Quidditch et al

Potter fever is in the air once again, and as much as I hate to admit, I am very much one of the victims galore smitten by it.

I have a diversity of intellectual books on my bedside table, each patiently awaiting it's turn to earn my attention. But at the end of a tiring day, in the 30 minutes of pre-bedtime leisure, when I am cosily cushioned in my blanket with my little yellow teddy for company, I can't help but reach out for Potter boy. Somehow the happenings in the life of a regular teenage orphaned wizard battling against a wicked, adult and powerful one, seem more appealing to me at that time of the night than knowing about where I should be investing my money and why the market prices have fallen and just how strong the rupee is getting against the dollar.

Don't get me wrong, I do read intellectual factual stuff besides fantasy. I am also not saying that Harry Potter is the best fantasy ever imagined or written. The point I'm trying to make is, take a Potter book in your hand and it's difficult to put it down. Whatever the incentives.

I'm sure many would disagree. "The prose is very simple with no complex frills. The story is after all just about a kid. What can be more fantastic than a wizard world? It's nothing more than some charms and spells borrowed and concocted from the Latin language. It's only hyped by the media. It's stuff that the kids read! Not for grownups."I'v had these reactions from many uninterested muggles who couldn't care less about anyone named Potter, or his Nimbus 2000. Most of them have never read a Potter book or even watched the movies. Guys, what can be a more disappointing attitude than dismissing something without giving it a fair chance? And that too coming from fantasy readers and believers that anything is possible?

Potter stories appeal to me for many reasons. For starters, it is precisely because they are so fantastic and away from our world, that it is too good to be unbelievable! If aliens can exist, then so can wizards. If airplanes can fly, why not broomsticks? Those who think the story is only about a kid swooshing his wooden wand are way off target and know nothing. At the end of the day, the story is about how good wins over evil not because of the usual goods, but because of support from well-wishers and close friends, and a lot of courage (and yes,luck too). Some of the things that Professor Dumbledore tells Harry can really be good food for thought. (So who said Potter books are not intellectual? :) ). And lastly, the stories do have good plots. Each character is so well etched out and believable. Hermione is so much like I was during my school days! And there's a Ron everywhere I look.

Another very interesting aspect of the story, which I believe is also the real essence of the Potter plot, is that Harry (who is all good) is depicted to be very similar in many ways to Voldemort (who is a genius but in a wicked way). Both are orphans, both are Parselmouths (those who can talk to snakes), both are wizards with unusual talent and power, both have been through a difficult childhood, both Hogwarts geniuses. But one is good, the other is bad. And the constant battle between the good and bad is what makes the crux of this entire mania. Come to think of it, does this not resemble the constant battle between the good and bad in us? There is no denying that there resides an angel as well as a devil within each of us, and whichever amongst the two is victorious when we make our decisions is what makes us what we are. The story depicts that with the right support from our friends and family, with the courage we have within us, and with some good advice, we can make the angel win over the devil in us, even though the devil may be more powerful.

And they say it's a book for kids! :)

So which spell would you prefer to use? "Avada Kedavra" (the Killing Curse) or "Expecto Patronum" (the Shielding Curse)? Well for now the one I want to chant is "Disapparate!" Au revoir! (sound in background:'Pop')