If there is something in this world which can induce the same amount of happiness and excitement every time we come in contact with it, undoubtedly it is a book.
Known as a Man’s best friend, books have always been valued as treasures from time immemorial. As clichéd as it might sound, the phrase has stood the test of time and even generations after Shakespeare and Wordsworth, the bond between humans and their books has been growing stronger.
A New World
Books help us dive into a new world, with a new environment and characters which we might not normally come across. Books are capable of taking us through the most surreal places on the world, through the various wars across centuries and through fantasy worlds, within the comforts of our armchair. The words of Shelly and Keats have the power to stir up the souls of even the most desolate beings and help them experience the emotions recollected in tranquility. It takes us into a new world altogether, which cannot be let go easily.
The Person You Wanted to Be
Normally, people are fond of a book if they are fond of a character featured in the book. People like a character if they are able to associate themselves with the character or if it portrays the characteristics of the person they always wanted to be. As the readers are not bound by any restrictions, it is amazing how one character could have a huge impact on its reader. It acts like a friend who inspires the other and helps one find their way, when they think they’re lost.
Of Conversations…
There is a reason why they say books are our friends. Reading is like having a conversation with the book. The book tells its story and we respond with our emotions. The conversation might sometimes seem like a soliloquy, in the form of words or in the form of thoughts, but it can be assured that the other person involved in the conversation is paying rapt attention to the former’s words or thoughts. What more can one ask for in a friend!
Flipping through the Last Pages
I am not sure if the term ‘elatasad’ can aptly convey the bittersweet emotions that one experiences when flipping through the last pages. The joy of being a part of a wonderful journey and the pain of having come to the end of the journey is inexplicable. It is like bidding farewell, with the only hope that we might get to meet later and perhaps recount the memories of the good old days.
Years later, when we read the same book, the memories come flooding in and blind us with nostalgia, as we turn the pages pausing here and there. Yet again we’re stuck by the familiar pain of having to say ‘Bye’. We realize we have to move on, but deep within, we know that there is a special place etched for every one of them!
Image Courtesy: FreeDigitalPhotos
As The Mind Wanders 
40 responses to “The True Friend Forever”
I loved this post….it's so true 🙂
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Nice post..)
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I never thought of reading books this way though what you have said is very true.The interest in reading books should start right from the school with one hour each week devoted to library.It is here the children come into contact with what can be great influence in molding their personality.Are the schools equipped with library and books constantly replenished.This post by cybernag http://cybernag.in/2014/08/27/library-aunty/ also dealt with this subject.
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We can't generalize this. Some books, like movies, tempt people into wanting the ideal – thereby leaving them bitter in real-life, making them addicted and coming back repeatedly. I personally like books that lead me towards the truth, and make me understand life and people better.
Destination Infinity
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oh I love books, they are my life…but very rarely I can identify with the protagonist in the book…mostly I love new characters, new life styles and sometimes they give me an insight of many different things, which I dont come across in my own life.
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Nice post. Of course, they are true friends for ever.
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Agree with you totally: books are man's best friends.
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Thanks!
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Thanks!
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True. I'm happy that I started reading right from when I was at 4th and started reading gradually 🙂
Mostly in schools they do have a good collection of Fiction, though in colleges it is only academic references. I did read that post by cybernag, wish there were more of people like her who inspired and helped others to read 🙂
Thanks Sir!
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I agree. I somehow did not think about it from this point of view. Thanks! 🙂
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True, coming across things which we normally dont , does make it interesting, right? 🙂
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Thank you and Welcome to Chennai 🙂
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Thanks and Welcome to the Blog 🙂
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Nothing better for companionship than books and getting lost in a fantasy world . I try to catch up while traveling:)
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Due to work..I have been keeping away from books. Makes me guilty. Must get back to them 😀
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A lovely tribute to books indeed!!
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Yes, agree with you.
Books are wonderful friends 🙂
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Beautiful post Anita-it resonates with me.
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Oh, given that you travel a lot, that's the best time for reading, right? 🙂
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Even I might be slightly guilty there 😛
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Thank you 🙂
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Indeed 🙂
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Thank you! Glad that you were able to relate to it 🙂
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I can relate to each and every word of this post…so nice Ash… 🙂
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Thank you so much Maniparna 🙂 Only those who love reading books will understand 🙂
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When you read a work- a book, you feel the soul of the writer, his breath, his emotions , his fantasies, his melancholia, his disappointments, his elations, his experiences.
Are we not we treading along the footsteps the author left?
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You have said how I feel for books, word by word.
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In some books yes, we do! And in some other books the author does give the option to explore the world the way we want them to 🙂
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Those who love the written word, will definitely relate to it. Glad that you could relate to it Saru 🙂
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I can relate to this post so much! Love everything about books. The places that they take you to, the words that they give to your feelings, the stories that touch you… books are indeed one of the bestest things in our life!
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I love books. They are everything you say they are.
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Couldn't agree more. Post retirement books are my regular companion . Along with new ones I am re-reading the books that I read decades back only to find them more delightful, meaningful and insightful and am wonderstruck at the rare treasure of information and knowledge they contain .
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So true Shilpa. You can travel to distant lands in the comfort of one's armchair 🙂
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Dont we all love them! 🙂
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Re-reading is another favorite activity. I try going back to the old books and try to see if I've missed something.
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you are so right Ash…:D
I buy a book from the book stores, from the second hand book markets, from the roadside collections, almost from everywhere. once, one has tasted the blood it's just too difficult to stop.. books indeed are an answer…:D
nice post.:D
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Thank you so much 🙂
As long as it is in a condition in which it can be read, I dont mind where it is from.
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I was with you on every single word there. I just love books !!
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Glad you liked it 🙂
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