It feels good to think about these books. If I can still remember them so many years later, they must have impacted my life in some way or the other. So here’s my bucket list
- The Mystery of Tally Ho Cottage by Enid Blyton.
I was like in the 8th Standard at Loyola, and this was the only one in the mystery series that I had not been able to lay my hands on. Nor for that matter had any of my friends. It just wasn’t around at any of the usual sources we looked upon for our supplies. We were children and buying these expensive imported books was not really an option. But then my grandfather came visiting us in Pune one summer and we happened to go tot Manney’s. I just couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the book on the shelf. My grandfather readily bought the book for me for the princely sum of Rs. 11/-. Next day, I proudly took it to school and showed it around. I was a Hero!! We returned to class after the 11’0 clock break, and I checked around in my bag for a reassuring look and feel of my prized possession. Shucks, it had disappeared. I searched frantically all around, no it just wasn’t there. The teacher, who saw me fidgeting and uncomfortable, asked me what the problem was. Between tears I told her. She stopped the class and told us, if anybody here has taken the book, you have two minutes to bring it out. Otherwise, I have to go and call the principal Fr. Oesch and we will have your bags searched. The culprit will be expelled. Sure enough the book came out – thieved by a good friend. Eventually of course the incident was forgotten, I lent the book to many people including this guy. Incidentally, the teacher in question was none other than Mrs. (Gauri) Shanker. - The Perry Mason Series.
These books helped me understand that there is a method behind how legal systems work, and how you can get to the bottom of things without breaking the law. I also used to wonder why my grandfather (an advocate) did not have a secretary like Della Street and a detective like Paul Drake in his team. I used to get Rs. 2 every week as pocket money. A Perry Mason book used to cost Re. 1 and much of my money went to the Gole Market Book Seller (Prakash Book Depot). In NDA with everything else pretty much paid for, that was the only good way to spend the money. - William Series by Richmal Crompton.
Not too many followers of this series but I read plenty of them and enjoyed them. Quite whacky and enjoyable. Still remember them. - Figures for Fun by Yakob Perelman
Could keep going on and on reading about numbers and the stories woven around them. Probably helped my Maths a lot. - Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Completely enthralling. especially as I could connect well with a lot of the shady places and alleys of the book, having visited many of them during my IIT days. - The Extras by Kiran Nagarkar.
The factual snippets that are interspersed within the narrations make very interesting reading. I could connect well to the story having followed the similar struggles of a cousin who left Amritsar to come to Bombay hoping to become a star. Tagged along with him to many studios of Bombay (during my IIT days) caught glimpses of several stars, watched shootings and nearly participated in an audience scene in a film shoot. Was to have been a sit-down at a ‘restaurant’ where a cabaret would take place, but we just kept waiting, the waiting went on and on with nothing happening, eventually I had to leave. - Urban Villager by Vandana Vasudevan.
It’s about land acquisition in Noida, Greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway. Helped me understand the other side of the story and why people here are the way they are. Also learnt that Dronacharya conducted his classes around here and that Eklavya’s thumb was also chopped off in a village quite close, that Bhagat Singh spent his exile years not too far from our home and Raavan was born in this neighborhood. Sad though, that important relics relating to this history have been callously treated and destroyed and that all these areas are now better known as Sectors where multi storey buildings rule the roost. - I do not come to you by chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani
This novel by a Nigerian authors is centered around the 419 Nigerian scams. Some of the 419 Mails they send out are really funny but in reality it’s a tragic story. - The Shiva Trilogy by Amish Tripathi.
When I started, I didn’t think I would be able to get through even the first one, but eventually lapped all three up. - Five Point Someone by Chetan Bhagat.
When this book came out, it was the first and only book that came close to looking somewhat realistically at life in the IIT as we remembered it. And anything that brings back memories of those wonderful times spent at IIT has to make it to the list. - And, finally, when it comes to books that impacted one’s life, it would be unfair to leave out the myriads of books that were affectionately named after the short form of the former French Territory located close to Goa.
I made this list many many years ago. Several books have come since then, my tastes have changed and I have grown to enjoy many new authors, especially Murakami. But I think this list still stays and there is not one book that I would like to remove from this list.