Teja likes to switch on his night lamp and open a book the first thing he gets into bed. He started doing it first to impress me. Now it's a habit.
The other day, I walked in and he was holding up a book. I rolled up his 'charsa' and put it over his eyes. He continued holding up the book.
I said, "You are still reading?"
He said, "Yes."
I said, "I've covered your eyes, and you are still reading?"
He said, "Yes."
I gave up, and removed the 'charsa' from his eyes.
I said: "How?"
He said, "I've decided to give 30 seconds to each page. That's it. That's the only way I'll ever complete a book."
I said, "So whichever line you are at, when 30 seconds are up, you move to the next page, is it?"
He laughed.
He said, "You are very funny. What's it got to do with the lines?"
I said, "What do you mean?"
He said, "How would I know 30 seconds are up when I am reading?"
I said, "Yes, how?"
He said patiently, "Obviously I cannot read the lines. I keep my eyes on the page, and I count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 up to 30. Then shift my eyes to the next page."
I was tongue-tied.
He said, "I sense some things on the page. And make up my own story."
I said, "Hmmm. Nice."
He said, "Look, this last page, I know there is a girl waiting at the bus stop, it's late at night, she was at a disco earlier. Maybe, there will be a murder, maybe something else."
I said, "Seems as good a way of reading as any."
'Boi Dekha' or "Viewed the Book" is popular Bengali slang for watching a film. So, Teja is in good company, as Punjab-da-Puttar would affirm.
Later, at dinner, Teja missed an entire conversation between Pu, Sesh and me. After the Ramayan was over, he said, "You know there was this story about Ram."
I said, "Teja, where have you been? We've been talking about this for the last 10 minutes."
He said, "Oh, I was talking to Sesh."
I said, "You were not."
He said, "Yes, I was. Without saying anything."
It didn't matter that Sesh hadn't heard him.
We all agreed that Teja is moving to greater philosophical heights than we are yet aware of.
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9 comments:
With an imagination like that, why does Teja need to READ? Thats for ordinary people like us who'd like to see what the author's imagination will come up with! ;-)
I totally agree. The non-mechanical parts of his brain are getting activated.
Take him to Tiru before its too late, darling.
Amazing! Thanks for the insight, now I shall take my daughter's flipping through the pages more seriously :) Loved it.
:D so he really doesn't need the light at all, does he?
you are on a different plane.Period.
Scribblers Inc.
Once Teja and I were drunk and stoned. There was a single bulb in the corner of the TT room at tbe boys hostel. It was so dim that you saw the ball only after it had travelled about half the length of the TT table, towards you. Before that you did see the hand and body movement of the opponent on the other side of the table as he hit the ball, you heard its impact on his racquet and you could guess the trajectory of the ball before it actually came into view. I remember starting to prepare for the shot I'd decided to play before I actually saw the ball.
It was a great game of TT - with good fast rallies. The drunken abandon helped to alleviate all tension (that I normally bring to anything!) and who knows, maybe the grass helped us focus (though I think that's a stretch!)
Obviously we weren't playing to win. I had a blast and once I got the hang of the circumstances, I think I played as good TT as I ever have.
Anyway, TT and reading are pretty far apart but as soon as I finished reading your post I remembered the TT game.
Maybe Teja will shed some light on if at all there's any connection!
Hilarious!!!
That is the most innovative way of reading a book :D
At the end of the book he will come out with his own version of the story :))
Reading and communicating by osmosis...why not? :)
I need to go to parties with Teja and Kuntal.
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