26

I have nor read a book for a long time now it seems. I was thinking of joining the public library - they let you borrow 20 books at a time. 20! That brings back memories of the library when I was in school. You were allow to borrow just one book and return it the next week. It was unthinkable of me to buy books then - they were above my league. Baba used to buy me comics - indrajal, amar chitra katha, chandamana...but the novels I love like Hardy boys, Nancy drew, Enid blyton..I could only think of reading them from the library. I bought two Nancy drew novels in my school life and that was like a very momentous occasion for me.

There were many girls in my class who did not love reading. So, I being I, always finding ways to twist the law - I used to request them to borrow books. I would decide the title, pass it on to them and they would go up to the librarian and borrow the said book and hand it over to me. That way, after each library period, instead of my prescribed quota of one book, I would have 5 or more! How thar I think of it, we must have been very trusting creatures..at least the classmates who borrowed on my behalf. What if I had torn the book or lost it? The blame would have gone officially to them.

Now, I suppose I could afford to buy the whole series of hardy, Nancy and whoever or whatever I choose to read. But I think it would not give me half the pleasure I got when I had those borrowed books handed over to me. Money, fortunately, cannot buy everything.