Enid Blyton...Nostalgic!!!

Nostalgic, is the word I can always associate with Enid Blyton. Before her, I was more into Hindi story books. Hindi being my mother-tongue, I found them easier to understand and besides, the characters, places and incidents were easier to relate with. I read a few Indian writers who wrote in English [I don't remember their names now]. Not that their English was any bad, but it was like watching a Hollywood movie dubbed in Hindi. I would have preferred reading the same stories in Hindi. But of course  it is all about personal preference.
And then came Enid Blyton. Her English was easy to understand and despite being an English author, I could really relate with the characters. One of the best teachers I had, of all times, Mrs. Richa Sharma or Richa madam for me introduced me to her. I was too old for Noddy, so she picked up "Wishing Chair" for me. It was the second book in the series which I read first "The Wishing Chair Again". I loved it so much that I read it in a day and next day I searched down the library for the first part. Got it. Read that too in a day. And then began the frenzy for reading all her books. I started with her fairy tales and moved on to her mystery series: "The Famous Five Series", "The Secret Seven Series", "The Five Find Outers Series" , "The Adventure Series", "The Adventurous Four Series". And then to the School Series: "Malory Towers Series" and "St. Clare's Series". I had limited resources, but I finished every book I got hold off, of hers.
Her work mirrored fantasies of young minds. The protagonists who are children are free to play and explore without much of adult interference. They outwit  and win over adults. I literally lived those books. I laughed and cried with the characters.
With the fairy tales, I too was transported into the magical world, traveling on the wishing chair, meeting fairies, goblins and elves.
When I started with adventure stories, I was the protagonist. I solved every case. Owned a doggy. Faced the bad guys, outwitted the local police in solving the case before them. By that time my classmates too were into Enid Blyton. Me and my friends actually made a 'Secret Seven' group[which had more than seven members and no doggy]. Out organization was a 'Top Secret' and we claimed to solve every mystery which went around the school. We must know everything that goes around us and had eyes and ears all over. Out endeavors were strictly private so can't disclose them on blog :). But I am sure some my fellow Secret Seven mates who reunited on facebook years after, can relate to and have their smiles and lols... :D.
The only thing I didn't like about these series was that, 'D Head' of the group of adventurers was always a male character, Be it Julian of Famous Five, Peter of Secret Seven or Fatty of Five Find Outers.
The Malory Towers and St. Clare's series satisfied my urge for the female protagonist. Because, basically these books were based on the boarding school life of the protagonists and they were both unisex boarding schools. Darrell Rivers in Malory towers and the twins Pat and Isabel O'Sullivan in St. Clare's. Of course, it was fun living their boarding school lives with them. But regretfully, we couldn't really re-live all those mischief they did because unlike them we attended a regular school and also because punishment here was stricter.:(
All in all her stories were 'fun', if you want to state in precisely one word. But for the lovers of her books, like me, they mean a lot more. They are a distinct and recognizable part of my childhood, a reminder of how wonderful the life really is, if I can learn to live it as passionately and intensely as I lived in those books. A reminder of the light at the end of the tunnel. And majorly, her books to me are, as I already stated "Nostalgic".
This one was specially for the Secret Seven Group...don't reveal your identities guys...wink..wink...;)
That is all for now folks. Keep reading and specially read an Enid Blyton if you haven't yet...it is never too late... :)

Hi!!!

So...Thus starts my blog.
I have been thinking what to write...
Then I thought about what I like the most..or rather know the most about...
BOOKS...I love reading and so I thought, what better than starting with sharing my reading experience.

My Dadi and Dadaji used to narrate me stories when I was young.
The one story which my Dadi told me became my all time favourite.
The Rapunzel
I used to ask her again and again to narrate the story to me. The castle, the wicked witch, the speaking parrot, the tall, dark, handsome and courageous prince were all my favorite. But most of all the protagonist, the Rapunzel, the beautiful Rapunzel, was my heroine. I wanted to be like her. Look like her, have the long flowing hair, wear the beautiful evening gown. Wait and endure all the bad days with patience, and then a prince all handsome and courageous comes, to sweep her off the ground and flees with her on his horse and then they live "Happily ever after". It was "the fairytale" I really did wanted to live.

I grew up. Long hair are practically difficult to maintain and frankly don't even suit me much.:-)
I have lived long enough to understand, Life is not a fairytale. And you should be happy right now, and not wait endlessly for the right moment. And you should be self sufficient and fill yourself with so much love that it overflows and fills every person around you. You can't find love outside of you, when you don't have it within you and you can't find your worth in other persons eyes unless you have it in your own eyes because it reflects there.

Rapunzel is still my favorite fairy tale and I still enjoy reading it every now and then. Because of all the things, it taught me to dream. And dream is a very powerful thing if done passionately. Who says princes and knights in shining armour don't exist. I found mine, very much the same as I wanted him to be...

That's all for now folks...Keep Dreaming and Believe in your Dreams!!!