Seeds of the idea

This has been brewing since quite some time. I have lived in the US for 8 years now. Even though the roads, the cleanliness, the orderliness, the availability of services is amazing...it is the access to the public library system that has been, to me, the most impresisve service by far.


I come from India. A land of beautiful, but complex culture. Right from early childhood I have been an avid reader [to be honest, my brother had to pester me to take to books early on. Though once I entered the wonderful world of books, I got hooked big time.] Books to a large extent mould our mind and spirit. They are a companion that open the doors of our emotion, intelligence and wisdom.
I have been at the receiving end of claims about the extensive depth and reach of Internet. The information explosion on the net has touched a lot of lives but it has its own limitations. Even the era of the Internet cannot take away the feel of turning the crisp page of the book that is sharing its tale with us.
A book is less a ‘thing’ and more a ‘culture’. I have seen the influence that easy access to books has had on my own children. They have become more aware of the earth that they are living in, have opened their eyes to fictional world that transcends the realm of reality. The unleashed creativity is finding its manifestation is many ways. As a mother, there cannot be a better joy that seeing the seeds within our children blossoming with the potential of a flower.
My last visit to India was an exploratory visit to prepare for my R2I [Return To India] endeavour. The trip evoked an overall positive feeling with regards the education, housing and other critical areas [anyone in the right mind to move back to India takes the problems associated with population, pollution and politicians as a given]. The one voyage that left me shattered though was the plight of our public libraries. I remember calling my husband back home to cry my heart out. The pain I felt was not just that of disappointment. I saw thousands of people back home deprived of something that i had come to take for granted during my life in the US .
The initial pain led to a resolve in my mind that I would not let the negativity of 'what the country has done for me' seep into me…Living in the US has certainly taught me empowerment. Can something not be done to change the situation?
(to be continued...)