Childhood and books

Growing up, I as a kid, loved to read everything I found. When I am asked to clean (literally sweep the house with a broom) the front and the backyards, my mother knew that I would take a minimum of 2 hours for the job. I used to sit with every print paper (torn) I found on my way and I used to long for a weekend that’s because I could read more. There was a library close to my home, I would say, just about 200 feet and me and my brother used to wait for a weekend to be there in the library and spend almost the entire evening there (4 pm–7 pm), and even get back few magazines on hire (there used to be membership card for which we needed to pay 2 rupees for an entire year).

In spite of some financial limitations my dad still subscribed to a few good magazines. I thank him in this post for being so kind because he doesn’t know how many memories I have associated with those magazines.

Chandamama used to be one of my favorites with so many stories. I used to get it in my mother tongue and I loved the big serial (princess salvaging kind usually) and I also recall stories from Vikram and Betal series.

Tinkle! Ah! And this had been (to date remains) one of my favorites. I wonder how old the Suppandi must be and wonder how it be if Suppandi becomes wise at all. And how can I forget Shikari Shambu. His picture still remains the same, how sweet? Shambu’s hair never grows bigger or shorter to reveal his eyes. I remember buying the tinkles especially at the Railway Station. My father used to get these for us and some Tamil mags for my mother. Still, we’ve made a big collection of Tinkles and again mom got them all bound into one. I remember enacting a Suppandi story for school annual day and we receivd good applause.

How can I forget the Pancha Tantra stories? I remember when I finished my 6th standard annual exams my parents got me a pile of panchatantra tales. My mother took the books to her office and she had the small booklets bound to one huge big book. I remember counting the left over booklet number once I was done with one. Strangely always used to feel that the book should be read but with still lot left (did you get what I meant?)

Then, I remember subscribing to Bommarillu. Unlike Chandamama Bommarillu is big with a lot more pages, so that used to be quite good and BIG enough for me.

And, then we’ve read so many books of Wisdom. My sister-in-law buys it even now. It’s still the same you know to enrich your wisdom. Makes children and adults awe with its facts. I did notice that Wisdom is on some weight loss recipe, seems like it has cut down a lot of its weight. Again, Wisdom also was bought in Railway Station and we mostly read in during traveling times. Wisdom quotes used to be favorites. I used to get by heart one nice catchy quote and give it as an autograph to friends end of every academic year (makes me smile now!).

Missing all those good ol’ days, today, I’m still a reading buff. I buy Magic Pot to my kid and it’s a fortnightly magazine with wonderful activities to involve small kids and lovely stories. Luttappi is a lively character in MP. I also get Little Words (but guess this is not so abundantly available as Magic Pot). I didn’t subscribe for it but I told the shop wala to keep one aside for me. But if he remembers we would be lucky to get one for the month. It’s again a lovely book for the under 8 age kids. Guess Little Words people should take more care to print it error free. I see a lot of typos and mistakes. There is Mogambiko in this mag which is a lively character. I vote for the activities and stories Little Words has got. The stories in this book are more trendier and you know matches today’s children’s’ imagination. Then, my sil subscribed a magazine named My School. It’s a monthly magazine and priced 20 rupees, but I feel there are hardly any stories (just about 2 of them and they are not quite old moral stories).

Books are such a company in a person’s life, that I love my kid becoming another book lover. If you could afford buy or subscribe one for your kids, they are all worth instead of hitting a mall or sitting in the system with a video game!