Well I have had the reputation of being a bookworm from childhood, as i used to read each and every book, that I could lay my hands on. So here are some favourites of my childhood days.

1) Amar Chitra Katha: Thanks to these comics, learnt a lot about Indian mythology, history, culture. They bought to life all the stories we heard from our Grandma. Stories of Gods, Godesses, classics,kings, emperors, rulers, Modern Day Indians. Even now i still read these whenever I get a chance to do so.

2) TinTin: Like any kid, loved reading comics. But for me nothing to beat TinTin. It was simply great in one word. What an array of characters Tintin, his goofy dog Snowy, Capt Haddock with his abuses( billions of blistering barnacles, thundering typhoons), the absent minded Prof.Calculus, the bumbling twins Thompson and Thomson. Just unforgettable. Though i loved every comic, some of my personal favorites are Prisoners of the Sun, The Red Sea Sharks, Tintin In Tibet.

3) Asterix: Boy i just used to roll on the floor laughing at the jokes. I was enthralled with this tiny guy, smashing the Romans to pulp. Of course the names Obelix, Getafixit, Vitalstatix. And the jokes were just too brilliant. Of course more than Asterix, i loved the roly poly Obelix and his Mehnirs.Both Asterix and Tintin, were written by Europeans, so i think that explains why those comics were so great.

4) Dennis the Menace: Generally didnt like American comics much, but this was an exception. This guy was mischevious,naughty and irreverent. The way he used to trouble Uncle Wilson, his wisecracks at Martha, his monologues with Ruff. And the best thing about Dennis was he was an ordinary kid like me, unlike a Richie Rich or Archie.

5) Any book by Jules Verne: I first read ’’Around the World in 80 Days’’ and was hooked on to it. The travels of Phileas Fogg, through exotic places like Aden, Yokohoma, Rangoon using all modes of transport was great. And ’’20000 Leagues Under the Sea’’ was just too good. I loved submarines, and the concept of a guy spending all his life underwater, in a sub was simply great to me.