Our Bureau
Kerala
World famous author, JK Rowling responded to the tale of a man from Kerala who took a Harry Potter book from a bookstore in his school days. 17 years later, he came back to the same store with his book and the stolen Harry Potter book.
In 2007, a 15-year-old boy, full of curiosity and a passion for storytelling, couldn’t help but be drawn to J K Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The young student, hailing from a humble background in the riverside town of Muvattupuzha in Kerala’s Ernakulam district, found the book unaffordable with a price of approximately Rs 900 at that time.
Motivated by his love for reading and urged on by his friends, a daring young Reese Thomas risked it all by sneaking a copy from a nearby bookstore, a decision that could have derailed his aspirations before they even took off. After being inspired by the popular films “Dhoom” and “Don”, Thomas decided to take on the challenge and successfully stole a copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows from a bookstore in Muvattupuzha.
Seventeen years later, the bookstore ‘New College Book Stall’ where he committed a youthful mistake now proudly showcases his published book, 90’s kid. The boy, who is now an accomplished writer and a second-in-command for many Malayalam films, revisited the location of his wrongdoing, not to face punishment but to return what he had previously stolen. Still, Devdas, the shop owner, realized the surprising change and only requested a signed copy of the book ’90’s kid’ from the author.
This touching tale grabbed Rowling’s interest, leading her to share conflicting emotions on Twitter, recognizing the mistake while also applauding the happiness it generated. Rowling wrote, “I know I’ll be accused of encouraging book stealing by sharing this, so please don’t steal books, book stealing is bad. Anyway, this is the loveliest thing and made me really happy.”
Thomas stated that during his teenage years he avidly followed the Harry Potter series primarily because Emma Watson, who portrayed Hermione in the movies, was a “crush from childhood”.
