A couple of years ago in the time of board exams and entrance exams and what not,I was the kind of chap who wouldn't be caught within arms length of a novel.Anything in the nature of curling up with book on the couch with hot chocolate was a strict no-no.A few Enid Blyton novels was all I had under my belt.Then things took a change,I would say for the better.
Around about the time I came back home for Diwali during the first semester,I found a few books stacked up at home.They seemed pretty new to me.At that time,and to some extent even now,I was guilty of judging books by their covers.I noticed that all the books under scrutiny were written by an guy called P.G Wodehouse.At the back of the book was a brief gist of the story which I must admit was a bit Bollywood-ish and at the bottom was a tribute by Hugh Laurie.For those unaware of him,he plays Dr House in the t.v show going by the same name.With a lot of time to kill and noting that Mr Laurie called P.G.W "the funniest writer to put pen on paper",I began reading it.
I have often heard Agatha Christie's novels being described as "unputdownable".That about sums up the effect the book had on me.By the way the,name of the book was "Right ho,Jeeves".Being accustomed to watching sitcoms where unseen people guffaw away in the background at the slightest provocation,the book I had in hand was refreshingly funny.The idiosyncrasies of the characters involved and the way they they got themselves into and out of the most difficult situations very much in accordance with Murphy's law,was hilarious.I finished reading the book in quick time with a few cramps from laughing and went on to read the rest of them.I think it was a weeks vacation and I had read four books by then.
Having read quite a few books written by P.G.W since then,I just cannot get enough of it.Love is central in almost all the plots.Unexpected engagements,"lovers tiffs" as he calls it and love triangles are the order of the day.My personal favorite being the Jeeves and Wooster series which is about a rich but not-so-bright guy named Bertie and his valet,Jeeves.
Its remarkable how something written about the time of the first world war and the years thereafter can still be funny and relevant.But I' not going to ponder on that.I'm just going to read this genius' work and revel in the world that he created without much giving much thought to deeper things,just as he would have wanted.
So if you find a P.G lying around,give it a read.You might love it.Or might not.There is no in-between.