All about reading and books..

The other day this person I met asked me if I remembered the 1st ever book I read.. I racked my brain for a few minutes and gave up! Came home and asked mom, she said it was a set of books gifted by my athai [ aunt] - Jack & the beanstalk, Sleeping beauty, The Swiss Family Robinson, Snow white & 7 dwarfs and one more.. I have them around somewhere at home, unless mom has given them away to some cousin or uncle. 

Dont ever remember mom /dad reading to me, but do remember being nose deep into books... And am sure this is a habit that just sky rocketed when we were in Tirunelveli.. Uncles used to visit us and every time would be with a box of books and music cassettes. That is how I fell in love with books and reading. Amar Chitra Katha is one set of comic book series that I remember being part of the collection. Even today, whenever I see an ACK book, I will pick it up and read through before putting it back on the shelf. 

Whenever I go visiting a friend/family, if there is a kid in that space, I always carry books. I have cousins & friends who are abroad, so their kids get books that have both english & tamil in them. Sometimes the parents thank me for the books and other times I am met with glares that say "now we are drowning in books, no space at home already...". lolz.. It gives me such joy to see kids reading... Am ok with them reading even silly books, as long as they get into the habit.. I know for sure they will grow up figuring out the genre that appeals to them.  

I also don't mind sitting and telling stories, or reading books to the kids. Its fun watching their expressions, and answering questions about the pieces of a story. They pick up new words, thereby their vocabulary improves. Infact, I believe this for everyone.. The more you read, the more it is reflected in your personality.. No, I am not judging anyone, just saying! 

Today, kids have such a range of books available to them- Indian and international.. It leaves me puzzled whenever I go book shopping. There are some that have 40-50 as part of the series, some into fantasy, others general, and more.. Uff... And so when I stumbled upon this list put together by Amar Chitra Katha, I was kicked and had to share it...  The best part is I have read all the books on the list, some of it might be for slightly older kids, but others work for little ones as well. It was exciting to see Malgudi days sitting proudly at the 4th spot.. I am back to reading and watching the series.. have you read it? 

Read the article here

There are always books and authors waiting to be discovered. Reminds me of the time a friend & I had visited this space called "Rare books" housed in a garage.... The minute you step in, you are transported to a different world altogether. We met Mr. Govindaraju, the 82-year-old who was lost in pages from newspaper and magazines, pulling out interesting/ vintage ads. He is an avid reader, collector and has taken over the reigns from his father.  I picked up two books from that space and must say it was the most fun I have had in a long time.... He had shelves piled up with books as high as the ceiling and we walked around the tiny space, taking it all in.... 

When Swami became my friend... Malgudi days...

I remember getting back home from school, washing up, changing out of the school uniform, gulping down the glass of milk before heading out the door to my great aunt's house down the road. I wouldn't even ring the bell, just take off my chappals, and enter their living room, and make a beeline for that sofa [almost as if it had been reserved for me]. Hearing me enter, uncle would come into the room from wherever he was and head straight for the TV. 

Back then, we got only one channel- Doordarshan. He would sit with me, just to keep me company till the show began. And like clockwork, it would start, and for half an hour I was lost to the world. I don't really remember what day of the week it was aired, or the time but do remember distinctly the colours and music. 

I am talking about Malgudi days, the show based on the works of author R K Narayan, a collection of short stories. The show's basic plot revolved around Swami [the protagonist] and his endless adventures.Set in the imaginary town of Malgudi, each episode was a short story. 

It featured government workers/middle class people, businessmen ,street vendors and school children (including Swamy and his friends) not to forget their life, mindset back in the day (especially towards British).  Though the town of Malgudi was small, it had a Government factory, 2 schools, a local market, a Post office, two cinema halls, a bus stand,  and few other buildings as well. Oh and there was a paper called the 'Malgudi Times' as well, all of which had me believing there really was a town called Malgudi back then. It was directed by Kannada actor and director Shankar Nag.

Infact, the show used to be telecast in Hindi [it was almost like the makers of the show had the country and the world convinced that South Indians were fluent in Hindi].. Must say, this show is one of the things I used to watch that helped me learn the language as well.  A couple of years later, I was gifted the book by one of my uncles... 

The stories were all fairly simple. They were about Swami and his friends, their adventures and was set in the pre-Independence era. I remember watching the boys run around in dhotis, caps and crisp jackets on streets around the now vintage Austin and Hindustan cars. Infact the the donkeys and elephants in some of the scenes made the town come alive. It was magical and I was hooked.  The plot of each episode usually involved the little problems that cropped up in the town of Malgudi or  between the boys themselves – it could be small fights, jealousy or misunderstandings. From something as simple as a rough day at school to a stolen necklace, you had it all. But the beauty of it was that all the episodes/stories had a happy ending... 

Over the years, this is a series/book that I have made references to whenever we spoke of our childhood. I remember, once a friend mentioned there was a pure veg hotel called Malgudi Station in Baner, Pune.. Talk about the name going beyond just the book.  Another piece of interesting news is that Malgudi is a real station today- Indian Railways has renamed Arasalu railway station in Shivamoga district as "Malgudi" station. How cool is that?! 

Today, when I look back in time, nostalgia hits me hard. There are some things that are precious, and for me it was all these moments from my childhood. We did not have a TV at home and so this aunt's house was where we would head to watch these shows and movies as well... I have now picked up the book to re-read and also saw that the show was available on Amazon Prime.. Good chance for those who want to watch Malgudi Days all over again.

If like me you would love to own one of these beauties, then grab the hardbound copy of the book here...