A man of character

A high speed chase through the streets of London culminating in the apprehension of two seasoned criminals. Cut to a botched heist aboard a millionaire’s yacht caught in the violent storms of a roaring ocean. A funny scene between the twins Thomson and Thompson and the professor. Billions of blue blistering barnacles. Snowy sipping  from the Captain’s bottle of whiskey. The Tintin series have always been a favourite growing up and this month’s topic for the Writer’s circle, chosen by Amruta, talks about my love for this very character - Tintin. Darrell Rivers from Malory Towers would come a close second. Staying at home while going to school, the idea of staying in a boarding school with complete independence, playing pranks as well as lacrosse – a sport unheard of before, sounded too good.

The topic for this month is ‘If you could be any character from a book, which character would you choose to be?’. 

Every kid growing up has a lot of dreams, some that can definitely be fulfilled, some a complete fantasy, but close to the child’s heart, no doubt. For children who have been read to in their toddler years, who have then fallen in love with books and characters, devouring up entire adventures and living them scene to scene is not surprising. The Tintin series did that for me. A set of graphic cartoon books, as my eyes traversed the graphics, my mind would conjure up the scenes and the entire story would play itself in front of me. Through these visualizations, Tintin’s flair, his passion for solving complex cases with the Scotland Yard, his steadfast relationship with his friends, the ease with which he decoded the then complex clues for a school going kid completely floored me. Smitten by this young smart detective, I would wait with bated breath every Wednesday and Friday, the days that my father would visit the library at work so I could embark on a whole new adventure with my hero. Not yet in my teens, becoming a detective became a dream for me then, enticing me like a moth drawn towards the flame. Of course, all I knew about it then was what I had read with Tintin. Years later, life had plans of its own.

Long after, I still cannot let go of the series and grab a copy whenever and wherever I spot one. Recently, when a sweet colleague friend of mine who loves to paint rocks (one among the many skills that he’s a master at!) offered to do one for me, Tintin and Snowy were the characters I picked! Needless to say, I love it!

So if I were to quiz you on the same, if you could be any character from any book (the book does not have to be your favorite) which character would you choose to be?

I would love to hear your views!