This is such a sweet piece, Charulatha! A book I read a little while ago that’s going to stay with me for a really, really long time has been Meet the Savarnas. Made me think deeply and differently about the systemic issues in our country.
Re-reading books is an exercise of self-discovery. My personal favourite is Rabindranath Tagore’s Gora. I have been reading it once every 10 years. And any of RK Narayan’s works brings a certain sense of calm in me when everything goes awry around me.
Re reading Gora every 10 yrs- this is deserving of an essay. Do write. It was a book I read when in Class 11 and it was disturbing. And when I read S.L. Byrappa's Vamshavruksha - it reminded me of Gora- the themes of blood relation, purity of race, caste privilege belonging. So many difficult themes. Perhaps time to revisit Gora again. Is there a particular translation you would recommend?
Thanks Charu. To your question - read or re-read - both, of course :) Even if i remember (or think I remember) the broad outlines of the plot, discovering the finer details of language and the nuances and subtleties of characters I saw in a different light at my first reading - it's like reading a new book, really. Like blurry images suddenly springing back into sharp focus...
Your essay speaks to me on many levels. I remember a conversation we had sometime in 2023 about not having the vocabulary to describe certain things that we can now articulate much more eloquently and efficiently. I realise this a little more every day as I read more. I see the world through a different spectacle now, and I love it. I’m sure a few years down the line, I’ll see it differently again. And on being surrounded by books- I’ve carried a dozen with me to Switzerland to feel a little more at home. A few of which are also your gifts. 🎁
wonderful piece charu.. and a really thought provoking question at the end !
For me personally books read during school days made a deep imprint and I can still recall the characters , the plots , the humour, the romance, the tragedy and even the experience. Not so for books read during later years.
Again some books really resonate so well that I read them again many more times !!!
Rereading a book is a beautiful paradox. Pure nostalgia and feeling connected to an earlier version of myself, a person who doesn't really exist anymore. Even though that 'me' is gone, the book lets us meet again for a moment: time travel through paper and ink.
I feel this in my soul. I’ve been a book collector since I was a kid. My shelves always grow faster than I can read, but I’ve finally stopped feeling guilty about it. I actually found out recently that there is a Japanese word for this: tsundoku. I love that it doesn't have a negative connotation. It isn't about hoarding; it's just about the joy of owning books you haven't gotten to yet. To me, books are the best kind of decor. Sometimes I buy a book just because of how it feels in my hands. I can’t resist a heavy leather cover or a soft velvet binding, even if I have to buy it "paying in installments." :P
This is such a sweet piece, Charulatha! A book I read a little while ago that’s going to stay with me for a really, really long time has been Meet the Savarnas. Made me think deeply and differently about the systemic issues in our country.
Thank you for the recommendation - will check it out. On the same topic I hear that Coming out as Dalit by Yashica Dutt is a very powerful memoir.
Yesss, it’s on my tbr list :)
You must keep reading old friends and make a new one every now and then!
Such a journey you describe - reading, listening, re-reading. The Pooh and Piglet speak bit was absolutely adorable! 🤩
🧸🏵️🩷
Just lovely and bings on so many smiles as one re-reads what you've written.
Also chuckles at the things that you do not read - as I too never read them, including Wodehouse !
I unabashedly re-read my most fav books & will soon be buying anew, few whose pages are too brittle to read agin
Re: friends, do both :)
Re-reading books is an exercise of self-discovery. My personal favourite is Rabindranath Tagore’s Gora. I have been reading it once every 10 years. And any of RK Narayan’s works brings a certain sense of calm in me when everything goes awry around me.
Re reading Gora every 10 yrs- this is deserving of an essay. Do write. It was a book I read when in Class 11 and it was disturbing. And when I read S.L. Byrappa's Vamshavruksha - it reminded me of Gora- the themes of blood relation, purity of race, caste privilege belonging. So many difficult themes. Perhaps time to revisit Gora again. Is there a particular translation you would recommend?
Were you with Terres des Hommes?
From 2007-2016
Beautiful. Rereading for me is comfort, solace, and fresh insights each time. I love the rereading more than the reading.
Thanks Charu. To your question - read or re-read - both, of course :) Even if i remember (or think I remember) the broad outlines of the plot, discovering the finer details of language and the nuances and subtleties of characters I saw in a different light at my first reading - it's like reading a new book, really. Like blurry images suddenly springing back into sharp focus...
Thank you Kalyani for responding. 🏵️
Your essay speaks to me on many levels. I remember a conversation we had sometime in 2023 about not having the vocabulary to describe certain things that we can now articulate much more eloquently and efficiently. I realise this a little more every day as I read more. I see the world through a different spectacle now, and I love it. I’m sure a few years down the line, I’ll see it differently again. And on being surrounded by books- I’ve carried a dozen with me to Switzerland to feel a little more at home. A few of which are also your gifts. 🎁
wonderful piece charu.. and a really thought provoking question at the end !
For me personally books read during school days made a deep imprint and I can still recall the characters , the plots , the humour, the romance, the tragedy and even the experience. Not so for books read during later years.
Again some books really resonate so well that I read them again many more times !!!
Read new books but re-read the old ones I say !!
Dear girl, we have read and reread Gerald Durrell innumerable times have we not and ready to do it again. ♥️♥️🏵️
Rereading a book is a beautiful paradox. Pure nostalgia and feeling connected to an earlier version of myself, a person who doesn't really exist anymore. Even though that 'me' is gone, the book lets us meet again for a moment: time travel through paper and ink.
I feel this in my soul. I’ve been a book collector since I was a kid. My shelves always grow faster than I can read, but I’ve finally stopped feeling guilty about it. I actually found out recently that there is a Japanese word for this: tsundoku. I love that it doesn't have a negative connotation. It isn't about hoarding; it's just about the joy of owning books you haven't gotten to yet. To me, books are the best kind of decor. Sometimes I buy a book just because of how it feels in my hands. I can’t resist a heavy leather cover or a soft velvet binding, even if I have to buy it "paying in installments." :P
Thank you for reading Adeepan and writing in so beautifully. Your replies are an essay in themselves. "Time travel through paper and ink" - exquisite.
Thank you so much! I'm glad that phrase resonated with you.