POTTER MANIA

Tomorrow Saturday, the sixth book of Harry Potter, "Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince" will unveiled. It is moreover a worldwide launch of the book. Millions of readers around the world have been anticipating it for over than a year.

All of the five books, till now, have created quite a rave worldwide. The Harry Potter movies also, have taken this rave much more further. I didn't like any of those movies cuz I watched them after reading the books. They are nothing like the books anyway. Yet, I give credit to the movie crew for making such spectacle effects and scenes. It is quite hard to materialize the magical scenario set in the books into the movie screen.

Now the sixth book. One of the most anticipated books of all times. It was #1 bestseller in Amazon.com from two months ahead of its release. Just imagine how many books had been ordered in advance!

I am also a Harry Potter fan somewhat myself. I have read all the five books. I got the first four as a gift from my American sister, Shira Abeles, who is now doing Medicine somewhere in USA. Hey Shira, thanks for addicting me to Harry Potter. Those books were just magical and fun reading. I just got glued to it. I couldn't separate them from myself! You must have had the same feelings while reading the book.

I bought the fifth book myself here in Kathmandu after about 2 months of its release. I bought it in a good bargain. It was worth it. The book was good but its climax was kind of cinematic to me. I don't know what others feel about it.

So, there has been much speculations about this "Half Blood Prince." I am also waiting to reveal the secrets. And there are news in limelight, some books had been sold in US and Canada by the mistake of retailers but the books have been return. I don't know how many people are dying for the book to release. Its just 24 hours away from today or 36 hrs!

Lets hope this sixth installment of the series will be as much fun as the earlier ones.

And there is another rather sad news. I read in the newspaper today, Pope Benedict XVI commenting on the Harry Potter books. As the newspaper said, the Pope said that the Harry Potter books are not in terms with the teachings of Christianity and hence should be discarded. Hell! That is rather a funny comment. I do hope he is also a fan of Harry Potter (maybe a SuperFan!).

I think all the literature products, books, novels, poems, essays, biographies and more, are above any religion and their teachings except those like Bible, Geeta, Quaran and many more. They are the work of creative mind, work of philosophy, written solely by human being for human being. They shouldn't be connected with any religion and discredited. Rather, we should welcome all the ideas presented in the books. I may be saying this cuz I am a bookworm but this is what I feel.

So, my dear Pope, I respect you alot. But I don't agree with you in this thing. There is no Christianity nor Hinduism nor Islamism or Buddhism in the books of Harry Potter. It is a work of imagination and work of art and philosophy. Please don't critisize it again with respect to Christianity. I believe in Christ. He was the Man. But this kind of thinking is bad for him.

So, lets keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best for "Half Blood Prince". Man, I am dying to get that books in my hand.