Recently I happened to read Sanjay Shipahimalani's blog The Joys and Perils of Re-reading and to my awful perception I had also had similar experiences while re-reading a book and had found out that it could be a very demystifying or disappointing experience. But it is not that it happens the same way with all the books. Rather it is worth finding out why it happens with some books and why it is the same wonderful feeling with some other books. For reference; the first time I read the famous Oriya litterateur Prativa Roy's very well known JAGYANSENI (On the life of Draupadi, the lone wife of the five Pandavas from THE MAHABHARAT), I was held mesmerized and enthralled by the understanding and sensitive imagination with which the author had portrayed Droupadi's character. I thought it to be a path-breaking and wonderful creative peace. But, to my dismay, when I read it a second time, five years later, I couldn't go beyond six pages. The writing seemed to be labourious, dragging and full of unnecessary and exaggerated emotional outbursts. But take the example of Arun Joshi's THE FOREIGNER and some of the likes. At least lovers of literature like me can go on reading and re=reading it without the book losing any of its magnetism and romantic charisma.
Sometimes I ponder over the probable reasons to this variant experiences. Most probably some of the books answer or pose some of the eternal queries or touch upon the universal aspects of human existence. So, they invariably speak truths only. And truths cannot tire you because they are what they are, forever. They answer some callings beyond our mundane existence and touch us very deep inside where we rarely reach as worldly being lost in the mad race of life. Those books remain beautiful forever and draw us towards them now and then, and the experience is always like meeting a beloved with love and tender excitement.
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