Eloor lending library Cochin :)

I remember the first time I went to the dentist to get my braces on a sunny morning sometime in 1997,I had to get 4 teeth pulled out at once and needless to say I was scared/nervous/sad/angry everything!I remember crying the entire night before anticipating the pain and asking mom why I wasn't born with pearly white in a row perfec teeth like her :(

Anyhow the next morning did come and I did go to the dentist and he did pull out the 4 teeth as promised.
It was while I was sitting in the waiting room that my mom had the bright idea of a little treat for me when I m done with the entire thing.
The prize....membership at Eloor Lending Library :) Now I was a voracious reader(I don't read as much as I would like to now) and "Paico" in cochin was one of my favorite haunts when I was a kid.
So after the ordeal we trooped to the library(me with my mouth numb and stuffed full of cotton) and got my membership :)

I still remember it was  500 bucks for a lifetime membership and you could take upto 5 books at a time and return it within 2 weeks.(Awesome of what!!)


Now this library is a little non-descript lil thing,in a non-discript lil building,in a non-descript lil lane with non-descript lil staff and to top it off its a non-descript lil room...but....filled with rows and rows and rows of books!I m telling you they have everything!I challenge you to ask them for a book that they havent heard of or better still do not have!

The staff is surprisingly knowledgelble about the books they have and will guide you to a lil corner that you might not have known the library had in the first place and get you the book you want.
Also when they came to know that I would be a regular there the rule of 5 books at a time was quickly forgotten and I was allowed to take as many books as I liked(I remember picking up 20 at a time during the summer hols :) )

This library has seen me through my Enid blyton days,the Archie comics days',my Goosebumps days,to my MBA prep days,to my Daniel Steel days,to my Ayan Rand Days and then I went off to college and could not frequent the library but you will not believe I still remember my number there!(This from a person who is yet to memorize her current phone number!).

I have gone to the librbry on and off after that but then I got married and moved to Bangalore and then there was absolutely no chance I could visit them.I hadnt used my librbry number in ages!3 years to be precise!

So when I was in Cochin recently for 4 days(a  luxury in between work and life!) ,I figured I would drop by and check out what is up at good ol Eloor! :)

And you wont belive the staff remembered me,the account still worked and I went WILD!
I couldn't decide what to pick up,how many to pick up and if I ever wanted to go back to Blore at all!! :) :) (Alright I m being a lil too extreme here :) ) But still you get the picture :) :)

I had the most lovely time and it resulted in joining the Just Read library at blore,but sigh... nice books but an electronic card that swipes what you issue and what you return,a system that tells you what books are available and a system that lets you request for a book that you want :( No human interaction,no coziness, nothing like Eloor basically :(

But I guess this will have to do :(...... for now :) :)until I maybe start a library of my own :) Its  a thought isnt it :)