Neighborhood Libraries

Neighborhood libraries 

While growing up I didn’t have much books. Actually both my parents were not big readers, my dad read some ‘Detective Vishal’ novels during his college days and my mom was a sucker for the women’s magazines like Sarita, Grihashobha, which also I lapped up quite regularly. My elder brother who takes some credit for my reading habits, had all kinds of intellectual books like Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or Shakespeare which I was probably too young for. 

By my love for comics flourished. I had a monthly allowance of Rs 10, considering 90s and only aged 8 or 9, it was good. So while each comics cost 10, we had a neighbor hood comic shop, who would lend kids a book for Rs 2 and I could read 5 books in a month. It was a pleasure although collecting books is also one. I got myself my quota for Chanda mama, champak, and all the lovely story books by the anonymous authors. 

We had a relative whose parents were both well read, and their son (who was supposedly my uncle but only an year older to me) had a big collection of comics of all the favorite Indian genres like Nagraj, captain Dhruv, Chacha Chowdhury and Sabu, Pinki, Billoo, and sometimes foreign ones too like Spider-Man and Superman. I used to visit their homes and spend hours reading all their comics. They shared with me and probably had a stock of 100s, and I wondered if they would miss if any was missing. 

My mom did try buying me some on our shopping trips to buy herself some patience from a petulant child she is dragging to her shopping excursions around the town in Dad’s car and driver or a cycle rickshaw. My mom had small tasks from tailor, jewelery, clothes, matching, dying, pick ups, pooja ka saman, gifts for family, and preparations for weddings. So you can imagine the bribe was necessary and well deserved. And I would finish the comic books while walking around her or on the rickshaw back home. 

It was only later when I made a friend with the daughter of an IAS officer, I was exposed to the greatest fairy tales and story collections of Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Red Riding hood, Goldilocks, and so many world fairy tales. English literature and British moors came into my life and I imagined worlds beyond and stories of a different world. 

I have grown up on Neighbour hood libraries and borrowed books of friends. Even now I make sure of my weekly trips to Oesterbro library in Copenhagen to get my quota of good books. I can’t explain what reading is for me but it is special. All these stories waiting to be heard and travelled with. This wonderful world of wonderment.