I happened to see some interesting bookmarks in a mall recently. As I went through the different ideas people have come up with to mark the page where they have paused reading, I knew Sid would want a fair share of them.

My earliest recollection of marking my book is the classic page-fold method. It is simple and easy. A small fold at the top end corner of the page. I had seen my parents using it many times. A folded page in a fat book thrilled me further. When I finally did start reading, I deliberately folded the corner of the page without finishing the book. I believed it was the mark of a true reader.

As I progressed in my reading journey, I slowly discovered my love for books. Unfortunately, there were not many to read in my village. I read the same story books over and over again, marking it each time by the corner fold.

Many years later, when we moved to the city, I took up membership of a library. But this time, I cringed when I had to bookmark. I had an uneasy feeling in my heart when I had to fold the corner. I didn’t want to disfigure the page. I hated to see creases and I tried to iron out the fold. But, how else could I know exactly where I had stopped reading? I tried the next best thing — to remember the page number. I would repeat the page number three times before closing the book. Unfortunately, my numerically challenged memory could not keep up. Obviously, the next day, I got to the book a bit unsure — was it 76 or 87? This only meant I re-read some pages. I started looking for alternatives. Would a thinner book do the trick? I carefully placed a thin book between the pages. But, I guess I underestimated my overenthusiastic family. They mostly ended up pulling out the thin book just to find out what it is about! I hated it. I tried putting the book on the table with the pages facing down. But, I feared the binding of the pages would give way. Then, finally it happened.

It was on one of those lazy Sunday afternoons that I discovered the magic of bookmarks in a stationery shop. A simple strip of paper, with a ribbon at the end. Could it help me find my way back? I marvelled at the idea. “But, it is meant for those who can afford luxury,” said mum. I came back home a bit disappointed. But I knew the trick. I cut out a small strip of paper and drew some pretty things on it. I couldn’t find a beautiful string to tie at the end but heck, I then knew I had a fabulous way of marking my book.

A few years ago, when Sid, my son, took to books, it was pretty natural for me to ask him to treat his books nicely. Today, Sid not only marks his book, but also uses many kinds of bookmarks to remind him of his favourite pages. There are bookmarks that glow and there are others that hold the book for him — just in case. There are those that are made of silk and metal and there are those that have funny anecdotes on them. And yet, despite this, I find Sid going for a ruler to mark his page, or a visiting card. Sometimes it gets worse. He tears off the corner from the cereal pack. Well, I may not have used a bookmark or a ruler as a kid, but I now have Sid to help me mark my books. I just use all his fancy bookmarks!

Sudha Subramanian is an independent journalist based in Dubai.