The Ickabog free online and the journey to an imaginary land
BY ALI NAQVI –
We are a people who never let an opportunity go by to make use of the helplessness of others and most of the times it happens in an organized and systematic way. Take Ramadan for example, prices hike when people are in need of various food and grocery items. Government collect taxes from people who have low incomes while huge businessmen, tradesmen, agriculturalists, industrialists and factory owners enjoy the status of exemption. For us getting something free is always an exciting prospect. The Ickabog is coming online for free to help the Corona-hit world.
The Ickabog is a novel by famous fiction writer J. K Rowling. Famed for her Harry Potter Series Rowling has written this novel for free online publication to help people read while staying at home. Families stuck at home especially children will be able to access the book to break the monotony of being trapped indoors.
Rowling conceived the story almost a decade ago. She used to tell it to her children as a bedtime story. The tale is named Ickabog that will take you to the imaginative world of fairy lands with fairy characters. The story will have nothing to do with the magic worlds of other Rowling books. The standalone novel will explore the ideas of truth and honesty while contrasting it with ideas such as the abuse of power.
The themes, knitted with the fanciful storytelling, are likely to inculcate in children a sense of responsibility as individuals through subtle moral indoctrination. The first few chapters of Ickabog are published online. The publication of the book will complete by 10th July 2020. The print version of the book will come out later this year with royalties going to projects associated with Coronavirus pandemic.
The free publication of Ickabog online may appear to be a small thing to many but it gives a big message. It shows how concerned the western civilization is about its people and on the other hand we are still not sure whether to lockdown the country or not. Our government’s rhetoric of helping the poor during Coronavirus is just a sham. PM Imran Khan has amassed millions and millions of Rupees as charity but we don’t know how much is spent and where.
Ickabog is hope in practice. This is how each individual can help according to his/her capacity. While Ickabog is free for the world urging everyone to stay at home, we are still freely venturing out in search of COVID-19.
