Books and Rainy Days

For most people, the Monday afternoon, just after the Convocation was a lazy one. Not so for Team CDMC however. The CDMC Convenor’s car proved to be quite a useful vehicle, for our annual (and sometimes bi-annual) trip to Blossoms. The aim of the trip: Increase the stock of the SBA Library.

On entering, we fanned out to different areas of the shop, each with a list of the books wanted by the members of the SBA. As it began to rain, the minutes became hours. For me, this was the most enjoyable part of the day. Going through different books, selecting your favourite authors, discussing them with the others, etc. etc. etc. was a pleasure in itself. As our shopping baskets got full, it was time to take tough decisions. Which books to buy and which not to, was something we did with heavy hearts. Authors whose names were listed the most in the list like Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett, Grisham were the first choice. Efforts were also made to have a diverse range of writings. So we ended up buying classics like Wuthering Heights, comedies by Alexander McCall Smith, thrillers by Jeffrey Archer and science fiction by Asimov. Not to forget the desi touch, books like The Great Indian Novel and works by Satyajit Ray were also bought. Of course, it was just not possible to buy all the books which had been asked for. Soon, we reached a situation, where we had to vote after persuasive arguments, on which books to buy, as opinion was split.

It was a first of many sorts for CDMC though. The sheer number of books, 51 (yes, you read it right), was simply unprecedented. It was also the first time that we bought brand new copies of some popular demands like Shantaram, My Name is Red among others. At the end of the day, we had suitcase (again courtesy our dear Convenor), full of books by authors like Tolkien, Douglas Adams, Agatha Christie and John Updike, and famous books like To Kill a Mocking Bird, The Godfather and Lord of the Flies. By the time we were done, the rain had subsided and we all headed to the tasty offerings of Kaati Zone.

Team CDMC was to meet a few days later, again on a rainy afternoon. The mission this time was to cover the books so that they would last longer. As we gathered in the Common Room, I was reminded of my school days, where everyone would sit together to cover books, in the last few days of the holidays.

As the rains continue to pound Bangalore, I can't think of a greater joy than to snuggle up with a nice book and a plate of hot pakoris. While Team CDMC cannot provide you with the pakoris, do feel free to come to the SBA library near you to select your favourite books.


Harsh

P.S. CDMC would like to thank Tuhina, Triveni, Pragya and Ankur Saxena for their help in covering the books.