Love Affair with Books

My love affair with books began when I was all of 3 or so I am told by my mother. It was she after all who instilled the habit of reading in me and carried it through with my sister as well. We must have hardly ever received any toys as children compared to the number of books that lay around in our room. I remember my mother reading out loud, either from “Noddy” or “Mr. Pink Whistle Series” or “Eight O’Clock Tales” or “Five O’Clock Tales” – all of Enid Blyton’s, till I grew up and then realisation hit with all her sexism and racial discrimination tales and yet Ms. Blyton remained an exciting author whose works never failed to amaze us as children. In fact I would still go on and present my nephews and neices her books…

I remember my mother telling me that as a child if we ever crossed a bookstore on the way to my nani’s house, I would throw a massive tantrum and sit on the road, refusing to get up till she bought me a book. Nasty Child!! But just for books…

Then as I grew up, I realized that I never liked sports vis-a-vis the other boys who would love to keep score of how many runs, what football goal so on and so forth. I was always on the search for more books – loads of them…more and more…only books. Nothing else seemed to matter than curling with a book under my blanket with a cup of hot “Cadbury” Cocoa while I would drift away with Gulliver on his travels and with Captain Hook and his menacing ways to obtain the treasure….

My Dad used to never read or may be he did and I never knew of it. My mum, sister and I are the only readers in the entire Sindhi Clan that I know of. I wonder why people do not encourage their children to read. Its pathetic to note that kids these days are more worried about what to wear and which playstation to buy rather than what park to play in. They will never know the smell of new books. They will never know what its like to open a page and get seeped into the life of a character that will remain close to your heart. They will never know what its like to throw a tantrum for a new book by sitting on the middle of the road…They will never know…

As of now I am happy. Knowing that I will always have books by my bedside no matter what.