So my bookshelf has been arranged and I am looking at it right now as I type in, with a sense of calm and belonging. Most of the books have been stacked in the shelves, a few haven’t made it to the racks for lack of space. So those may go in a box or trunk till we have a new bookcase in place. Yessss, another bookcase soon! That makes me excited in a weird sort of way. Getting another bookcase home takes me one step closer to my dream of living in a home filled with books and more books.
The house I grew up in, my parents’ home was as good as living my dream. Interestingly I was never an avid reader. But I always enjoyed having books around, whether I read them often or no! My parents were far avid than I was, which showed in their love for owning books of all kinds. Our house used to be full of books, ranging from classics to contemporary fiction to autobiographies to memoirs, collected, safeguarded over years of precision and care by Achan & Amma. Until one fine day, when the books fell prey to the wretched rains of Delhi. Pages were torn apart by rain water that seeped inside the house. We could still manage to keep a large number safe, but a sizeable amount was damaged. Unfortunately ever since Achan & Amma, have somehow lost that drive to collect books. They are every bit lovers of reading though, but can’t be bothered to revive their love for collecting books like before. And now with the kindle revolution, the revival is even bleaker.
Oh no I’m not against Kindle. I have one, and I do enjoy using it. Yet, the joy you get from holding, smelling and feeling the paper is just too real to let it go, isnt it?
Perceptions 