Gerald D'Cunha

  “There is more treasure in books  than in all the pirate’s loot in Treasure Island.” Walt Disney   “W ho reads books these days?” “Khushika does,” I said without blinking my eyes. “Who is she?” “One who reads books voraciously.” The above conversation took place yesterday between me and a 40-year-old man, an MBA, and works for a large organization. When I was excitedly sharing with this man about my plans to come out with ten books (in coming two years) from hundreds of blog articles posted by me over several years,  the man wasn’t impressed. “Who reads books these days?” was his question. There are many, many, many people, out there, who simply love reading books... I know there are ... O n last Sunday, my wife and I had attended a grand wedding reception in ITC Grand Maratha hotel near Mumbai International airport. While there, we bumped into an old friend, who was there along with his wife, daughters, and son-in-law. But, the center of atten...

  “ No man can be called friendless   who has God and companionship of good books.” Elizabeth Barrett Browning   “T he 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 li...

  “The habit of reading is the only enjoyment in which there is no alloy. It lasts when all other pleasures fade.” Anthony Trollope   M any parents keep making this request to me: “Sir, please tell my son/daughter to read.” I smile. There are two reasons behind that smile… One: I did not cultivate the reading habit till I was in twelfth standard. Two: Most of the parents, who want me to tell their children to read, don’t read. So, is there a ‘right time’ to cultivate this reading habit in life? Is it something that can be ‘taught’ to someone, particularly little children? I am not a child psychologist; hence, I do not know whether or not reading habit can be ‘taught’. But, this much I know: each one has a personal reason as to why he or she reads books. Between the parents, one may swear by the books; the other may simply stay off them. Or, both may be fond of reading; but, not their children. Or, parents may not have touched books in their lives; but, their ch...

“We lose ourselves in books. We find ourselves in books.” -          Anonymous O ne of the most delightful sights, for me, is watching little children sitting in one corner, of a book store, and reading some books. The child in me, instantly, comes alive and yearns to join them! Taking your favourite book and sitting in your own corner, in your own way and just get soaked in it, get transported to another land… Wow! What an empowering feeling… What a liberating one! O n this Independence Day, our son booked for me and my wife tickets for the movie, ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’. I am very fond of the lead cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pritt and even Al Pacino. Son gave us a brief about the passionate director Quentin Tarantino . (Remember ‘Reservoir Dogs’ and ‘Pulp Fiction’?)   “He only wants to make 10 movies in his career… This one is his ninth,” son said, “You will certainl...

“A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it.” –Edward P. Morgan W hy do people read books? There are many theories trying to explain why people do. One of them, as many think, is the old-and-tested. According to this theory, if a child observes its parents and grandparents at home reading books, it is likely to pick the reading habit. “There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world,” said Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, “Love of books is the best of all.” And, when the child observes everyone at home reading, when it finds itself surrounded by books, the chances of child taking to books are very high. In my Tai Chi class, today, I was talking to R. Kannan. “Both, my wife and I, are voracious readers… Our house is filled with books everywhere,” he said, “Our two sons (14 and 12) have been infected with this habit from us.” But, the interesting thing is the subject of books tha...

Pic.: Alwyn Mathias S ome days ago, I was returning from Pune. The moment I got into the Shivneri bus, I saw a young college-girl, who had already settled in one of the front seats, reading what looked like a very-fat novel. While I was getting off the bus, here in Mumbai, I saw her still reading it! I thought of the two slim books I had tucked into my hand bag… I, always, keep with me a book, magazine or a newspaper with me while travelling. In fact, you get to pick up a free newspaper while travelling by Shivneri… But, on this journey of more than three and half hours, I did not read a single line… yes, either from the two books I was carrying or from the newspaper… The sight of the young college-girl reading, right as I stepped into the bus, hadn’t inspired me to take out one of my books or the newspaper… I just preferred to gaze out of the window or glide through my quiet thoughts or simply take some nap… I hardly, even, spoke to my wife who sat next to me… I...

Pic.: Chetna Shetty “ We are the children of a technological age. We have found streamlined ways of doing much of our routine work. Printing is no longer the only way of reproducing books. Reading them, however, has not changed. " Lawrence Clark Powell R eading hasn't become extinct, yet. People still read… Only question is: Whether they prefer reading online or offline… Whether the traditional book – the hard-copy or the trendy, convinient soft-copy… I have just returned from the THE DAWN CLUB Certification function held in the local gymkhana today. During the course, one of the many things I had kept reminding them to do was: to read, read, and read… Yes, read anything… Read anything that helped them broaden their outlook towards life… “Reading helps you develop your world-view,” I would, often, tell them… Read anything that helped them enhance their subject-knowledge… “Reading helps you in constantly enhancing yo...