Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers. ~Charles W. Eliot
I dont know when and how I had entered the unfathomable world of books and reads but it was quite early days. Those times it was not the so called "books and novels", but light reading of Champak, and comics "Billu", "Chacha Choudhary" and "Pinki"s. Ma wanted me to read the ones which were in Bengali or English but I always preferred the Hindi ones. Our train journeys were always consorted by Nandans and Champaks.
My first date with English Literature was because of a dear friend who had gifted me a "Hardy Boys" novel. There was no looking back after that. The "Hardy Boys" and the "Nancy Drew" and then Charles Dickens occupied all my free times and with that came the unsatiable craving for more and more books. Those days I often dreamt of owning a library of my own, the library would have a nice cosy floor-sitting area , and would have books on ladder accessible shelfs , shelves which would touch the floor and reach the ceiling , books from all over the world, from encyclopedias to novels to poetry to comics.
Then came the day of my rendezvous with Bengali Literature. It was just after my 10th board exams and I had no idea of how to spend the 3 months long vacation. Ma gave me the much acclaimed Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay's Pather Panchali(It was made into a film by the Oscar winning Director Satyajit Ray and was one of the greatest film ever made). After that my love for Bengali Literature too grew in leaps and bounds from Sarat Chandra Chatterji and other yesteryear writers to contemporary writers.Books are the best company I ever had(ofcourse after my parents, husband and good friends). They have made me laugh in bitter times and made me cry in good times. I get so addicted while reading a particular book that I feel like finishing the whole book at one go.
Here are some of my all time favorites, which I have read I dont know how many times:
1. Chander Pahar - the mountain of the moon (Bibhuti Bhushan Bangopadhyay)
2. Parineeta - Sarat Chandra Chatterji.
3. Diary of Anne Frank
4 The hound of the baskervilles - Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Canon Doyle)
5 The whole Harry potter series
6 Kite Runner - Khaled hosseini
7 Great Expectation - Charles Dickens
And many many more to add and add on.
With the latest technology, reading good reads is much easier and with the same "flipping and dog earing of pages" feeling of ebooks, what is only missing is the smell of the books. May be a time would come when the IT revolution would make that too possible(amen).
My first date with English Literature was because of a dear friend who had gifted me a "Hardy Boys" novel. There was no looking back after that. The "Hardy Boys" and the "Nancy Drew" and then Charles Dickens occupied all my free times and with that came the unsatiable craving for more and more books. Those days I often dreamt of owning a library of my own, the library would have a nice cosy floor-sitting area , and would have books on ladder accessible shelfs , shelves which would touch the floor and reach the ceiling , books from all over the world, from encyclopedias to novels to poetry to comics.
Then came the day of my rendezvous with Bengali Literature. It was just after my 10th board exams and I had no idea of how to spend the 3 months long vacation. Ma gave me the much acclaimed Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay's Pather Panchali(It was made into a film by the Oscar winning Director Satyajit Ray and was one of the greatest film ever made). After that my love for Bengali Literature too grew in leaps and bounds from Sarat Chandra Chatterji and other yesteryear writers to contemporary writers.Books are the best company I ever had(ofcourse after my parents, husband and good friends). They have made me laugh in bitter times and made me cry in good times. I get so addicted while reading a particular book that I feel like finishing the whole book at one go.
Here are some of my all time favorites, which I have read I dont know how many times:
1. Chander Pahar - the mountain of the moon (Bibhuti Bhushan Bangopadhyay)
2. Parineeta - Sarat Chandra Chatterji.
3. Diary of Anne Frank
4 The hound of the baskervilles - Sherlock Holmes (Arthur Canon Doyle)
5 The whole Harry potter series
6 Kite Runner - Khaled hosseini
7 Great Expectation - Charles Dickens
And many many more to add and add on.
With the latest technology, reading good reads is much easier and with the same "flipping and dog earing of pages" feeling of ebooks, what is only missing is the smell of the books. May be a time would come when the IT revolution would make that too possible(amen).
3 comments:
chaander pahaar is so much my favorite too - 'twas my first bengali novel/story and had me mesmerized. i can totally relate to u
oh yes, me and my wife are fans of books. and with our diverse reading choices, it is a library at home.
Hound of Baskerville is a masterpiece. Infact, all Sherlock Holmes stories are mesmerising.
yes Ani.. Chander pahar is one book which i have read hundred of times.. too good.. its so well written that one can visualize the deep dense forests of wild Africa
Vinay I second u.. Sherlock Holmes stories are really brilliant..
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