Put up below a very old unfinished post.And thats how it shall remain.

One of the things that I am quite proud of is the small library I have put together for my, alleged, reading pleasure. It is my..er..second most prized possession. I have about 50 books in two languages which I have put together over the years. Funnily enough, I still havent got around to reading most of them. 

I use the word alleged for a reason. Firstly, the pleasure part of my reading has vastly diminished. From the days in school, when I would lay in the sun so completely absorbed in the book, that i wouldnt notice the fading sun or mom's searching call. To today, when I read to keep the hobby alive or for the importance of being well read.

Secondly, while books serve an altogether important purpose of imparting wisdom and entertainment, I am often found looking at them longingly in my library and affirming to myself, that one day I will finish them all. Whether or not that day shall arrive, I cannot say, but here are some of my favourites

a. The complete works of Shakespeare, which I bought after haggling from an old bearded muslim in a non descript shop in Hyderbad for Rs 90! I could never make head or tail of Shakespeare but always wanted to know why he is regarded as the first and last word in English literature. I proceeded to discover, and most importantly understand, his plays which are so full of intrigue, romance, drama that I was quite fascinated. But I must admit, I still dont understand why Hamlet is considered one of his best plays. Classical eng. lit like WS and poetry etc. is wasted on me as english is not my mother tongue and the various references to the english and western society, history and culture is something I'm ignorant of. Nevertheless, WS can still be enjoyed for it's timelessness and breadth of drama and human thought.

b. Fifteen Poets: I once went to dariyaganj and sat next to a pile of books and picked up eight books for about Rs 200. One of these was this book (for Rs 10). It is a collection of the best poetic works of the greatest poets in the english language, one from each century. 

c. The remains of the day: Picked this one up in Bangalore for Rs 30 because i liked the cover, which incidentally is a good way of judging a book, and the japanese name of the author. 

d. My collection of hindi literature: I have blogged about this earlier. Suffice to say that I was pleasantly surprised at the depth of intellectual thought and maturity that I have come across reading these books.