One day@Book Fair...

It's been a strange weekend-good, bad, exciting, scary, funny, sick, lazy and energetic...yes, all of this( why does everything in my life has to be a "little bit of everything"!!).

Anyway, as the title shrieks, I went to the Book fair today for some time. I had other things that had kept me occupied earlier and even later in the evening, so I couldn't spend much of a time, but in one word, the book fair was spectacular. I've been there every yr for the last three yrs at least, but I found this year the best. The collection is simply fantabulous! Also because I learnt a bit of the inside info, and about how the whole thing works, courtesy my uncle who's one of the people organising and running the whole thing(Thanx to him I got 40-45% discounts too!:P ). I could see an interesting and an interested crowd, and like last year, I also managed to climb in a few tanks and radars, and play around with missiles etc, all of which was there because DefExpo starts soon. All those arms are exciting too, and I've heard this yr onwards there's also gonna be some nuclear material for sale. All this means more crowds for the two fairs in the coming days, and if that's any indication of a growing reading habit, this looks like there are bright days ahead.

A few things caught my eye, apart from the occassional glance at screens that showed glimpses of today's match. I was waiting for someone and started readin a small book for timepass. It was called "Why people should cry when you die?" . Some 101 fundas, inspired from The Monk Who sold his Ferrari. I generally dont read self-help/funda types books, but the 44 chapters I read(OK, I read fast, and it's not a huge book) were profound yet had a feeling of "deja vu" associated with them, as if i knew it, and yet didnt.

There are so many things in life we already know, yet refuse to trust ourselves and believe truly unless and until it becomes inescapable and too obvious, or if somebody else tells it to us and rather nails it in. It's a strange insecurity, but very human. Lately I've even given the official post of "Counsellor of Known things". So if there's something you know and still wanna be told so that u believe it, come to me. Not to forget, I charge a very modest fee.
Back to the book fair, I saw some very good Indian writing priced much less than some very crappy foreign writing and wondered why? I saw this amazing illustrated set of books about the two world wars, which had some exclusive, fantabulous pics and a suitable description alongwith. I swear if they use that in schools, nobody would ever flunk a History exam. And yes, I met Ruskin bond, the author there. Spoke to him for a couple of minutes too, and it felt nice. He's very soft-spoken and sounds very intelligent. And then I discovered the one book I always wanted.

Don't ask me what all I bought though. That's a rather sad part, because I was surrounded with so many good books that I just couldn't decide what all to buy, and to buy one and leave another seemed such a grave injustice that I left both(I wish I had lots and lots of money, or else the permission to stay there forever and read everything). I did buy a few things though, but I won't disclose it here. Also because two of them are meant to be gifted. The good part is that I'm going again, whenever I can, before next weekend. I have a couple of extra passes. Anyone wiling to give me company?