The urge for self expression is something so strong; one can’t suppress it for long. And yet, the banal activities of this business called living sometimes keep us away from that which we love doing the most. In my case, it’s writing.
Ever since I can remember, I’ve given vent to my feelings, lent wings to my imagination or simply killed hours of sheer ennui, by indulging in my favourite pastime: writing. Years of maintaining diaries-albeit with sporadic, sometimes juvenile ramblings, further cemented this habit and the weekly essays assigned with relentless regularity by the dedicated English nuns at school-though perceived as hateful in those days- helped polish one’s abilities.
Came college and these forays into the world of writing became few and far between. There was ample opportunity for verbal expression though-debates, dramatics, quizzes-and one was gainfully employed in trying to make a mark as a wannabe Demosthenes. My one year tenure as College Premier provided further exposure in public speaking, in the form of inter-college activities. But all my adventures (and misadventures) were limited to the world of spoken skills and quizzing and we harboured the delusion that we were good at both. Till our awful debacle at IIT Kanpur’s Spring Fest firmly disillusioned us and put any such crazy notions firmly in place. With deep chagrin-we realized that we stood nowhere in the firmament of Quizzing, ignominiously eliminated as we were in the very first round at that prestigious festival!
A chance to hone my writing skills presented itself when I became the editor of the college magazine. I made the first, formal foray into the magical world of weaving a rich tapestry with the beauty of words. Rediscovering my love for the pen was sheer joy which trebled manifold when, one fine day, an article, sent half-heartedly to The Statesman, found a place in the coveted Now & Again column on the paper’s edit page. That sure was a red letter day! I could scarce put my feet on the ground- sheer exultation made me feel light headed! And this occasion got more than its fair share of recognition. It was put up on the college notice board and Sister Aquinas insisted on reading it out-in her distinct nasal twang- to a bunch of hapless students of the English honours batch, who had no option but to simulate expressions of profound appreciation.
That let loose a spate of half-baked ideas expressed in corny write-ups. All diligently dispatched to different dailies but none seeing the light of day. (The number of rejection slips and ‘regretting’ editors’ “compliments” of course kept piling up in inverse proportion.) Till, about five years down the line, the second in the series of articles, finally got published. And then another, and another and another………..my penchant for self-expression had finally found a gratifying outlet. I became a recognized name in my city back home-when seldom was an article sent by me rejected by the HT, my favourite newspaper even then.
We were barely into the new millennium when our historic move to the nation’s capital happened. There were a lot of major- and some minor upheavals- but all said and done, the consensus was that there were positives all around. Folks couldn’t stop congratulating us on our timely move; it was decidedly a change for the better from every conceivable point of view.
Except that my pen was stilled, the budding writer was lost in the milling crowds of this huge metro……
But all is not lost. A new era has dawned with this phenomenon called cyber space where I’ve found my own little corner, my niche, so to say.
Thank you, Technology and thank you, you Blogging world, which has let me into its fold, reviving the creative instinct and rescuing the writer in me.
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