A BOOK IN PRASAD

 

“No man can be called friendless

 who has God and companionship of good books.”

Elizabeth Barrett Browning

 

“The sight of a book excites me.” I have heard this from many people. The sight of a book excites me, too. If I see a bookshelf, I pause… Pick a book, feel it, smell it… flip through it… Get fascinated by its design… Read the synopsis on back cover or the flap… Quickly read a portion of the foreword or introduction… And, quite often, find myself transported to a faraway Harry Potter’s land!

Books are magical… They can fire our imagination!

But, it wasn’t so for me, when I was growing up. I hardly read books, leave alone writing them. As I keep saying, as a young boy, I had a nagging inferiority-complex… A constant feeling of worthlessness had held me back from expressing myself in any manner – be it in studies or any extra-curricular activities. Sometime in my twelfth standard, thanks to fine English teachers (who taught us Shakespeare and other literature), I had started reading a bit. Then, while I was in First-year B. Com, I was dreaming of becoming a teacher and writer… It was during this time, I seriously got into reading…

Paulo Coelho, and several others, have said this: “When you know what you want, the Universe conspires to work in your favour.”

That’s absolutely true. When I was dreaming to become a fine teacher and writer, I remember spending hours and hours, after my college (and during free lectures), in our massive college library. As I was from a vernacular medium, I wanted to write and speak well in English. So, I would immerse myself going through Reader’s Digest’s amazing book - ‘Write Better, Speak Better’. It was a reference book; so, I had to stay back and read it in my college library. Though I couldn’t afford to buy books during those days, later, when I started working (here in Mumbai), I bought hundreds of books.  When I started The Dawn Club, we built a library housing varieties of books. In time, when I sensed, that those books deserved a better place, I donated all those books to the nice school run by a dear friend.

People say, that the reading habit is dying. That, children don’t read any more. I am particularly reminded of this so-called reality every time I put my energies to write, edit, publish – and distribute free of cost – the books… I have brought out more than 35 books over these years… and just gifted them away with no strings attached… “This book is not for sale” … Every book bears this tag…

Foolish?

I don’t know…

Waste of resources?

I don’t know.

“If you judge people, you have no time to love them,” said Mother Teresa…

Not practical?

I don’t know.

Every year, during Ganesh festival, my dear friend, Vivek, invites me to his residence. Their Ganesh idol, made of ceramic, is a beauty to behold. The idol stays home and only a symbolic visarjan is being carried out…

Last afternoon, while I was at Vivek’s residence, I was impressed to see some 15-16 friends of Vivek’s twins, Vyomesh and Vishakha. (All of them from the same engineering college) … I instinctively sent across 20 copies of our latest book - ‘Thank You for the Music’ (A book about gratitude). Vivek and his family, gladly included a copy each in their takeaway prasad…

Now, the question: “Will those young, engineering-college kids read my book?"

Again, I don’t know…

But, this much I know… Someone, somewhere, sometime will.

Early in the morning, yesterday, I saw these picture and lines in my WhatsApp message:

 

 

“My elder daughter, Maham, is deeply enamored with your book. You gifted it to me in 2014. How have you been, Sir?”

 

Yes Sir, “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

 

GERALD D’CUNHA

 

Pic’s: 1. Pixabay/Pezibear  2. Vivek Kukreja 3. Shadab Akhtar

 

Video: TEDx Talks