My Best Friends

I remember the first time I read Enid Blyton. My father brought home some books for us (Me and my sister, although she was too young to read!) from his office library. I looked at those books. Most of them were hardback editions, colorful and vivid jackets, which attracted me. For a 7 year old kid the pictures of flying chairs and happy children were indeed very attractive. That was the day when I came across a world, where everything was near perfect. There were Gnomes, goblins, pixies and elves. And my own little horrors, like wicked witches! (My wild imagination: Courtesy: Ms Enid Mary Blyton) They absorbed me… or rather I absorbed them and Mollie and Peter became my ‘BESTEST’ friends.

I became a voracious reader in a short time... I remember books like 'The Russian Fables', 'Disney's Fairy Tales' 'Astrix and Obelix', 'TINTIN' (Superlative!! i still have a digitized collection of almost all Tintin Comics, thanks to my boyfriend) and 'Alice in Wonderland' they enthralled me. (Ask me now about what i read, i probably wont remember except for a few stories and pictures) My interest was well fed by my father and my Dadi (She taught me to to read) Mum was glad she had a book-worm for an offspring (little did she know that her offspring's only interest was stories not text books!)

I graduated from The Faraway Tree and The Wishing Chair in late 80’s when I found The Famous Five. George, Anne, Julian, Dick and Timmy took Mollie and Peter’s place in my life. I went on adventures with them. They went with me to my school and slept with me in my bed. I became pals with Nancy Drew and was jealous of her because of Ned Nickerson. I was in love with Frank Hardy and was chummy with his brother Joe... I lived in my own make-believe world.

In the mid-nineties, i came across a phenomena called Mills & Boon. My world changed and i was in in midst of the biggest addiction in my life. I hoarded those books (I still own some 100 odd Mills & Boon Novels, rest of them disappeared, God knows where!!) I read them day and night. Mom was finally realizing the gravity of the the situation. Most often she used to wake up in the middle of the night to notice that her teenage daughter isn't sleeping, but reading. And no sir! they were no text books, those were the mushy love stories with happy endings and sometimes 'hot' and 'steamy' love scenes. I was going maudlin, reading all those stories, turning into a sappy creature. That was when i made another discovery (It was not Danielle Steele, I hate her books!) Sidney Sheldon!! GAWD!! wish i could go back the time and stop myself from picking up that copy of 'If Tomorrow Comes'.

Times changed, and I changed with it. I kept reading, kept growing, I smiled with Archie and his gang, I cried with the Mills & Boon. Felt a rush of adrenaline while reading Irving Wallace, Sidney Sheldon and J K Rowling (Believe me you’ll get a kick out of reading about Harry Potter and his life), was horrified with Stephen King and Robin Cook. Found inspiration when I read Ayn Rand and was mystified with Victoria Holt. One thing remained constant my love affair with books. My worst dream is waking up one day and finding that all the books in the world have disappeared.

PLEASE GOD! Don’t let that happen...