Skip to main content

Escape

He believes that, when running, "to" is never important, what matters is "from". When it was pointed out that running just lands him in more trouble his response was "Yes, but you can run away from that, too."
- Rincewind, nominal wizard on Discworld.

As a philosophy it probably wouldn't work here on Earth but serves Rincewind well on the Discworld. But we've all been there haven't we? You hope that your problems will simply disappear sometime, as if by magic. Even if you don't have any trouble - at present anyway, everyone knows something is just lurking around the corner; a fact common to both Earth and Discworld - you may want to just be someone/somewhere else rather than you.

Books were my escape. In my case, it wasn't that I was running away from anything as much as running towards something. Sometimes I wished I could climb inside a book and live that life. Hours after finishing a book, I'd still be able to hear their voices in my head. I don't know if fellow bookworms also feel it or I'm alone in my craziness.

Some say that books are better for children than movies because reading allows you, no - it demands -  that you use your imagination. Rarely are visuals provided and even if they are, you have to fill in the blanks yourself. I don't know how much of it is true though because how do you know which came first? Did reading give wings to my imagination or was I drawn to books because I already had an active mind?

I love when film adaptations of amazing books are announced but generally I don't watch them. No film can quite capture the breathtaking visuals my own brain conjures up when I read...In fact seeing the sets on the screen is jarring, pulling me out of the story because everything is unfamiliar, so unlike the rich tapestry I'm used to. I read old favorites many times and know some of their stories as intimately as I know my own. Movies are a great way for many people to experience the written word but they are not for me.

Sometimes where you are escaping to is more important than where you are escaping from.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Why Don’t We Raise Our Sons like We Do Our Daughters?

This post originally appeard in Women's Web: Why Don’t We Raise Our Sons like We Do Our Daughters? One of the hot button topics right now in Indian media is the safety of women – or rather how our country doesn't really care about half its population. From rape, sexual assault, harassment (in streets, public transport, nearly every public place) to violence perpetrated on women, Indians are finally getting around to discussing taboo topics. One refrain that caught my eye throughout these debates – both online and off – is the fact that the reaction of the majority of Indians is the same: girls should stay at home, not go out after dark, dress appropriately and so on if they want to stay safe. No one seems to bat an eyelid when laying down these precautions for women. Except that the reality is women would be far safer if all the men simply DID NOT RAPE or HARASS any person that looks remotely female. No one has to stay at home and become a hermit! That got me th...

Arranged Versus Love Marriage

This post originally appeared in Women's Web:  Arranged Versus Love Marriage: Here's Why Things Are Changing In 21st-century India, change is so rapid that we barely have time to get used to something before some new trend is on the horizon. And I'm not just talking about technology here. Whether it is human behavior, relationships, societal or cultural norms, Indian society – along with the rest of the world – today is hardly recognizable to my parents or their parents. It's not a surprise that the institution of marriage and the process of finding a life partner is also undergoing a metamorphosis. Perhaps this is one of the areas where the gap between generations is the most obvious. Almost every day, there is a TV show or media report or blog post talking about arranged vs. love marriages. So I figured I would present my take on it as well! Whenever anyone talks about arranged versus love marriages - I don't know why they are always portrayed as opposing ...

One Step Up

Tia “Tia darling! So nice of you to come to my party, it’s been a long time since we met at that charity event!” exclaimed Mona, handing her a glass of wine as soon as she entered. “You look fabulous, my dear!” replied Tia, “So I take it you like the new DSK Spring collection?”, indicating Mona’s brand new designer gown. “Really? Thank you! I remember what you said about me not wearing pink, so I bought this green dress. Anyway,” she said, dragging her farther into the room, “You know most of the people here I expect. I’ll talk to you later, I have to check up on the caterer now.” Someone hailed Tia and she was soon busy with her regular cronies. She wouldn’t have come here if not for Mona, who was one of the few people she felt comfortable with. She disliked crowds but hated being alone even more so. Ten years of homeschooling could do that to a person. She could still recall the day she was kidnapped from school as a young child of 8. The police eventually caught the crim...