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Harry Potter mania grips twin cities
ISLAMABAD, July 20: Like any other capital and major city in the world,
Islamabad and Rawalpindi are also under the spell of the Harry Potter magic and
waiting crazily for the last book of the series that would tell which of the
characters in the story dies.
As the countdown begins, this well-kept
secret will be known when the final chapters of Harry Potter and the Deathly
Hallows hit bookshelves on Saturday.
Pakistan's older generation may have
been charmed by the fantasies of Sinbad and Ali Baba of the Arabian Nights, but
the new generation is mad about Harry Potter.
It's become such a literary
sensation, in a country like Pakistan where political biographies attain the
proportions of popularity, that for the first time we see a book widely believed
to be a children's fairy tale literally casting a magical spell on hundreds of
readers of all ages.
The scale of bookings may not be as high as in the
US and UK - over 620,000 and 250,000, respectively - but by Pakistani standards
of book reading and buying, readers in the twin cities have also queued up to
reserve their copies in hundreds with several big stores.
As the
excitement builds up, kids and adults are so impatient as to what will happen
next in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that some of them have even gone
back to reading the sixth edition to get into the rhythm of the enchanting
magical experience.
After staging the death of Dumbledore, the principal
of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft Wizardry (one of the lead characters), and
Harry Potter a step away from killing Voldermort, the teacher of dark arts in
the last part "The Half- Blood Prince", a wave of anticipation has gripped fans
as the final part of the magical sensation is a day away from launch.
The
supernatural emphasis by JK Rowling, who dreamed up Harry Potter series, has
captured and triggered their imaginations. Carried into a magical universe, it's
become a guessing game as they search the net for clues and read reviews to come
across hints to predict their own endings.
A 'huge' fan of Harry Potter,
Dr Rubia, admiring the poster of the final chapter glued to the entrance of a
book store, said, "I think Harry Potter will also die after he killed the evil
Voldermorts. Its author JK Rowling is too possessive about her books and the
movies that she would not want anybody else to write or film its
continuation."
Fakhria Saeed got a gift voucher for the new book on her
birthday and was very excited. She believed that Harry Potter would not die but
go on to become the principal of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
after he killed Voldermort - as evil as ever.
Although Zara didn't like
any of the Harry Potter movies but she is also eagerly waiting for the last
book. "I don't think Harry Potter will die. He might be Voldemorts' son, the
evil who wants to kill him but doesn't know."
Nimra Asad and Sana are
also Harry Potter fans who don't think that the Deathly Hallows was the final
chapter, adding, "We don't want the series to end."
Maryam, not a huge
fan, expressed that one had to have a rich and fertile imagination and the
ability to be child-like to enjoy it and enter the realms of the magical world.
"It appeals to the child inside you and that's why it's so popular."
The
final chapter has received such a wide interest that there are posters hanging
from the roofs and stuck at entrances of several book stores announcing discount
offers on advance bookings.
Ahmad Saeed, the owner of Saeed Books in
Jinnah Super claimed to have ordered some 2,000 copies for the readers in
Islamabad. He said he would decorate the new books at the entrance like a
Christmas tree on Friday night, adding, "I might even start selling before its
official launch. It's been recommended to children for summer reading. There are
over 700 advance bookings," he said.
Laik Ahmad at the London Book
Company in Kohsar Market complained about the high price. "This is the
subsidised price but still out of the reach of a lot of children. I have ordered
about 100 copies. People have been asking about it for almost a year now. But in
the last 15 days they have booked in advance.
Yousuf, the owner of Mr
Books in Super Market, said he had ordered 200 copies of the top selling Deathly
Hallows. But its price - Rs1,595 - was too high. He would even sell the pirated
copies to make sure all children read it despite pre-emptive action in Pakistan
against piracy - a one page document that all distributors are being asked to
sign. Dawn
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| Education News | | Updated: 14 Oct, 2014 |
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