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10 October 2015

Saturday Story: Musty Books on a Dusty Bookshelf


Come let’s venture into a bookshelf
The owner I know not who
Shh….be quiet, lest you disturb the souls
Sleeping peacefully on the shelf


Life is bliss in the company of a bookshelf that treasures myriad pleasures. Bookshelves have always held a perennial charm for me and I manage to hunt down one wherever I go. So, on a sunny morning as I stepped into the lovely Silver Sands Holiday Village in Goa my eyes were drawn to the overladen bookshelf standing in the lounge.


On a holiday, in a beach resort and in the company of a loaded bookshelf, now if that’s not pure bliss then what is? 


It was a messy and dusty bookshelf bearing the weight of its priceless treasures and yet it defined the beauty of the space. I almost ran at once to have a look at its assets – musty but lovely assets they were! 

Look at the dark mahogany rows displaying their prized possessions. I discovered a vibrant mix of known and unknown titles. They formed such a perfect combination: the books, the comfy lounge chairs and the holiday mood. Oh yes, the rule book says you have to read the books sitting in the lounge itself. Not that I mind it much….


See these musty old books on the shelf – their own place to be! These soundless souls remain witness to the emotions and expressions of us humans. In a corner of the lounge someone laughed out loud, someone whispered, someone stole a glance and someone giggled. In the silence of the bookshelf the books watched as life went by at a lazy pace.



I noticed a lovely blue book playing peek-a-boo from behind a mini-tower of paperbacks and brought it out. Musty they may be, but all the same, old books do attract me always. The yellowed pages hold so much more than just stories. A forgotten bookmark, a scribble, a date written, a dog-eared page, each little thing speaking of a book's journey with a previous reader.



May be another traveller had picked up the book just like me and explored its fictional world. Had the reader finished reading the book or was it left midway? Did the reader fall in love with the characters? Did the reader carry back the story with her in her heart? I would never know the answers and the book won't reveal such secrets to me. They are too loyal you see....

They are the musty books dwelling in a dusty bookshelf!! 

1 October 2015

Random Musings: Old Books and New Ideas




Beyond the vagaries of time the pages of old books continue to ignite new ideas. A treasure trove of wisdom, a mentor to the one who cares, old books are gems to be cherished forever.