Friends for Life

I still remember how I met them for the very first time! It was handed over to me by my mom. It had a peculiar smell of newness. The pages have very fine finish and were pleasant to touch. The pictures were colorful and mesmerizing! I knew the books will make good friends since that moment itself!

Then I kept on meeting them. They were more like toys. I could put them anywhere. In the toy chest, in the swing, next to my dinner plate, in my bed, anywhere and everywhere. Mom told me I can not pour water on them though. They inspired me to try writing and drawing. I thought, I could write or draw in them just like some one else has done it. Of course I did not have any idea that my friends were introducing me to literacy by doing so.

Further we all started preparing for my first day at school. It was so much fun to buy new books. Back then, we used to put covers and labels on books to increase their longevity.  The whole process was so much fun! In school I spent most of the time with books and I came to know there that I am not allowed to write in them. I can do so on a paper or notebook and create my own story though.

My first childhood friend, my hero and my guide was my big brother. Such an important person of my life was busy with books most of the times. I felt the importance of books then. My father used to bring weekly kids magazines, we had subscription of monthly kids magazines. For these magazines, we did not have any language criteria. I read so many magazines in Marathi, Hindi and English! Further in life I was and I am praised many times for being fluently multilingual. No body knows how much my friends have credit for that!

Life became boring and lonely when my brother had to go away for higher studies. At that time, I did not have many friends and my parents were busy in their own life struggles. Most of my time was well spent with my chapter books submerged into  the world of fantasy and adventure. The fairy tales brought a lot of hope and values to my life. It is needless to say that my book friends were also helping me in the school to learn important worldly stuff as well.

Finding new friends and interests in life was exciting. Books made the transition easy. Understanding other person's feelings, understanding friendship, envy was not possible just with life experiences alone. Books laid a great foundation for that. The dream world of sci-fi, non-fictions, thrillers, horrors, love stories and what not, l had endless choices to be made! My friends were steering my way through the new waters.

The favors of my friends are endless. They keep helping me find recreation, have some entertainment, find some answers for so many unsorted problems, help keep positivism during hardships, take me to the quest of meaning of life, finding my faith and the list is never ending!

I still remember the excitement of buying a new book with brand new looking pages, that smell and feel. The pride of wining books as a reward for excelling in school work will always bring sweet memories. Exchanging books with friends and sharing fun facts from them will always be cherished in my heart.

When people talk about how technology is taking over these books and how kids are more absorbed in video games and apps than in the fantasy world of books, I really feel sad about the new generation. They will be missing out on this life time friendship! They will be missing on that laughter, tears, fear, feeling of bravery, patriotism I felt while reading so many good books. I wish I could stop this from happening!

But then, when my little one was born, I tried reading a bed time story to her. Her eyes were brightened to look at the wonderful new colors of the book. Her attention was completely drawn to the story and I was relieved to know that the journey of new friendship has just begun!