Bengaluru: It has been two decades since the Hogwarts Express left King’s Cross Station and took us Muggles on a journey of a lifetime. The first of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K Rowling, though published 20 years ago, is still as fresh in a Potterhead’s memory as it was when they first picked up the book.
Its celebration at the British Council on Sunday was proof of that. Around 375 fans, young and old, flocked to the British Council Library, some dressed in cloaks and pointed wizard hats and some in their Hogwarts House scarves.
Then the book reading session did not have the audience in rapt attention, and that was perhaps the best part. “As I was reading, the audience in front was reading along with me, mouthing the words. It was so emotional!” remarked Romal Laisram, after the reading. As he read the last excerpt of the Philosopher’s Stone, children in the first row were heard repeating the dialogues, word to word without a copy in hand.
The room was charged with excitement and enthusiasm as younger fans shot out answers during the Philosopher’s Stone Quiz, while the older fans seemed to take a backseat.
“We are connected to the books just as much as they are, but we read them a long time ago. I’m happy to see younger kids in the crowd which means that the books are on their way to become a classic. The legacy continues,” exclaimed Siddhanth, who was serving up some Bertie Bott’s Every Flavoured Beans for the fans outside the venue.
Though the young ones knew dialogues and stories detail, no one could beat the older readers when it comes to appreciating the depth of the characters and the plot itself. “They may know the lines by heart, but Harry Potter was never about those details to us. The entire series has multiple layers,” says Tejus Suresh, a 24-year-old medical practitioner, animatedly with one hand over the other. “It’s like you read the book today and ten years later, a piece of the jigsaw will reveal itself. The original batch of fans who were the first to read the books will know what I’m talking about.”
Even the entries for the Fan Fiction contest had younger participants in majority. “Out of about 25-odd applications, 20 were from children below 17 years old. The oldest entry was that of a 28-year-old,” said Nirmala Govindarajan, one of the judges, “It is great to see these kids also interested in reading Harry Potter just as much as us.”
Maybe, the so-called original fans are growing older and distant, but the legend of the boy with the lightening scar lives on. In the words of J.K Rowling, “Things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end, if not always in the way we expect.”
