GIFT A BOOK

It has been more than twenty years since we left school. Still, remember the school's practice of awarding prizes in forms of books. That is how the attraction to books began. That is how Enid Blyton, Lewis Carol, Robert Lewis Stevenson and so many more got entry to our bookshelves. Then there were parents who gifted To Kill a Mockingbird, Moby Dick, Pride and Prejudice and likes of them took the entry, and many more kept coming their way. It was an overwhelming feeling when we received a present in the form of a book on our wedding. Perhaps it was the most delicate feeling to be all of a sudden reminded of the sweet childhood memories. It still sits gracefully on our bookshelf and we are grateful to the person who gifted us the book for being so thoughtful. Till date books keep flowing in but not as gifts, mostly as buys.

The fashion of gifting books has strangely taken a back seat. But my husband and I have kind of taken a vow to revive this tradition. Be it wedding invitation or anniversary celebration, be it a get-together or a congratulatory note, we have embarked on gifting books, irrespective of the age and sex. I gladly could pass the legacy to the new generation, when I gifted my school friends with books for their children.

As Hemingway said, "There is no friend as loyal as a book", so gift a book to a child and let them find a loyal friend.