In Karimganj, I had a decent collection of books, courtesy all the competitions I won at school! Winning wasn't as important as the books I got as a prize! That was my motivation to participate in every possible event! I had already told my parents, relatives and friends if they wanted to give me a gift/ present, it had to be a book!
I was a teen and a voracious reader. In those days it was difficult to find good books , so we would wait eagerly for the book fairs ! I would read whatever came my way- Daddy's books , mummy's books, newspapers and magazines they subscribed to, books available at the library at school, books or magazines I saw at the neighbour or friend's place! Sometimes, I did end up reading a lot of stuff not meant for my innocent mind( ahem!) 😬 Well, it taught me what NOT to read!
My favourite was the prize I won for English Extempore in class 8- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It was an abridged version, totally simplified.
"Pride and Prejudice" was my first love story!
All this time I was reading books meant for children, stories of animals and birds, fairy tales, comics etc.
This was different. I fell in love with Mr Darcy the moment he appeared (😍)! I totally identified with Elizabeth Bennett! Later on, I did read a better , more elaborate version of this Jane Austen classic. This book motivated me to start reading classics like Great Expectations, Wuthering Heights and Shakespeare (abridged version).
I remember when asked to do a book review in class 11, I chose Pride and Prejudice. And I was so proud when my English teacher said I had done a good job!
Austen's characters were so real and relatable! I could see so many Mrs Bennetts around me, eager to show off and marry their daughters to rich handsome men! Cool dads like Mr Bennett, who thought his daughters are too precious to be 'married away'! Beautiful Jane (who is anything but plain) who is an angel inside out! Handsome men like Mr Bingley who had everything one could wish for! The likes of his sister, Miss Bingley and Darcy's Aunt Lady Catherine who look down upon people who aren't rich enough! Wicked guys like Wickham!
However, I found NO ONE like Mr Darcy! I wondered if there even existed such a man as Mr Darcy in real life!As far as I was concerned he was 'almost' Mr Perfect!! Ah! If there was a fictional character I was crazy about , it was him! 😍
There's a movie as well as a television series based on this book and needless to say, I watched them over and over again! I loved Colin Firth as Darcy in the television series and Keira Knightly as Elizabeth in the movie! And every time I went back to being 13, reading the book , imagining meeting Mr Darcy and dancing with him at the Ball!💃🏽
First love story- unforgettable! Always brings a smile on my face and makes my heart flutter!
Still searching🔍.....
Nicely written 👍 👍