You Read?!
I used to read Pepper and Noddy like most kids that age. My parents and teachers used to read it out to me. I didn't think much of it at that time, but my memory serves me well and I was lip syncing with my parents when they would read out stories to me. Soon, I could recite my favorite stories like a continuous sentence, something I did at the age of 5.
In first grade my mother took me to a small library run by a woman we knew. What interested me there was just how many books that room had. Somewhere in hundreds. I didn't know how, but I knew I wanted to read all of them. My eyes first landed on a big section of shelves all of which looked like the same size, similar colors. The woman who ran the place then pulled out one of them and told me that I should read these. I fail to recollect the name of the book but I know on the very top of the book were three words- Usborne Young Reading.
I had no idea then but my research now tells me that it is a mass publishing house in the UK initiated by Peter Usborne in the 70s. Their most famous line of books, Usborne Young Reading and Usborne Old Reading, had about 100 titles combined. I started with one and didn't stop until I got through all of them. What I liked about it was that it had retellings of popular children's stories like Jack and the Beanstalk and Robin Hood.
The Little Mermaid was my favorite. The story ends how it was originally written, where the handsome prince marries a human, and Ariel, in distress, lets the ocean swallow her in her human form. Something about the book had me hooked. I was obviously morbid at the end of it, but it had caught my attention. Thus started my reading journey.
For the next two years I read a variety of books, almost emptying the library of books I hadn't read. In the third grade an epiphany occurred which changed my reading experience, and definitely for the better. My uncle who was visiting took me to Crossword and bought me 7 books, out of which he said I should immediately get started on 2. For this I am grateful, because otherwise I wouldn't be reading how I do today. I picked up a 676 page book titled “The Magic Faraway Tree Collection.” The author? Enid Blyton.
It was a compilation of three books 1- The Enchanted Wood, 2-The Faraway tree and 3-The Folk of the Faraway Tree. The story follows three siblings Joe, Beth and Franny as they discover a magic tree in the woods near their house.
The book enveloped me. John Green describes this feeling best in his book “The Fault in our Stars”- “slowly at first, and then all at once.” It was magical. From then on, I became a part of the cult that Blyton's books are. I read everything-The Wishing Chair, The Famous Five, The Secret Seven all the way through the Naughtiest Girl. I remember when I wasn't at school or with my friends I was always in my room, reading. Those books were drugs.
I'm lucky that there have always been positive turning points in my life in regard to reading. I call them turning points because that is the foothold that books have in my life. Hence I recollect another such incident in the fourth grade. It's an obvious one, but monumental nonetheless. Harry Potter.
Harry Potter felt personal. It felt like watching an old friend go through life. In the seventh book, JK Rowling dedicates the book to the reader and credits them for being there with Harry “until the very end.” It felt like those words spoke to you, were written just so you could read them.
I read fantasy and dystopian after that. I wanted books that shied away from any trace of reality or logic-these books felt like you were bored so you took a train away from wherever you were and reached somewhere where reality is ignored. The Selection and all the Grishaverse books were among my favorites.
I had a mythology phase after that (Yes. I have genre phases). I binge-read the Mahabharat and Ramayan starting with Amar Chitra Katha all till Kavita Kane and Vikram Sampath. I’ve read the same story in multiple viewpoints. Strangely, the Mahabharat appealed to me far more than the Ramayan did. The vast complexity etched in the story is mind-blowing.
Everyone thinks the Mahabharat is a story of war, but it's actually about family. About loyalty, love(questionable?) and doing the right thing. It also explores the idea of Treta Yuga Vs Dwapar Yuga that each idealize “My country is my family” and My family is only my family” respectively. I personally also found very intriguing stories that made me question a lot of things, primarily because I did not tie these stories to anything external and instead read them objectively.
If you asked me what the most disappointing books I read it would probably be what we call “literature classics.” I was looking forward to them so much, but I think my expectations were too high. Don’t get me wrong, they are beautiful stories, but they just don’t appeal to me. I picked up Pride and Prejudice and while Mr Darcy is a golden character that must be treasured, I felt that the story moved slowly and there were a lot of characters and scenes which were irrelevant and uncalled for.
The same thing happened with other classics that I read-Jane Eyre, 20,000 leagues under the sea, Sense and Sensibility. I have picked up The Great Gatsby more than once now but I am unable to reach the end. I am still convincing myself that I will finish it one day. Same is the case with Shakespere-I love the dramatization but I find it painful to sit through so much of extra storyline and the difference in the language. His sonnets are absolutely beautiful though.
Further along I felt like I needed to read novels that are non-fiction and those that give me knowledge. So I did just that. I read autobiographies and books on religion, geography, war, philosophy. They obviously are not as captivating as fiction, but they are an excellent source for gaining knowledge and awareness about real world issues. It is beautiful because you can browse, explore and then make a choice on what you want to learn, from whichever author you feel most connected to.
I still go back and read fiction. I feel like no matter how much non-fiction and knowledge based books I read, fiction hits different. I read “A Little Life” by Hanya Yinhagara last month. It was beautiful. It's the kind of book that stays with you even after you’re done reading it.
Reading for me is a different feeling than for most people. When I was younger that's all I used to associate myself with. Every introduction in school started with “Hi, I’m Anjali, and I like to read.” Every birthday all my aunts and uncles would buy me books as presents because I didn't want anything else. For a long time, it became an identity. Now, as someone who changed with age, experiences and learning, reading is a cherished hobby. With school, preparing for CLAT, extracurriculars and other hobbies it becomes difficult to only do one thing. I also realized it's beautiful that you are a result of everything that you do-all the different pieces contribute to who you are. Hence today the introductions go about different-”Hi, I’m Anjali, and I love to read. I’m a dancer, and I occasionally write. I…” and so on.
All this to say, unfortunately if any career doesn't work out, opening a bookshop is a solid backup. That aside, I will conclude with this-that feeling-of picking up a new book, the smell of new pages-and the fuzzy comfort of being enveloped in stories for long hours-is incomparable. It will always, always stay with me. So go do yourself a favor and pick up a book-I did.
-15/6/2024
Word Count-1415
Comments
Post a Comment