Book Reading

If you are a regular here, or if you know me well, you will know that 'Reading' and 'Books' are something that dont interest me. Perhaps I must change that to a thing of the past. Atleast for now, I am absolutely loving a book that I started to read about a couple of weeks ago. And I hope that it will remain a thing of the past.

It all started off on orkut, where a couple of my close buds had this very book on the list of their favourite books. On my trip to Bangalore recently, when I met one of them, I enquired about the book and he spoke very highly of it and suggested that it could be the perfect formula to get me into reading books. I was at Forum (the mall) and popped into the book store and grabbed a copy straightaway.

The book is titled "Pundits from Pakistan - on tour with India, 2003-04" and is written by Rahul Bhattacharya, who is a cricinfo correspondent and also writes columns for various newspapers and magazines. Yes!!!! It is about Indias cricket tour to Pakistan, remembered as the tour where Sehwag got his triple century and when vajpayee was invited to watch a match along side Musharraf!!!

The book is a mix of Rahuls experiences in Pakistan, about the people there, the culture, the similarities and differences with India and ofcourse Cricket. The author has provided a very unbiased account of the proceedings on tour and presented it in a fine, simple and elegant manner - with facts, views, opinions, quotes and news, interspersed with subtle yet wonderful humour. The book also includes bits and pieces of what I call "inside stuff" that normally does not get to the press. A very refreshing read.

It has kept me so interested that since a few days I have given up my morning power nap on the train to work and my evening read of the MX newspaper(masala newspaper like midday), and instead gotten engrossed into the Pundits from Pakistan.

I have completed 200 off the 300 odd pages. Now, just because I have started enjoying reading books, I cant give writing and blogging step-fatherly treatment. Can I???? No. Hence this post. I better get back to the book now!!!! Just for information sake, theres only one book that I have completed in all my life and that was "Wings of Fire" - Autobiography of President APJ Abdul Kalam.

Just before I go, Amma - Can you believe it I am reading a book, and loving it too??? and this time I will try to keep this habit going.