Book Uncle and Me by Uma Krishnaswami

Author:Uma Krishnaswami
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Groundwood Books Ltd
Published: 2016-08-29T15:42:10+00:00

19

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Notice

IN HIS TINY house, over tiny glasses of tea, Book Uncle tells us how he got started with his books. He began collecting them when he was a young teacher in a village near the city, where the school was too poor to have any books.

“Once I started, I couldn’t stop,” he says. “My wife and I, we both collected books.”

“Was she a teacher, too?” I ask.

“She was.” His eyes go to a picture on a bookshelf. It is a picture of a lady with a gentle face. She is wearing a shiny-bordered sari. She has flowers in her hair.

“Is that her?” Reeni says.

Book Uncle nods.

“She was a good soul,” the istri lady murmurs. “Kind and generous she was.” She narrows her eyes at us, so we can see that there is a sad story in that picture, and we know not to say anything more.

When he retired from teaching, Book Uncle decided to set up his free lending library, where you don’t have to sign up and get a card or pay a fee, where even if you have no place to sleep, if you can read a little bit, there will be a book for you.

“And not only that,” the istri lady says. “You taught people how to read. You helped me open up a bank account so I could save some money, and you taught me how to write my name. You do kind things for so many people.”

That is the longest I have ever heard the istri lady speak without yelling at someone.

Book Uncle says, “People ask me, ‘Why don’t you charge for the books you lend?’ But you see …” He waves a hand around him. “What do I need money for? I have my little pension which comes promptly every month, and the landlady is kind enough not to raise my rent.”

“Only now they’re not going to let you give your books away?” the istri lady says.

“Alas,” says Book Uncle. “The city has given me notice.”

Notice. It is a word that makes you sit up and pay attention. That pink paper was the notice.

It said that Book Uncle does not have a permit for a commercial establishment.

Therefore his lending library is an illegal operation and must be shut down.

If he wants to stay open, he has to pay a lot of money to the city.

I look around me now. I notice that the curtains are faded. The furniture is old. Book Uncle must not have a lot of money.

“That is not fair!” Reeni says. “You should complain.”

“To the mayor,” Anil says.

Book Uncle shakes his head. “The notice was from the mayor’s office,” he says. “Maybe it’s part of a city project. Catching up with uncollected fees or something like that. What can I do?”

I open my mouth. Because I know it’s not part of any city project. They sent him that notice because someone wrote a letter of complaint. But I catch the istri lady’s eye. It holds a warning glint. I say nothing.

Book Uncle sees us off at the door.

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