My 3rd grade final exam results were announced and dad came home with my report card, visibly very happy. I had scored the 1st rank once again and the report card proudly displayed “Rank 1st” across all the three term exam results. Along with it the school had awarded me with the scholarship of Rs.500 that year for the consistent performance.
That afternoon, dad handed me a small wrapped bundle. I eagerly opened it up and was happy to see that my gift was a collection of 30 books. They were short stories written and compiled for children and it was an ideal catalyst for developing a habit called reading. Summer vacations had just set in and my cousins had gone on their annual holiday to Kerala to their granny’s home leaving me behind. Besides sleeping and watching television I had nothing else to do. I opened the first book and started reading it and the 30 books, I soon realized, kept me busy for the month.
Very soon, we were introduced to the school library that year. The likes of Enid Blyton, F W Dixon, Carolyn Keene, Mark Twain and others caught my immediate attention. I could easily relate to the characters Darrell Rivers & Sally Hope from the Malory Tower series; George, Julian and the gang in the Famous Five series; Nancy Drew with her friends Bess & George and Frank & Joe Hardy in the juvenile detective novel series; Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer in their adventures and many more. Every book that I read then had varied adventure sequences & escapades to look forward to. The stories lead me into imagining being a part of all the adventures the characters were playing. Exploring the secret passages in the mansions, discovering treasures on islands, picnics on the hills, cracking secret codes, being a part of secret societies, hunting for clues, solving mysteries, fighting the bad goons, playing detectives intrigued me. Every Wednesday we had an hour of mandatory reading time at school and no doubts for guessing that it was my favourite period.
That afternoon, dad handed me a small wrapped bundle. I eagerly opened it up and was happy to see that my gift was a collection of 30 books. They were short stories written and compiled for children and it was an ideal catalyst for developing a habit called reading. Summer vacations had just set in and my cousins had gone on their annual holiday to Kerala to their granny’s home leaving me behind. Besides sleeping and watching television I had nothing else to do. I opened the first book and started reading it and the 30 books, I soon realized, kept me busy for the month.
Very soon, we were introduced to the school library that year. The likes of Enid Blyton, F W Dixon, Carolyn Keene, Mark Twain and others caught my immediate attention. I could easily relate to the characters Darrell Rivers & Sally Hope from the Malory Tower series; George, Julian and the gang in the Famous Five series; Nancy Drew with her friends Bess & George and Frank & Joe Hardy in the juvenile detective novel series; Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer in their adventures and many more. Every book that I read then had varied adventure sequences & escapades to look forward to. The stories lead me into imagining being a part of all the adventures the characters were playing. Exploring the secret passages in the mansions, discovering treasures on islands, picnics on the hills, cracking secret codes, being a part of secret societies, hunting for clues, solving mysteries, fighting the bad goons, playing detectives intrigued me. Every Wednesday we had an hour of mandatory reading time at school and no doubts for guessing that it was my favourite period.
These were such prolific works for children in my ages then that I now secretly thank my dad and my English teachers who introduced me to them. Although my frequency of reading had reduced due to mounting syllabus and academics, I always made time to catch up on a few pages of fiction most of the days.
The likes of James Hadley Chase, Perry Mason, Mario Puzo, Frederick Forsyth, Alistair MacLean, Mills & Boons series, the Sidney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer & John Grisham series soon found its way into my book shelves at home. These works of fiction threw open a whole new perspective of things. I couldn’t keep a book down till I had completed reading it. I couldn’t sleep till I read a few pages of fiction. They found way to the dining table too. I did not think it was an acquired habit at all. It was a natural process for me as much as eating or sleeping or reviewing my homework was. When I talk about appreciating the works of Ayn Rand, I have a lot of people giving me that look of “oh god, how can she even go past the first paragraph in the book” and telling me, “Don’t tell me you actually read The Fountainhead completely. Girl, are you really insane?”
I hear some of my friends and relatives proudly claiming that their wards are well versed with all the latest movie songs, are able to list out all the names of actors and actresses who are a part of all the new movie releases, do not eat food unless its served to them right in front of the TV and they are allowed to watch the mind-clogging serials that their parents watch, needs walkmans plugged to their ears before they fall asleep....but they do not read “boring” works of fiction because it deviates the child’s mind away from his academic books!!
The likes of James Hadley Chase, Perry Mason, Mario Puzo, Frederick Forsyth, Alistair MacLean, Mills & Boons series, the Sidney Sheldon, Jeffrey Archer & John Grisham series soon found its way into my book shelves at home. These works of fiction threw open a whole new perspective of things. I couldn’t keep a book down till I had completed reading it. I couldn’t sleep till I read a few pages of fiction. They found way to the dining table too. I did not think it was an acquired habit at all. It was a natural process for me as much as eating or sleeping or reviewing my homework was. When I talk about appreciating the works of Ayn Rand, I have a lot of people giving me that look of “oh god, how can she even go past the first paragraph in the book” and telling me, “Don’t tell me you actually read The Fountainhead completely. Girl, are you really insane?”
I hear some of my friends and relatives proudly claiming that their wards are well versed with all the latest movie songs, are able to list out all the names of actors and actresses who are a part of all the new movie releases, do not eat food unless its served to them right in front of the TV and they are allowed to watch the mind-clogging serials that their parents watch, needs walkmans plugged to their ears before they fall asleep....but they do not read “boring” works of fiction because it deviates the child’s mind away from his academic books!!
Books I always believed are “Fast foods” for the mind. It is a rejuvenating activity that can quite stir a child’s thinking abilities and enhances his/her imagination. Wish they will realize it someday and that someday is not too late.
Picture Courtesy: All the pictures are from various web pages on the Internet.
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