Sharon Eappen

 Note to the reader: I had written this after the passing away of Robbie Coltrane, who played Rubeus Hagrid, groundkeeper of Hogwarts. When my sister texted me the news, my mind just flashed through all memories we had growing up with the books, movies and fan theories. So here's to the first book that got me into reading.  Here's also to my sister, who,  because of the age gap we share,  practically raised me in many ways. The following piece/ write-up was on my Instagram highlights for a while and then I realized, it should probably be here to stay permanently. So here it goes! :) Harry Potter was the book that got me into books. It started when my sister began narrating them as bedtime stories to me until she decided that I was old enough to read them. She had already finished telling me the first 3 books by then. We never owned the books, but by the time I came of reading age, my sister and I (mostly my sister, hehe) would find every means possible (borrow from a...

  The Dalai Lama controversy has sparked enough conversation on the internet. And now that I have a book with his name and picture on the cover, I cannot see it the same way.   For the uninitiated, The Book of Joy has been on my office desk for the past 7 months. I carried it one day to work and then just decided to leave it there. Every time I shifted my place, I carried it along with the rest of my notebooks, cards, and bookmarks. I made sure I read 10 pages when I needed time away from my screen. And on most days, if not all, I left it back at work itself. I did not want to mix it up with the rest of my readings. It was the kind of book where you could pause and pick from anywhere. Without my own knowledge, I slowly became the girl who had this one book on her desk. I remember my then acquaintance once told me something along the lines of, ‘I couldn’t remember your name, so I told my friend it was the girl who has that Book with Dalai Lama in her place and she immediate...