Saturday, July 16, 2011

Harry Potter: My Journey


Year: 1998. You are in your very first year of college. You join coaching classes for a new subject called Accounts as you will have to study it for the next five years. You enter the class room and take a seat somewhere in a far corner, away from the stage. The professor enters. He is tall, very well dressed and very handsome. You are completely bowled over by his personality as all you have seen so far is guys with the facial hair that looks not-so-nice! No I don't blame them, for they cannot shave at an early age too, thus they have to put up with that, and we have to put up with them!

I will skip the details about how moron most of the guys were then (come on, even you guys will agree that you looked morons!), but looking at a handsome professor made almost all of us go crazy about him that very instant! We attended each and every lecture, paid attention at smallest of the things, asked for queries after the lectures and did such other teenage stupidity!

One fine day during the lecture, he mention a name - J. K. Rowling and her book called Harry Potter. This was in 1998 or 1999. That was the time I had just started reading books. Since I was brought up in a small town, I didn't know much about novels. Nancy Drew name was the only name that was not new to me, rest all the authors were unheard of. Rowling sounded more like an alien. But since it was a recommendation from my professor, I decided to give it a try. That's how I first heard about Harry Potter when it released. She was not so famous then, but people loved the first book!

That time, I lived in a hostel. Pocket money life, limited budget and could not afford the books. Somewhere in 2000 or 2001, I bought first three Harry Potter books second hand copies, and I still have them. At that time, fourth book had just released. I finished reading first three and then bought the fourth one. The reason was simple - I didn't know whether I would like the books or not. Thus, didn't spend money behind the fresh copies.

I remember waiting for the book release since book number 5. I was one of the first ones to buy the 7th book and finish it in one go. I started reading at 10 am and finished it by 4 am next day! I have been that crazy. I have read each book at least 50 times and seen each movie around that many times. I saw The last movie twice already today itself. And don't know for how many times I will again see it!

Harry Potter series is over. But I am sure the fans will keep reading the books again and again. Maybe not 50 60 times, but at least once or twice a year there will be a Harry Potter marathon. It's amazing how something leaves so much of an impact on you.

I am in my late twenties, but I still want Hogwarts to be real (I believe it to be true too), I laugh on Fred and George jokes, love to hate Voldemort, feel so sad for Snape, I cry whenever I see Dobby or Snape die, I love Bellatrix's character - she is hot, I feel betrayed when Dumbledore hides things from Harry - and the list goes on and on. I have lived through Harry Potter, I have lived with Harry Potter and will continue to do so!

20 comments:

  1. I will never get over it. Never ever. Even if 20 years down the line I end up with kids who think they have a crazy mum to be re-reading a series of books written for adolescents, I'll still be reading them anyway. Once a HP fan, always an HP fan. And yes Harry will never die, he will continue to live with us, beside us, within us.

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  2. Neha, my son would love you! He sat and read the last book for hours while I was having guests at home. We were playing loud music, dancing, talking and laughing out loud and my son didn't lift his gaze from the book. My guests were amazed that an 11 year old could have such concentration! When I asked him if we had disturbed him his reply was that he was so engrossed in the story everything else vanished! I can't wait to see the film!!
    Hey I think I will write a post on this..seem to be going on and on here :P

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  3. My thoughts exactly. I was at school when the first installment of the book came out. It's been one heck of a journey since then. I can't wait to see the last part...:)

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  4. Somewhat similarly I was introduced to the ever engrossing world of books by a professor of mine. With no offense I never liked the potter saga yet I can't doubt the legacy of potter and type books which you pointed out.

    Weakest LINK

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  5. Can you believe that I went from being staunch HP hater to a huge HP lover??? Now that's a story I will put up in my blog soon :-)

    All HP fans have such similar nostalgia attached with the series... And as Samadrita said, even when I will have my own children, I will keep on reading and re-reading the books and watching the movies. There are two sets of books with which we all grew up - Enid Blyton and Harry Potter :-)

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  6. Congratulations for the spicy pick Neha! :)
    Pottermania is at its peak today and the best is all are affected by it... young as well as old!! I was introduced to HP by a colleague, who gave me all the first 4 books to read/understand the hysteria then. He was given these 4 books by a foreigner! After reading the 4 books in a very short span of time, I decided that I am not going to pass on these books ahead and have read them and the others so many times now. Though haven't seen the latest one as yet!!

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  7. Great post Neha.. I think we started reading around the same time.. Even I started around 2000 or 2001, but I was introduced to the books by a close friend. Have read these books sooo many times, lost count of the number of times I have read them.. but now that it is over, I kinda feel very bad.. but then there's Pottermore to look forward to :) I am all excited about it..
    You saw the movie twice? WOW.. I need to watch it again next week in theatre :)

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  8. I'm not a HP fan but like the movies..... and HP series being one of the best series of movies..... i like them.....

    I'm not into books but a lot into movies..... the end of HP series resembles the last season of FRIENDS..... to me at least....

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  9. Loved the post. A pottermaniac forever.

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  10. i heard about it through a TOI or Hindu edit..i think the best thing about harry was one could relate to the emotions.
    and btw i was praying that JKR wouldn't get into an accident and leave the series unfinished:)

    The Harry journey never ends for the fans:)

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  11. Hey Neha, Congrats for the Spicy Saturday pick!
    Nice post, its always great to hear about a fellow potter fan.

    Co-incidently, i also posted the story of my journey into the world of Magic on the same day as you did!! You may check it out at:

    http://insidegrayzone.blogspot.com/2011/07/to-harry-potter-boy-who-lived.html

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  12. Your blog almost echos my association with Harry Potter, like when due to limited budget in my hostel life I couldn't afford to buy first few books and would wait for my friends to complete theirs and hand over. :)
    As a small tribute to the HP series, I made the horcrux theme cupcakes this friday which is on my blog :D Truly, the associayion with HP is never going to end.

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  13. I still remember your earlier post on HP.Whenever i see or hear HP ,I think of you .Need i say more .
    Congrats on Blog Adda pick ... truly deserving .Neha Aali Re ....

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  14. A wonderful journey indeed.

    Long Live Harry Potter.

    Read my thoughts on - What Works For harry Potter

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  15. I am a slow english reader but it went for a toss when I started reading Harry Potter. Such interesting was the story I finished all the books together not more than 40 days.. :)

    Loved each one of them and I hate it I didn't started reading earlier.

    Surely we will re-read and live with memories of Harry Potter :)

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  16. *hugs* to you.... I know what its like... I hate to finally realize that he's grown up.... and so have I..... I read @The Panorama's comment and remembered my own hours of reading.. I'd get lost in the book, deaf and blind to the world around me! Someday, I'd love to find my own son/ daughter rediscovering the magic of Hogwarts when the time is right...

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  17. You "SHOULD" visit the Wizarding World of harry Potter in Orlando, it is heaven for Potter-heads like us.

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  18. congrats :) for this http://indiantopblogs.blogspot.com/p/directory-of-best-indian-blogs.html

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  19. Neha,

    Hard core Harry Potter fan. Yes, some books and characters have that charisma. Enjoy as long as you love it.

    Take care

    PS : Left comment on previous post too.

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  20. HARRY POTTER FANS!

    Through a crack in space and time, from the war has emerged ghosts and a limited number of Magic Brooms.

    Check it out in ebay: http://shop.ebay.com/kashmirmoses2011/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

    Only two house colors red/yellow, green and silver
    with tassels dangling like mystical charms survived the journey to Mississippi Mama’s™ Magic Broom Factory in Hattiesburg MS. Each broom

    has been blessed and dusted with magic dust that has been passed down for four generations.

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