I can recall loving books from childhood. Reading books was the closest I came to any variation in the basic routine that was my day, my life. I dreamt often, and this habit of fantasising has never left me.
I can recall hours of reading, disappearing into the books, into the lives of the characters, and becoming the characters. While I am using the plural, most often, I would pick one character and somehow slip into his life and live it, if only for the duration of reading the book, and sometimes maybe a day or two.
I had never stepped into a bookshop or owned a book. We had many lending libraries to borrow from. With strict rules and penalties imposed. This is a world my daughters have only seen in their School library.
One such Library was housed in my Fathers Office. This was open 2 evenings of the week. It was essentially a cubbyhole with some childrens books, and some other allied fiction. I would be there when it opened and stay till it closed. I recall not only reading but also spending a lot of time arranging books, straightening them out. This was perhaps an early indication of my compulsive need to straighten out a room before I can relax in it!
The library had a lovely cache of Amar Chitra Kathas and I pretty much learned all Hindu mythology from those.
The only books we would buy was Chandamama and Indrajal Comics. My father would bind the Indrajal comics carefully and label the Bound books. We took to calling them The Phantom Chronicles ( after the Chronicles of the generations of Phantoms lives and adventures in his Skull Cave). Chandamama exposed us often to other mythologies and many stories with morals.
Gradually the Enid Blytons gave way to Hardy Boys and Nancy Drews. A lot of our reading was detective fiction or murder mysteries, again I dont see a profusion of those in my children's reading.
Following that was Agatha Christie, P D James and who can ever forget the sharp and smart lawyer Perry Mason as well as seedy racy James Hadley Chase.
By the time I entered my first bookshop, I had read a lot, though never owned any books. The bookshops were small and it was frowned upon to read and not buy.
I am returning from a pleasurable hour spent in Reliance Bookstore where I literally sat between the aisles and read up my latest interest- Tarot. I comfortably finished 2 books when I was summoned by my daughter to have a Hot Chocolate. Now this is a winner proposition, comfortable seats(more comfortable than home), no annoying interruptions, and coffee/tea available closeby. The bookshops welcome you to sit, read, take your time. And contrary to the earlier attitude, they actually seem to sell a lot more now! Well, thats not an accurate statement, I buy a lot more now! I once recall reading an entire coffee table book on the life of Marilyn Monroe, and the discussions and the sighing Ram and I shared was reflected a year later in my daughters Tee shirt with Marilyn Monroe on it.
I can now start a lending library all of my own, we own so many books of various genres. Thrillers, Chiclit, Self improvement, Astrology, Young Adult, Comics, Whodunits, Comedies, Poetry, you name it.
And its always the same. Every single place we have travelled to, we have invariably hit the bookshops. I have the fondest memories of some of the Hotels we have stayed at where there would be a Library. The marvelous surprise of finding a book that can keep you engaged in strange cities/countries brings a smile. Early on, I developed a habit of dating the book with the date and place of purchase. We have books from all over the world and the label, and sometimes a line or two is literally evocative of the whole vacation itself. In a far more subtle and personal way than even a photograph.
The variations in the books, the translations, the layout, the differences in what is on the shelves, these are fascinating. The rarest of finds, the reassurance of seeing well loved books and titles, the smell of books, the feel of flipping the pages of the brand new book!
Today I see so much of Indian authors, who have moved past the strained English, to the effortless english that we speak. The fabulous creativity in the covers that chiclits have spearheaded, the catchy names that makes you want to pick up the book.
The Book world has changed, and living in Gurgaon, I don't really have access to Libraries like I did in Chennai. So we have to buy the books we want to read. Like it, we keep it, else donation to NGOs that collect for Schools.
Regardless of our opinion on the book, the Book gets treated with respect, with no dog ears, no placing face down and a random touching by the foot results in an apology to Saraswati!
