Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The end of a Magical Childhood

Alohomora!
 The door to the magical world of Harry Potter opened up for me when I was 8. I was tired of reading Secret Seven so my Dad got me a copy of Harry Potter and The Philosopher’s Stone. I read through, and was immediately haunted by the magic of "the boy who lived". The craze for Harry Potter augmented, largely due to my wish to be like Harry. As a little boy, I used to craft up the world of magic in my own surroundings and be the boy I wished to be, live in the dream world of Hogwarts for a while.








 I remember daydreaming during Math class that I was practicing levitation, playing quidditch or even taking down 3 headed dogs. There are many crazy things I have done as a result of this obsession. Once, when I had gone to a railway station, I actually took the luggage and ran with the trolley and bumped into the wall, hoping there would be magical world out there, which would take me to Hogwarts. I  even remember how I used to take a broom and act as if I were flying on it. 
















Though I knew I was a “muggle”,  I found many of the themes were analogous to my own life- dealing with strict teachers, friendships, relationships…

As I grew up a little, I began to draw inspiration from the books. Lily’s sacrifice for her son, Snape’s unconditional love, Harry’s courage, his faith, his perseverance and skill; these were things that touched me deeply and have stayed with me till now. So it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Harry potter, to some extent, has been responsible for shaping my personality in a decisive way. My wish to be like Harry made me inculcate his qualities into my own life. I didn’t just copy him by pretending to fly on brooms. I also tried to play his character in my own life. As children, we are very easily influenced by things, good or bad. As I look back, I can honestly say that Harry Potter has been the best influence of my childhood.

The world of Harry potter has captivated, enthralled and mesmerized my senses, like millions of others who’ve grown up with the boy wizard. There may not be that kind of magic in reality, but it has created a magic of its own across the length and breadth of the earth. With kids queuing from 5 in the morning just to get the books.  But now, it is “the end”. The end of a magical childhood. The end of a crazy obsession. The end of a daydream world. I feel really sad when I think about it. People try to comfort me by saying things like, “it’s not the end of the world”. It may not be the end of our world (I’ve heard that’s gonna happen in 2012) but it is the end of a world of spells and enchantments, of brooms and thestrals, of ghosts and elves, of wizards and witches, of death eaters and aurors, of silver-haired professors, of Harry, Ron and Hermoine. Harry potter isn’t just a series of books or movies; it’s an immortal tale of magic, good over evil, friendship, war and love. The chosen one may have died from the books and the movies but the boy who lived will live forever, in the hearts of the millions of Potter fans across the world. As he does in mine.  
-By Manan Hora, die hard Harry Potter fan

2 comments :

  1. nyc one manan.... cant believe harry potter has driven ur mind so much...:)

    ReplyDelete