First Love: ACK, Chandoba, Kishor

Wednesday was my private Hell. The dentist visited our colony every Wednesday. I was a perennial victim to his drills . Martyred, bloodied and deeply wounded, I found joy and consolation in the colorful book my Father gently pushed into my hands. And I fell irrevocably in love!

Chandoba (little Moon). A delight filled with short stories, mythology, moral tales, tidbits of General Knowledge, jokes and crosswords. It was a colorful rainbow world that was my best anesthetic. 
I still remember the tale of the Princess whose petulant whim for a necklace woven of sparkling tears had her indulgent Father putting to death all those who failed, thus creating a deluge of tears in his Kingdom.
And of course Vikram, perseverant King and Vetaal, the smug, know-all corpse. There was a tale with a murky twist at end; which needed a wise solution from  Vikram, otherwise ‘his head would be chopped into a hundred slices…’ Every tale ended with Vetal swinging mockingly at Vikram with a promise of ‘Better luck Next time…’

Now that I look back, children’s stories were as gory then as now. But what fun!!!
Diwali was Kishor(child) time, our very own children’s special.

Then came Anand Pai (our original Enid Blyton) with Amar Chitra Katha (Immortal Pictorial Tales, translated literally). My fav was Padmini, the Rajput Queen whose peerless beauty had Allaudin Khilji lusting for ‘Ek nazar’. She consented him a glimpse of only her reflection.Then followed a rousing tale of chivalry, Rajput vows and Jauhar-self immolation.
Years later, when I visited Chittor, I saw the architectural feat. These are the steps on which her reflection could be seen. However they are constructed so amazingly, that if Khilji turned for a glimpse in flesh, all he saw were the steps! What person/incident was instrumental in introducing you to the world of books?

'Selfie' Moments of Renowned Authors

A la Alfred Hitchcock who peeped into a frame every film, there are authors who couldn’t resist giving us a peek-a-boo flash of themselves in their books.
1. Ayn Rand: in Atlas Shrugged.
As Galt takes Dagny around his world, they encounter ‘A young woman stretched out . At the sound of their car,she leaped to her feet in a single swift moment. She had dark, disheveled hair and large,piercing eyes.
‘She is a writer. The kind who believes that when one deals with words,one deals with the mind.’ says Galt.

While on that, the closest physical resemblance to Ayn. Helen Mirren.
2. Agatha Christie: I wonder if Ariadne Oliver, Hercule Poirot’s crime-fiction writer friend, bubbling with multiple possible motives to every crime,ardent apple-lover, fervent believer in ‘Now if a woman were Head of Scotland Yard…’. Or is it gentle, grandmotherly Jane Marple?
Zoe, who plays her on Poirot series, does bear a striking resemblance. Closer home, yesteryear actress Shammi would be a dead doppelganger.
3. Arundhati Roy: In ‘The God of Small things’, she appears as ‘Rahel. Her wild hair, the dark tumble, was tied back to look straight though it wasnt. A tiny diamond gleamed in one nostril . She had absurdly beautiful collarbones. There goes a jazz tune, thought her future husband.
The closest actress who could play Arundhati,
Kitu Gidwani. The classiest , finest bone structure I saw.
or
Kangana. Wild hair, obviously.
 

Can you  think of more examples of author Selfies?