The first novel that I read was Chetan Bhagat’s One Night @ the Call Centre. The first novel
series that I read was Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga.
After that, I mostly read Nicholas Sparks and disliked Erich Segal. I read
Ann Brashares’ Sisterhood series,
Sarah Dessen’s The Truth About Forever,
and Cecelia Ahern's books that made my teenage easy to bear. Harry Potter books happened to me only
because I did not understand what happened in the movie - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I had read Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone as a kid. It was an utter
pain to read such a thick book with tiny alphabets back then. Eventually, I was
embarrassed of the books that marked the beginning of my reading habit. I was
embarrassed only because people saw those books in a derogatory light.
After a few years of public comments on my book choices, I
did begin to ask people if they had read those books. The answer usually was, no.
It was then that I stood up for my ‘disastrous’ reads. It was then that I
realized people are a herd of sheep. It was then that I realised books have a weightage
in every circle, public and personal.
At the age of 15, I was not able to understand the
problematic nature of Twilight Saga
given I was brought up in a culture where stalking was romantic. People didn’t
mention that as a problem because they got stuck at – love story between human,
werewolf, and vampire. That’s hilarious to them, and unrealistic. (That’s the
reason it’s called fantasy.) It took a Gender Studies interview three years ago
to make me realise the problematic nature of Fifty Shades of Grey is not BDSM, and hence, I began to question my opinion of books that I had read till then.
Now when I look at the books I used to read, I feel a sense
of pride. Irrespective of public opinions, they got me interested
in picking up novels. They made me buy Pride
and Prejudice (which again is seen as petty by many) when I was
17. I tried to read it, I couldn’t. I tried again after a few months, I read it
completely. I did not wonder about its title or Victorian
England. But, I could relate it to a middle class household in present-day India.
Eventually I did understand the criticism around it because the book was
prescribed in my first semester at Delhi University.
Anyhow, I think I have established well enough that I did
not have a literary beginning into the world of reading. The only thing was,
even though I began with Chetan Bhagat and the likes of him, I did not stop at
that. I kept moving on, aspiring for more, till I eventually reached the likes
of Salman Rushdie. In public view, I perhaps went from derogatory to blasphemy.
I claim to differ, confidently.
Some people know me as an ardent lover of books and an avid
reader. They ask me for suggestions, every now and then. I dread that moment. I
should be able to suggest books if I have read so much (that’s so little),
right? But, I find myself at crossroads. What are the books for a beginner?
What books can be suggested when without reading they believe the likes of
Chetan Bhagat to be unreadable? What books can a person read if they cannot
read fast? What books can I suggest that are neither literary nor Bhagat-ish? How can I suggest when I do not know their interest?
As a student of literature, the dilemma only enhances
itself. People, who ask for suggestions, are too quick in their terms and
conditions – ‘not from your list of literary books’. If I happen to tell them
about a really interesting book that I had in my syllabus, they tag it as
unreadable for 'normal' folks. It often leaves me stunned. I do not know how
to convince people into reading who without any experience in the field have a
very narrow idea of genres and authors.
After seven years of reading, I have understood the thing
about my reading. I like a book by it’s narration. Spoilers do annoy me, but
beauty of a book, for me, lies in the way it unfolds. Somehow, I have always
been taken by narrations rather than stories. It is only after experimenting
with genres one can recognize one’s interest. Having experienced that, how can
I possibly suggest not only a book, but a good book!
At one point of time, I had discouraged people from reading
books written by present day popular Indian writers. Now, I have begun
encouraging them with my terms and conditions – begin but do not stop at that,
read further, broaden your horizon. Not many in the field of literature suggest
popular readings. I believe, books broaden one’s mind, thoughts, and actions.
Sticking to a particular genre without knowing the unknown can be faulty on any
reader’s part, whether literary or not.
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| Image - The tiniest part of my unread hoard. |
If you are a non-literary person, do not put a person
involved in literary field at a pedestal. For all you should know, most of us
are quite orthodox in judging books by its popularity and readership. Everyone
has their reasons, valid or invalid ones. Do not let any person look down on
your reading choices. After reading the likes of ‘You can Win’, I do look down
on the books that claim to tell you the right way of living and making choices.
Yet, if it truly does help someone, I get interested in knowing how it did so before judging the person (I am only human, after all). As far as I am concerned, the Harry Potter books are the best life
counselling books, only if one has eyes to look beyond ‘magic’ as their only
feature.
Open your inner eye, see past the mass prejudices, find
reasons that can convince you, read what pleasures you, and save me the trouble
of judging myself as an incompetent person to suggest books. And do not, I repeat,
do not judge a book without reading it.
Happy reading!
PS- I read Fifty Shades of Grey and its sequel only after my interview. Till then I was criticising it badly based on the noisy opinions.
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