Magic in our lives...

I read a lot. I started reading classics when I just turned 9. My momma bought those paperback books, a set of about 12 novels by famous writers. She wanted me to read it. I started my reading habit under a shadow of desperation, it was a rainy day and my parents left for work. The power was gone and I had no way to spend my time. So, I took a book named “Moby Dick” and started reading it slowly. It opened a door; and took me to places where I have never been before. I felt like I was in the middle of the action, I was in Captain Ahab’s ship, chasing a white whale called Moby Dick. That is what good books are capable of.
I felt thrilled and happy, the same sense of happiness when I first saw my baby sister. Needless to say, I finished all the 12 books in a matter of weeks. I had gotten addicted to books.
Like all other kids of her age, my sister is a Harry Potter fan, I kept wondering about the hype surrounding this spectacled young boy with a scar on his head. He is now an international celebrity, kids love him and even adults enjoy reading his story.
J.K.Rowling was on the verge of getting broke when she created Harry Potter, now she’s richer than the Queen of England. Was he created because of desperation to earn money?
If he was, he has succeeded his purpose. But, he has also touched the lives of millions of people around the world.
I was overwhelmed to see my kid sister reading a 300 odd page book.
I was overwhelmed to see people standing under the rain trying to get a copy of this book.
Hell! I was overwhelmed to see that people suddenly started reading books.
I could see the happiness in my sister’s eyes, the same happiness I felt when I first started reading Moby Dick.
All said and praised, I couldn’t still figure out what exactly caused this kind of a reaction among the people.
I had long believed that in this age of electronic gizmos, books weren’t anymore a source of ‘entertainment’. I was right, it wasn’t a source of entertainment but it was a source of joy and magic.
Harry Potter was successful not because it was printed on recycled paper, but because he brought in some magic to the reader’s life. Harry Potter introduced kids to flying brooms and magic spells. Even more significant, he took adults back to the time when they believed in magic, and the wonderful stories their grandma told them. Going back to their childhood is what every adult dreams about, and that is exactly what Harry did. He brought magic into their lives.