What started
as a visit to the launch of a book written by a child, lead to my own childhood
memories.
It was the book launch of the Tamil translation of the book ‘The girl with 17 dreams’ by 12-year-old Punitham Senthilkumar. Little did I realize that I would be on the stage along with other dignitaries for the book launch.
At the book
launch I happened to meet Mr. Rajan of Omni Books. Omni Books was known to me as a retail outlet
for books, Tamil and English, from where I had made several purchases.
But only at this
event did I know that Omni Books had a private library.
Mr. Rajan explained
his passion for books and in encouraging book reading among children. Punitham had been one of the users of his
library. He explained how God had helped
him to construct a three floor library, all on his own.
Upon sensing
my curiosity, he invited me to his library.
I visited his
library at Peelamedu opposite to the PSG Hostels.
It is a three-floor
library, with spacious, well lit, airconditioned halls, with rows and rows of racks
with neatly arranged books for different ages, right from children of very
tender age to elders and over a variety of topics. Some of the books were so costly that I asked
him whether he lends them also or are only for reference. He said that under the scheme where a deposit
of Rs. 2000/- is obtained, all books are lent.
For a monthly subscription of 400/- or 500/- they allow any number of
books to be read and returned, capping at 10 books at a time. I asked
if any books go unreturned, since they are very costly. He said, now and then it may happen, but he
did not want to stop the practice of lending all books, irrespective of their
cost. Many of the books, particularly
for children and on art and architecture, medicine, etc were imported books.
Even as I was
going around the shelves, children were flocking in with their parents. It was a merry sight to see. Young ones flying around book shelves like
butterflies.
I was reminded
of my own childhood.
When I was in
the sixth standard (10 years old) my Mother had introduced me to the habit of
borrowing books from the local library run by the Government. I still remember the very first book I had
brought home to read. It was ‘Thanga
mambazham’ in Tamil meaning ‘Golden Mango’.
It was perhaps selected for me by my Mother. I do not remember what the book was
about.
The next book
I remember to have taken from that library was a short life history of
V.O.Chidambaram Pillai. That night,
after reading it, I had got a high fever.
About that, in detail, another time.
The next book
I remember is a collection of his essays by Jayakanthan under the name ‘Sudhandhira
Chindhanai’, if my memory is right. I was enticed by his language and the
style, coming next only to the royal gait of Bharathiar. The cover photo of the book in which Jayakanthan,
with his large glasses and a mustache, was seen to be musing with a pen between
his fingers, staring above as if to bring down knowledge and power, with a paper
and pad on a pillow on his lap, sitting cross legged on the ground, remains in
my mind as a lasting image of a fearless writer. It sowed seeds in my mind to become a writer
too.
Then I read
many of the books of Mu Va like Karithundu, Nenjil Oru mul, Kallo Kaviyamo, Agal
vilakku, etc. The flow of language and
thought process of Mu Va was arresting.
By the time I
reached 7th and 8th Standard, I started using the library
in our school, Manis Higher Secondary School (at that time Manis High
School). It was one of the best
libraries in the city.
The very sight
of books and their feel gave me a high.
I liked to be among the rows of racks stacked with books. I used to go there during lunch hours to help
the librarian arrange the books brought back by the students. The books had to be identified according to
their serial number or topic and kept in the rows allotted for them. Not many students were willing to do such
work. But I was crazy, just to be with
the books.
My master
Jogee sir, perhaps sensing my fondness for books, used to borrow them in his
own name and give me to read at home, because students of 9th and
above alone were allowed to take books in their own names.
Thereafter I
started reading Tagore and many other authors, from the school library.
I was
remembering those childhood days, sitting at the Omni books library, with Shri.
Rajan.
Then suddenly
seeing a set of books under the series ‘Tell me when’, I told him whether he
had the book with series ‘Tell Me Why’.
He said, during his very early age at Chennai, he had been selling that
series, a five-book set, on instalment basis sale. I said, I had bought one set and still have
it. He immediately asked me where I had
bought it from. I said it was sold to me
by some one at my office table, then at the Madras Port Trust or in the AG’s
Office. He said, it was he who used to cover
those areas. ‘Was it not published by
Vishnu Publishers?’ he asked. (On coming
home, I checked and found that what he had said was true.) Similarly, another priceless book bought at
that time for a princely price of Rs. 120 was ‘The Connan Doyle Stories’. That too he remembered to have sold, while he
was at Chennai. I should have bought it
also from him only.
The world is so
small, we had come to meet again at Coimbatore, we felt.
The memories
were so nostalgic.
I wanted to gift
the two books (Thirukkural 108 and Ul Oli Prabanja dhyanam) released last
January to their library. Mr. Rajan
insisted that it should be given to him formally, in the presence of the Budha and
Saraswathi statues in the library, which I gladly did.
Among people
who are bothered only about making money and more money, that such saints who
want to enable all to have easy access to knowledge live, is humbling.
Saint Avyaar
said that even if there is one noble soul around, it does rain for all beings.
“நல்லார் ஒருவர் உளரேல் அவர்பொருட்டு
எல்லார்க்கும் பெய்யும் மழை.” (மூதுரை 10)
