When I decided to give away a section of my modest
collection of books [owing to the burgeoning space crunch for books back at
home], and advertised the same on a few online websites like olx and quickr, I got
many responses, and quite a few interesting ones too. There were students who
were asking for good books on Literature, a private Arts & Science College librarian asking for books
to ‘fill up’ their College library, a couple of schools enquiring if i had books for school children and to give the same to them for a subsidized price.
One
particular response startled me! It said, ‘Sir, please I want to get the books
from you. Will you please have it with you till next week?. I love reading
books sir pls.. I shall take them from you next week for sure, as right now, we’re running
short of the new currency!’
I
was quite impressed, as it was a message that radiated a great love for books. Moreover, since I was giving a whopping collection of my favourite books at a very
nominal (token) sum, I didn’t want them to land in the hands of commercial-minded
people!
So choosing to ignore the other messages of enquiry in my inbox that made a beeline for the books, I replied to this particular lady,
‘Okay
mam! Sure. I can wait for a week, if it’s for your own personal use and not for
commercial purposes!
And
as she had promised, she called back a week later, and asked if they could come
and have a look at the books!
I
invited them over to have a look at my modest collection this last Sunday.
Both
husband and wife had come all the way from Porur on a bike, to have a look at
the books.
Meeting
the couple for the first time ever,
I
ushered them in, made them feel comfortable at home and after the traditional
hospitality, with all curiosity in my inquisitive eyes,
I
asked the husband,
‘Sir,
I’m just curious! Could you tell me why you need such a lot of books?’
The
husband, who was enthusiasm personified all through, said,
‘Sir,
to be honest, I’m a carpenter! I work in Guindy. My wife has a great passion
for reading. Ever since our marriage, she hasn’t asked me for earrings, nose
studs or costly jewellery of any sort or even expensive sarees. All that she’s
asked me thus far, is to get her books to read. She was browsing the web last
week on the watch out for good books, when she chanced upon your irresistible offer,
and she asked me if we could get them, and I said ‘yes, we can’!
Now
the lady continued from where her hubby had left, and said, ‘Sir, he’s very
supportive of me. I don’t like watching television at all. But he’s just the
opposite. He always makes sure that the remote is on his right hand, the moment
he lands home!
‘Ha,
ha! That’s true, sir, he smiles noddingly. “You see, I am a carpenter, and carpentry
is all about just skilled labour. I don’t have the need to read anything. After
finishing my HSC, I landed here in Chennai for being trained in carpentry, and so
after I come home, I don’t have anything else to do, other than watching TV”,
he beams!
I
appreciated him lots, and told him, ‘So happy sir, that you’re encouraging your
wife to do what she likes, and that’s the best gift a husband can give his
wife!’
“Yes,
sir! I wish that she should somehow come to a great position in life, like a Collector,
a Bank Officer or something like that…”, he says, with a naΓ―ve confidence
brimming in his visage all through.
“Only
yesterday, he got an order for carpentry work, and with the token advance in
his hands, he immediately asked me to call you up so that we can come and take
the books”, she says.
“So
happy for you, madam. You’ve got a very supportive and a caring husband. Since
you have a great passion for books, I would like to give you yet another one
hundred books for free, to your collection”
The
lady was much overjoyed on hearing this news.
Now
I asked the husband, ‘Sir, you’ve come by bike. But these books need atleast a
medium-sized sedan to get them all in!’
‘Well,
Sir’ he replies, ‘to be honest, I didn’t expect books would be this much. I
just thought, I can place some on the front of my bike, and some on the
pillion, asking her to hold them on!
Then,
I hit upon an idea! I dialed a taxi, and helped them in getting the books into
the cab.
Before
getting onto his bike, the husband said with a cheerful radiance, ‘Sir, please
come home sometime to see how many books she has got for herself this past one
year!’
‘I
will surely come one day sometime by the end of this month, as I am really
awestruck at madam’s passion for books, and your great motivation for your wife!’
Before
they could move on, the lady says to me in a tone of request, ‘Sir, please, if
you want to give away your other collections, please please please… give a call
to my husband. We would be glad to get them over’.
Now,
still curious, I asked her, ‘how are you going to accommodate all these books
in your house? Do you have enough shelves for them all?’
She
replies with a smile rebounding on her already delighted face,
‘Sir,
you know something? I’ve asked him to make me two good cupboards for holding
all my books!”
“Yes,
sir. That’s my next assignment!” he says, commitment personified.
And
he went on…
“I
don’t mind making her even ten cupboards. I am so happy that my wife loves
books. Till now, I didn’t know the value of books, sir. Only after our
marriage, she enlightened me to appreciate the real value of books! Now, I will
do anything to get her whatever books she wants! I hope my dream comes true,
sir. We need your blessings and prayers”, he said, even
as they bid adieu to me, and me to my books!
PS:
Friends, if you have any good reads that you’ve read it once or twice over, and have them sitting pretty at home, why not give it away to like-minded readers who are raring to go for good books by the dozen! Yes! please don’t let your books sit [rust!] idle at home. Give them over
to good hearts.
You
may also want to give them to this passionate couple! I shall pass on his (Mr. Duraivelu) visiting
card to you to call him up and connect with him to give away your books or even for
your home-based carpentry needs. He's literally enthusiasm personified, i bet!
And
before I wind up, here’s wishing them both years and years of happy reading and
a happy married life too!
Dear Sir , we all join you in wishing the amazing couple years of happy reading of lorry loads of good books and a happy fruition of the husband's fond dreams!
ReplyDeletelucky both ;-) kind regards to them
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