to accommodate books. There's even a book case in our kitchen ! That one probably doesn't have a single cookery book :)
Thankfully, my sisters too like to read. Fiction. That's common amongst us. I used to read books on espionage and action, before trying other genres and they read the usual Mills & Boons, before graduating to more serious materials. I'm proud to say that i now ask them for recommendations. There's a different kind of joy to read something which they have suggested. And i think it goes both ways. I remember, a few years ago, my youngest called me up and said - Bhaiya, Thank you. Thank you for getting us wonderful books to read. I was a happy, but a little taken aback also. I mean, i didn't give them books to receive an acknowledgement. I gave them books which i thought were written well and would help them learn something. Learn about the written word, something which our world is deprived of. We've never thought of a book as new, used, second hand, hand me down or whatever. A book is a book. It's meant to be read. That's it. That's the function of a book - to impart knowledge, humor, love, despair, hope. And we're meant to imbibe it. I hope it's helped them in some way, shape or form. I know that they're a part of my DNA now.
I even bought a book to read when my wife checked into the hospital for my daughter's birth. I even read couple of dozen pages :) How foolish i was, to think that I would be able to read and finish it ! Almost a decade later, i'm yet to pick it up and finish it. Maybe, i'll just let it be and never finish it.
There are books which i've read in one sitting, some which i've left after a few pages, coz i didn't find them engaging enough & which haven't been read at all. It's not that i don't want to read them, its that I just haven't gotten around to reading them as yet.
There's been the usual evolution of genres over time...but i've stuck with fiction 99% of the time.
A decade or so ago, i read an article that a gentleman by the name of Peter Jackson was making a trilogy of films - Lord of The Rings. And he was spending millions and millions of dollars on making them. I didn't understand why. So, i went and bought the book. It was a tough read. I struggled through the first 300 or 400 pages, before i started to enjoy it. And boy, did I relish it ! He did a good job of translating the books to the screen. But, by far the best movie that is based on a book, is, The Godfather.
Never judge a book, by its movie. There are gems which have been written, but have been massacred in their celluloid avatars. The written word is vastly superior to what we see on celluloid. It's not really about the translation of the authors vision or the visualization or about the spirit of the story or the twist at the end or an extra sequel to milk the franchise a bit more. Its probably a mixture of everything - the sum of all parts. I mean - you can't really translate the words of Gabriel Garcia Marquez ! His words flow like a mountain stream, bounding from one rock to another.
I love the smell of a new book. The rustle & the crisp feel of the pages. The feeling it evokes in me, when i hold it in my hand.
But, technology is now permeating the world of books. A couple of years ago, i bought my first e-book. Read it too. But it didn't give me a ton of satisfaction. Then, i chanced upon a graphic novel, in digital form. I downloaded it and I was blown away ! It was a Batman with art by Tim Loeb, i think. It was amaaaaazing. Going through the frames on a screen is sooooo much better. Try it once, at least. I fully recommend it.
My daughter has also started reading a few books. She's choosing her own authors and reading in her own time. While i do nudge her in that direction, she has developed an affinity towards reading, on her own. Maybe, the fact that there has never been a dearth of books at home, is helping her. Maybe, the fact that her mother as well as my siblings buy her books at the drop of a hat, is also a reason. Whatever it may be, I am satisfied that she's heading in the correct direction. I've told her that i will never stop her from buying books, or choosing books on her behalf, or rewarding her with books, if she does something well @ school.
RnR - Rest & Relaxation. This was a term i read in a few books which were about wars. When soldiers took a break in between the fighting. It means something entirely different for me.
RnR - Reading and Running. This is what i do to calm my mind. But, that's another topic :)
Comments