Hindustan Times
The Idiot in front of the box
A large part of me has been defined by Enid Blyton, arguably the most popular children’s writer across the globe. I grew up devouring everything she served, every chapter of my childhood has the indelible imprint of a Blyton book - from my infantile Noddy days, to my hyper-imaginative Faraway Tree fantasies, from the adventurous Secret Seven stage to the I’m-all-grown-up Malory Towers time.
Although one can never outgrow Enid Blyton, my loyalties in the 6th grade shifted to Agatha Christie and her absorbing murder mysteries. I fell in love, platonically speaking, with her mustachioed, pot-bellied French detective Hercule Poirot and the exotic ease at which he solved the most complex of crimes.
However, pre-teen hormones soon dictated the switch to the Sweet Valley High series which hooked me to the world of American teens who didn’t do much else besides dating, breaking up, gossiping, dating and breaking up again. Fortunately, good sense prevailed and I soon turned the page to Rohald Dahl, possibly the most ingeniously eccentric children’s author I had encountered. Around that time, cable TV started to wire our lives, and while my friends spent hours discussing the Bold and the Beautiful, I turned my thoughts to bald Witches and wily Willy Wonka and his chocolate factory, since my father had wisely decided to stick with Doordarshan.
Then college happened. All those years of literary leisure were lost in the mindless haze of fashion, movies, “hanging out”, and television. Books were brushed aside for a rainy day. Star World and HBO grabbed my eyeballs and never let them go. Today, I am a self-proclaimed TV addict. American sitcoms, drama series, and reality shows define me. I spend hours in front of the idiot box like a zombie, viewing but not seeing, absorbing but not thinking. After a hard day’s work I come back home to the routine of flipping channels, not pages.
But every time I happen to find a book in my hand instead of the remote, the numbness of televised entertainment starts to thaw and the thrill of written words takes over. I am transported to make-believe worlds where vivid characters and situations are conjured by my grey cells and not by American TV networks. Time flies faster while looking forward to an unfinished chapter than an unfinished episode. The pleasant odour of musty book covers, the gentle rustle of worn pages, the comforting weight of a book caressing my hands - it all reminds me why reading is the most compelling, joyous and satisfying experience.
Which is why I detest the Harry Potter movies. In my mind, during the wondrous days I spend re-reading the entire series four times over, Ron is not such a daft twit, Hermione is definitely geekier, and Sirius Black is way, way hotter than Gary Oldman. I refuse to see the films because they threaten my imagination, they challenge my perceptions, and they ridicule my intellect. In much the same way that television has. Which is why, I’m making a habit of reading everyday. Perhaps I’ll revisit Blyton
(14 votes, average: 4.64 out of 5)
Loading ...Posted by Tasneem Nashrulla on Wednesday, July 15, 2009 at 7:40 pm
Filed under Mumbai, Teen-trouble · Tagged Enid Blyton, most popular children's writer, reading habit
Tasneem, you’re fabulous with words. I think I am going through the very same half life quarter which we keep discussing here .
The english sitcoms be it Prisonbreak , 24 , Lost, Friends, Scrubs and my latest fav How I Met Your Mother keep me hooked onto them, but when it comes to books I cant just let them off once they have got onto my hands. I remember my reading which started with Enid Blyton but what proved surprisingly the root to my reading habit was Sidney Sheldon’s “educative” novels…(I see that wicked laugh…yeh yeh Tomorrow Never Comes and yes Sands of time…) Jeff Arch followed later…and College was spent over Fountainhead and a few others…and yes the movies dont even come close to the world JK creates at Hogwarts and whatever childish it might be I’ve read the whole series 5 times..So yeh we can get our trivia together for discussing Susan Bones is the grand daughter of Amelia Bones :P.
Its fun discussing all of it.. I’d like to discuss it more…
Cheers girl!
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Tasneem Reply:
August 6th, 2009 at 4:46 pm
Hey Shobhit,
Thanks!
I love how i met your mother too but I havent been regular with it.
And yes I’ve been through my “Howard Roark is the sexiest man in fiction” phase as well.
