By
Shevlin Sebastian
Best-selling
author Ravinder Singh charmed a Kochi audience at a book reading
session. His latest book, ‘Like It Happened Yesterday’, published
by Penguin, has just been released. “I wanted to write
stories from my heart,” he said. “This book is all about my
childhood.”
Singh
grew up in the small town of Burla in Odisha. “Those were the best
days of my life, when life was simple,” said the 30-year-old.
“There were no microwaves or mobile phones or ATM cards.”
In
fact, Singh had a phone in his house only when he was in Class 12.
“Before that, to pass any information I would have to cycle to my
friend’s place,” he says. “During those days, when I had Rs 10
in my pocket, I would feel so rich. Today, with Rs 10 lakh in the
bank, I feel I have to make a lot more money to feel rich.”
In
the book, Singh compares present-day childhood to the one he had. “My
wishes were limited and so were those of my friends,” he said. “I
wanted Lakhani shoes. There were no Adidas or Nike sneakers.”
Singh
also mentioned that many readers said that the book reflected their
own childhood experiences. “A few men told me, ‘When you were
writing about the ‘hot’ madam in school, I was thinking of my own
‘hot’ madam,” said Singh, to laughter from the gathering.
It
was a rapt audience, bowled over by Singh’s charm, sincerity and
verbal fluency. Home-maker Sumaiya Khalid, from Alappuzha, stood up
and said, “I would like to thank my husband who stopped his work
and brought me along. Please give him a standing ovation.” Khalid,
an interior designer, standing at the back, gives an embarrassed
smile. “I have read all your books and love it,” said Sumaiya.
That summed up the reaction of the people who had turned up for the
reading.
(The New Indian Express, Kerala edition)
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