Die-hard fans of The Hobbit had a joyous two days, as they celebrated the book’s 80th anniversary (September 21) and Hobbit Day (September 22), the birthday of the hobbits Bilbo and Frodo Baggins), in several ways.
Elijah
Right from paying tribute to the series through quirky art works to posting about what The Hobbit means to them and re-reading the classic books, fans engaged in a lot of fun activities. We speak to a few of them as they share about how J.R.R. Tolkien’s high fantasy has left an everlasting impact in them.
Antara Guha
Rohit Panikker, an artist and a huge fan of The Hobbit, has the habit of celebrating the anniversary in creative ways. Speaking about what it means to him and on how he fell in love with the book, he shares, “Well, concerning The Hobbit, the first time I was introduced to these fantastic little creatures was when the first Lord of the Rings movie came out, but it became an obsession of sorts only a few years ago, when I read The Hobbit. I was drawn in from the opening lines itself — ‘In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.’”
Rohit Panikker
Further stating the beauty of the book, Rohit feels, “Even 80 years after its publication, it’s a lot more relevant today, maybe more than the time it was written in — stories of courage and friendship, of small beings with rather large hearts and the call to return to nature are things we can all go by.”
Sharing with us about how he celebrated this year’s anniversary, Rohit reveals, “As has been the practice over the last two years, I celebrate Hobbit Day on my art page Pop Goes The Easel by doing a series of Hobbit-inspired artwork — most of which I posted yesterday. I’ve done stuff like character portraits, locations and even typography art, based on quotes from the book. It’s my way of paying tribute to a race of fantastic beings, who I would say have come across as more real and displaying more strength in character than a lot of actual living people around me.”
Meanwhile, Annirudh Anand, Digital Marketing Executive at Notion Press, says, “What I loved about The Hobbit was their idyllic lifestyle! Bilbo loved his cosy little home (who wouldn’t?) and yet, he and Frodo plucked up the courage to leave that nice little slice of heaven to go out on an adventure for a cause that was bigger than them. That’s courage, which many people wouldn’t have experienced. Another reason I absolutely loved The Hobbit was for the movie and seeing Smaug come alive on screen. I am a sucker for dragons and watching a dragon voiced by Benedict Cumberbatch was amazing!”
Antara Guha, a copy-editor based in Bengaluru, says, “Personally, I prefer The Lord of the Rings series (book) to The Hobbit (book). But I’ve to say, I’m a huge fan of J.R.R. Tolkien and his son Christopher Tolkien. I read their works multiple times and especially during occasions like this, I re-read their works. I’m also a great fan of Unfinished Tales and The Silmarillion.”