But Sirius Black has that claim to fame now (in my imagination only and not in the films)
I’m currently re-re-re-reading Chamber of Secrets. The heir of Slytherin awaits…..*hissss*
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Yeah, give me a book anyday over TV. I read a lot of Famous Five too (what I found ahead of times - in our times that is - is two girls hanging out with the boys and indulging in ‘boyish’ adventures :D). And some of Alfred Hitchcocks were good too. Poirot of course remains my favourite detective - have read the full volume of 50 stories, a few novels like the one set in Egypt, and have watched the TV serial.
But I can’t totally agree with your view on Harry Potter. I think a movie on a book is mostly a disappointment to (at least some) readers, as it probably adds & deducts somewhat from the book, with different objectives in mind. Maybe some characters (Ron?) also don’t come across the way they are depicted in the book. But it’s great fun anyway. I watched the latest one and, while the book was probably way more engrossing, the movie is not bad either.
I don’t (can’t!) usually read a book after I’ve watched the same as a movie (the reverse is not true, though). But watching a movie sometimes brings alive a static medium.
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Tasneem Reply:
August 6th, 2009 at 4:55 pm
haha, now that I’ve grown up, I’ve come to realise that some of the girls in Blyton’s books were to boyish to be straight! (Georgina aka George in Famous Five and Wilhelmina aka Bill in Malory Towers)
I think some books are tailored to make great films but not all…and I really do think that the Potter movies are a sham. But to each his own i suppose. I think I was just so disillusioned with the first one that I made it a point not to see any of the others.
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“The pleasant odour of musty book covers, the gentle rustle of worn pages, the comforting weight of a book caressing my hands ” - so true!
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Ha cool, I stopped watching tv a decade back, and movies a couple of years back.
I am already going back to Enid (currently trying to find non-modernized non-racist-cleaned-up pre 1980’s copies of all her books)
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Tasneem Reply:
August 6th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
non-racist ? pls explain!
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This website erased my comment pointing out the following:
a) Poirot is Belgian, not French.
b) It’s Road Dahl, not Rohald Dahl.
Erasing my comment was a cheap attempt to hide there errors.
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XYZ Reply:
July 24th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Ha, my mistake this time.
Instead of…
b) It’s Road Dahl, not Rohald Dahl.
…I should have said:
b) It’s Roald Dahl, not Rohald Dahl.
And yes, forgive the typo in the last sentence. The word intended was ‘these’.
And I am glad better sense has prevailed and the comment has been allowed to stay.
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Books are like a medium to transport you out of this world and you start being a part of them.. Them being the characters of that book. You can never actually get so involved with TV.. I started reading when I was around 6 or 7. Before that my mom used to read out fairy tales to me which I have to say one of the best days of my childhood. I started of with Enid Blyton as well.. Famous Five, Malory Towers, Saint Claires, The magic faraway tree, Secret Seven.. How I used to sneak them to the bathroom each morning and sit for almost an hour inside whilst my brother kept on knocking at the door saying apa our school bus will be here in 10 minutes. Then once I entered my teens, I got so hooked onto Agatha Christie and Nancy Drew mysteries.. Then came the sweet sixteen era when I could think of little else besides love and romance and ofcourse guys. When it comes to romantic fiction, no one can beat the queen or romance Barbara Cartland.. She was really one of her kind. Besides her, there was Mills and Boons but somehow I could never develop the addiction for them as I did for Barbara’s novels.. Then I graduated to the next level.. Sydney Sheldon, Barbara Taylor Bradford and Daniell Steel.. And then came the deadly Cable TV way back in 93.. That put a big full stop to my reading mania.. Oh how I wish those days would come back and I could go back to my reading.. I try but somehow I get very easily distracted and it usually takes me over a week to finish off one novel.. Recently though, i read the Twilight series and I have to say, I still have a hangover.> Eventhough the books are written for young adults or kids in their late teens, I still loved them so much… Wow.. I highly recommend it as a fantastic weekend getaway from reality.
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Tasneem Reply:
August 6th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Ahh…so you have succumbed to the lure of hot blood sucking vampires with great hair!
I do want to read Twilight but more out of curiosity than genuine desire. My well read friend says they’re **** but she still couldn’t resist reading thim inside out.
I’ve never been one for romantic books (unless you count my icky Sweet Valley phase) but I do like some crazy love thrown in an interesting premise. Fine, I give in, Twilight…here I come.
