READING - An Enduring Habit

When exactly did I start reading? My earliest memories are that of my dad and mom telling me bed time stories – mostly the usual variety revolving around our puranas. As I grew older, I remember eagerly waiting for “Ananda Vikatan” and ”Kumudam” magazines which my mother used to read regularly. The cartoons and the cover pages were very captivating. As we moved on, we got introduced to the usual comics of those days – “Phantom – the Ghost who walks” – my favourite – one who transforms himself into Mr. Walker as her heads into the town with his horse Hero and wolf devil. “Mandrake the magician” was a favourite too. We used to read these comics on the sly in classes too at times. As I got into my high school, perhaps I started reading novels by Sandilyan (yavana Rani, kadal Pura), kalki (Ponniyin Selvan), Devan (tuppariyum sambu was one of my favourites – especially the weekly cartoons appearing in magazines). Those days we also had non-detailed texts in English and Tamil. I remember reading some of the classics like “The Three Musketeers” by Alexandar Dumas, “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens, “Ivanhoe” by Sir Walter Scott and the like. We also had a taste of Shakespeare in plays like Merchant of Venice (who can forget Shylock?) and Macbeth. I remember having Na. Parthasarathy’s “Kurinji Malar” as our Tamil non-detailed text in my degree class. Thirukkural was also part of our Tamil classes. However, I enjoyed reading all the Tamil short stories of the time – especially the crime thrillers – the “Kathi munayil Ratham” variety!

Later on came the era of Sujatha – who changed the way stories were told in Tamil. It was fascinating and in my memory no writer had such a great fan following those days. It so happened that he was our neighbour in Bengaluru and at the request of my college mates I had arranged a meeting with him for them to meet and have a chat with him. One of his stories reflected an event that occurred in our family and that showed me how a small incident can trigger a writer to weave a fabulous story around a simple event! As I got into my graduation, my brother-in-law introduced me to reading English books. I had hardly read English novels till then – reading them mostly as non-detailed texts. Like all the beginners, I started with Perry Mason novels and followed it up with all the James Hadley Chase, Alistair Maclean novels. Agatha Christie was not far behind. Who can forget the inimitable fictional Belgian detective Hercule Poirot and his curling mustache?

It was at this juncture that my brother-in-law Pancha Nerur introduced me to two of the greatest writers in my opinion – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and P G Wodehouse. Sherlock Holmes and Jeeves would live with me forever. I can read their books anytime, anywhere and any number of times. What writing! And what language! Bertie Wooster with his colloquial English and Jeeves with his impeccable responses are a treat to read and savour. In fact most of the time in our class, we used to discuss P G Wodehouse and his characters more than our Physics lessons! I continue to read these classics even today. And I was greatly thrilled when I was in London a few years ago and had the opportunity to drive on Baker Street!

It was also the time when series of well researched English Novels by authors like Arthur Hailey and Irving Wallace were in the market. “The Final Diagnosis” by the former and “The Man” by the latter were my favourites. I cannot forget Dr. Joe Pearson and Douglass Dilman – the lead characters in these novels. And let me confess – as much as I laugh when I read P G Wodehouse novels, I cry too when I read books. I have shed tears reading “The man” seeing the travails of the “Black President”. I was also introduced by my brother-in-law to books on Vedanta. I have developed an abiding interest in the subject and my book shelf has all sorts of books related to Vedanta. I read them as often I can and try to assimilate the immutable truths laid down there. Perhaps it was a fore runner to my interest in reading non-fiction.

Once I took up employment, my reading habit dwindled a lot though I did read occasionally. Books by Sidney Sheldon etc. were a rage then. “Rage of Angels” by Sheldon, “Kane and Abel”, “Shall we tell the President” by Jeffrey Archer were some of the books that I enjoyed. It was not like the old days. Marriage, Children, transfers all had their claim on my time and hardly had I time to read. However, my wife’s brother gifted me a book “Cosmos” by Carl Sagan during this period. It was a book that I have read several times. It opened up my interest in Cosmology in particular and science in general. More was to come later.

As I moved on in life, a turning point again came in early 90’s when I quit my job and moved to the US. My first stop was in Puerto Rico. As I visited a friend’s house, I saw a shelf full of books in English and Spanish. Surprisingly I saw a book on Ramana Maharishi. More importantly I saw a book titled “Your Erroneous Zones” by Dr. Wayne Dyer, a clinical psychologist. I read that book immediately that kindled my interest in Psychology and a host of other self-help books. His other books included “The sky is the Limit”, “The Power of Intentions” etc., I always note down references when I read books and this has helped me reach out to several similar others. From Wayne Dyer, I got introduced to Ram Dass (Richard Alpert) and Alan Watts, two of the writers whom I admire. Alan Watt’s “The supreme identity” and “The Book” are a must read for anyone interested in the business of life! "Be here Now" by Ram Dass is a classic.

I moved to USA thereafter. I had left my family behind and lived there alone. And it was the best time of my life as far as reading was concerned. The public libraries are superb and I used to spend 3-4 hours every Saturday browsing / reading books. In addition there were book stores like Barnes & Noble where you could spend hours together reading. I read a number of books on management – authors like John Maxwell, Ken Blanchard, Zig Zaglar, Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, Napolean Hill, Scott M Peck, Stephen Covey et all. I also read books by Bertrand Russell and his classic “The conquest of Happiness” is a must read. Being a student of Physics I was drawn into reading books on Cosmology, Quantum mechanics and new age physics books like “ The Tao of Physics”, “The dancing Wu Li Masters”  which attempted to compare Eastern Philosophies with Physics much to the derision of the purists.

Fortunately on my return to India, my job involved lot of travel and I kept reading books of all genres. However, reading fiction and Tamil books are very rare these days – a regret that I need to correct soon. Now that I have retired, I have plenty of time and all the time in the world to read. I can safely say that I am a better human being because of the books I have read. My suggestion to friends would be to read at least 10 pages a day and I can assure you that the habit will catch on.

Times are changing and technology is all pervasive intruding into all aspects of our lives. Reading is no exception. Kindle is something that I use – but let me be honest – it is not the same as holding a book on hand. Nevertheless, one has to change with times and I am slowly attuning myself to this new gadget. However, reading is one habit that I shall continue till my last days. I must thank my parents who were avid readers and perhaps I have imbibed that habit from them with lot of motivation from my brother-in-law Pancha Nerur!

I have covered only major authors and genres that have had great impact on me though there are numerous other authors and titles that have gone through my hands! Happy reading!