The Iron Curtain

Reading a book for me is like being a character in a movie. For some outlandish reason I transform into the protagonist of the book. I get so involved that at an interesting point, there is no likelihood for an interval or a break. I visualize sets, props and fellow actors. Sometimes I even hear the sounds that are appropriate to the given scene.

It has been a long standing dream of mine to read a book in the midst of nature. To see lush green grass, with the wind slither across my face. I always thought it would be like watching a movie in an air conditioned movie theatre.

This dream of mine was realized today when I wandered into a cricket stadium for a late evening stroll. Dressed in light clothing, an unexpected downpour forced me to take refuge in the stands of the stadium. The stadium slowly hid herself in the shadows of the night, only to appear momentarily due to the occasional lighting.

I pulled out a book from my bag which I had been reading. The novel was a classic ‘The Godfather’. I settled down in the pavilion which was illuminated by a tube light. The temperature had fallen due to the sudden onset of the cloudburst. I held my limbs closer in an attempt to keep myself warm.

I resumed reading the book from where I had left off. Don Corleone had arranged a meeting with the other mafia bosses to propose peace and the safe passage of his son from Sicily. It is one of the most intense moments of the book, which the author compares to Churchill’s Iron Curtain. I felt like I was standing in the Don’s own shoe and giving the famous speech. The cricket stadium became my board room, the pitch became the discussion table, the pavilion became my podium, the trees became the attendees and the sight and sounds of the lightning seemed like photographs being taken, the breeze gave the impression of attendees discussing among themselves and the rain became the applause. I no longer felt cold instead I felt the authority of the Don.

It was a truly scintillating experience. Who said reading a book is a dull experience?