The End of an Epic

  •   Fri, Aug 19 2011
  •   By Melissa Nazareth

August 20, 2011

Crunch crunch…slurp! Smack…ruffle ruffle…crunch! My taste buds, they felt a nutty cheesiness of seasoning at one point and at immediately the next a smoky sweetness of caramel. The icy cola served as a welcome break in between mouthfuls of hot and salty popcorn.  I sat at the edge of my seat thoroughly engrossed as I watched the much awaited (for most of us) last movie of the Harry Potter series.

I clearly remember reading the first book; a thick bound of entertainment and, in more ways than one, erudition. I had sat up all night hastily devouring the black print sprawled across crisp pages of pure white. The story that my alter ego had narrated to the child in me had been as colorful as the paint palette of The Picasso.

I really admire the creative imagination and narration skills of the author who with something as humble as words creates imagery so graphic. I dare say that I am a voracious reader; but I love books. The Harry Potter series is the first set of novels that I have read from the first word to the very last. The few novels that I had determined to read before my tryst with J K Rowling’s magical saga had managed to keep me rapt only till the chapter beyond the first triplet or so of chapters.

The books and the movies share a symbiotic bond. Reading the books has made my experience of watching the movies all the more exciting and fun filled. In turn, watching the movies has made my experience of reading the books very lively. Whenever I’d watch the movie, my knowledge of the edited parts from the book would help me put the pieces together; and whenever I’d read about a Dumbledore with moon eyed glasses or about a Hermione casting spells I’d actually imagine the cast of the movie.

When in school most of my friends had been diehard fans of both the written and the audio visual form of the fiction story. I had been a victim of ridicule for having thought differently about the whole Harry Potter hullabaloo. I thought of it as highly overrated and found it irksome and childish to be crazy about Harry Potter. Even after I started reading the books and watching the movies I wasn’t a fan beyond reasonable proportions. Nevertheless I appreciated the talent beneath the fame.

Harry Potter has been a wonderful and a magical journey for most of us and though it has come to end, like all good things, it has etched its mark on our hearts. A series brimming with entertainment value and good lessons to learn, Harry Potter has definitely rendered its fans expelliarmus!

 

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By Melissa Nazareth
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Comment on this article

  • Melissa Nazareth, Mumbai

    Tue, Aug 23 2011

    Hey El:)

    Thank You for the appreciation,it means a lot. I'm glad you enjoy reading my articles.

    I picked up my first Enid Blyton when I was 13. I more than agree with you on how she can develop,in children,a love for reading.

    Yes,J.K. Rowling did to me,when I was 17,what Enid Blyton did to me when I was 13!

  • El Udyr, India

    Mon, Aug 22 2011

    Dear Ms. Melissa

    Let me first start by thanking you for your excellent articles and may I state that I thoroughly enjoy reading them.

    Like you, my initial reaction to Harry Potter books was that it was a “children's” book and based on this perception I ignored it for a long time. Being an avid book reader, I finally read one of the books (Prisoner of Azkaban) at my cousin’s place out of boredom. And to my surprise I actually enjoyed the book. This made me go after the previous 3 books as well as wait eagerly for the remaining books. While I wont say its the greatest book(s) ever written, it is definitely a worthy one time read (in my case more than 1 time).

    In an age of internet, social networking, video games etc, I would credit the author for doing to many kids of this generation what Enid Blyton did for me and many of my peers, an introduction and love for the magical world of reading, where imaginations run wild. I have met a few teens who admit that while they are not really bookworms, did take the trouble of reading the Harry Potter series because they found it “interesting”.
    I have not seen the films, so can’t comment on them but the reviews seem good. Then again for me it’s always the book over the movie.

    So while people may consider the series to be “childish” and “overrated”, I consider it to be a literary phenomenon of our times and worthy of the limelight.

  • Melissa Nazareth, Mumbai

    Sun, Aug 21 2011

    Hey Geoffrey :) Thank You for reading my article. I find your comment constructive and I totally respect your perception But what I was trying to bring out here was that I liked everything to do with the art behind the HP series.That said, I didn't appreciate the hype surrounding it.

  • Simon Miranda, SankalakariyaBahrain

    Sun, Aug 21 2011

    Sorry..no Marks for this article Melissa...:( I really dont think Harry Potter series contributes in any way for personal growth. Rather it negates and pollutes young minds...your earlier articles were original and personal...just keep it simple silly...:)

  • geoffrey, hathill

    Sat, Aug 20 2011

    Writer's statement in the last but one paragraph that she found HP overrated, irksome and childish contradicts with the rest of the article.


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