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Hey Tasneem… just started reading your blogs… wanted to ask you a question???… do u read minds or wat??.. i mean my life resembles ure blog so much.. that i feel some1 has read my mind and written about my life.. (especially this 1) ..
You are doing gr8 work gal… all the best and always keep writing..
Shruti
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Tasneem Reply:
August 6th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Hey Shruti,
Unfortunately since my reading habit has gradually deteriorated, I havent read minds since a while!!
Jokes aside, its great that you and others can relate to me! Its comforting to know I’m not the only one on this arduous journey of adulthood!
Keep writing in
Cheers!
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shruti iyer Reply:
September 2nd, 2009 at 1:42 pm
TASNEEM
I LOOOVE your blogs. I spent this whole while readin them , and its 3:30 AM and i have an 8 AM class today. That means a lot you know. I love your play with words and the suble whining and rantings , which I do way too often too.
You are such an inspiration. and your name is so pretty. if i have a girl child , i’ll name her tasneem.
lol , im just 18 though , how sad AM I ? lol
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heyy!!….m first time here….so hi to you!…hope you are doing good..:)
Reading this post of yours was like hearing my own voice!…
I am quite a bookworm….having read everything from Enid Blyton to Dan Brown to Ruskin Bond to Vikram Seth to Ernest Hemingway…and what not!….in the 18 years of my life..:P
And yes, lazing around my house these days, having finished school and waiting for college to start(i have taken up engg), i realized that all i do is watch TV and surf the net the whole day…
This,after i had decided to make up for all the time in the past two years when i couldn’t indulge in my most loved habit…well, thankfully, i am back to being my old self again, and have started with, “To Kill a Mocking Bird”,….and i have to admit, boy!…it was sheer bliss….discovering the magic of written words again!!….i luuv reading!!..
n yup…even i completely despise movies adopted from books….they present the story in an
oh-so-inappropriate manner….totally taking the charm away..
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Tasneem Reply:
August 6th, 2009 at 5:08 pm
Welcome Nishtha!
If you like Indian authors you ought to read Jhumpa Lahiri, I dote on her books. She’s a bit repetitive with her themes, but she has an extraordinary way of pinning down emotions that no one could put words to.
Ah I have read to Kill a Mockingbird and I do recall enjoying it though it was a really long time ago.
I love reading too but I’m simply too lazy to go to a bookstore or find a library. If only it were as easy as flipping through channels with a remote control!
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n yeah……….
Inspite of TV,internet and other ‘modern day innovations’…
Nobody and noone can ever beat the joy one derives from cuddling up in the favourite corner of your house with a copy of your favourite novel…..a purrfect recipe for hours of ‘heaven’..!!!!
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Hi Tasneem,
this article is amazing. Reading it made me so nostalgic. Even I am a hard core fan of reading novels. The best part was even I experienced the same transitions in my reading habits which you have jotted down ( Enid Blytons -> Agatha Christies -> Sweet Valleys and the list goes on).
I guess all novel reading girls experience the same transitions…
Pooja
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Hey Tasneem,
I liked your articles. They are short and sweet, simple to understand, grasp.
I know, sitting in front of the idiot box sounds weird these days, days when Rakhi Sawant is the headline and not Medha Patkar!
I got over the TV addition when I left India for education. Now, I am totally hooked on to Internet, it is what I call ICE (Information, Communication and Entertainment) CUBE! You get what you choose. How far is this good, I don’t know, but it is definitely wiser.
Regards!
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Hi Tasneem,
I have to tell you what a pleasure it was to read this post.
I followed the same sequence of literary interests (I’m 23 now) with maybe a little Nancy Drew thrown in right before Sweet Valley. And I’ve enjoyed every other book you’ve mentioned and loathed the Potter films with as much passion.
Seeing that, and how you mentioned the fact that you like Indian literature - do try Ashok Banker’s Ramayana series - starting with the book ‘Prince of Ayodhya’. Simply put - if you like literature, if you like Indian mythology or even just basically great story-telling - I think you’ll find this author’s work fascinating. Not many in India seem to have read his works as much as those of us diaspora Indians - but maybe this could be a start.
Do keep up the good work on the blog, it’s been a great find
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