"The idea is to write it so that people hear it
and it slides through the brain and goes
straight to the heart."
- Maya Angelou
It is difficult for me to fathom since exactly how long I have been writing to express myself. This certainly doesn't include the quintessential writing one does while in school or college. Sometimes, it seems to me as a consequence of my intrinsic behaviour which is keeping things to myself. Growing up, I was not the one growing up with a bunch of kids - neighbours, cousins of my age and my early socialization was limited to my parents and elders for as long as I can remember. Being the elder sister with a considerable age difference, my childhood was solitary. Before class 2 when my family finally moved to Jaipur, my father had postings in different districts and I faintly remember changing schools as well as homes. In fact, even within Jaipur, I have been part of four different schools. This also meant that I never got attached to one particular area, home, school or set of friends.
Looking back, it is now that I realize that my love affair for writing began nearly a decade back and I am extremely grateful to my parents for their support. I've always been a voracious reader and certain books left imprints on my impressionable mind. Two of the ones that really inspired me to embrace the pen include 'The Diary of A Young Girl' by Anne Frank and 'The Story of my Life' by Helen Keller. Since the time I've gotten to know about their lives, they inspire me and will continue to be my heroes, no wonder they say that the pen is mightier than the sword.
I started writing my Diary though not on an everyday basis but when there was an urge to let out strong thoughts, feelings or emotional upheavals- brimming happiness, curiosity, longing, anger or pain, of the kind I did not know to express in ways other than writing. This was a time devoid of smartphones and social media and I am glad about that as our state of mind and feeling was not slave to notifications. One could effortlessly develop or hone one's hobbies and pursue fulfilling tasks with undivided attention back then. Anyway, I believe every decade comes with its own possibilities and pitfalls and we must become a little more mindful of the areas where we want to spend our energies and precious time. Our priorities must serve as a blueprint for the lifestyle we choose to live each day and things will eventually fall into place. Here, I am reminded of a beautiful quote I heard on a podcast by Hindu priest, entrepreneur and speaker Dandapani,
I started writing my Diary though not on an everyday basis but when there was an urge to let out strong thoughts, feelings or emotional upheavals- brimming happiness, curiosity, longing, anger or pain, of the kind I did not know to express in ways other than writing. This was a time devoid of smartphones and social media and I am glad about that as our state of mind and feeling was not slave to notifications. One could effortlessly develop or hone one's hobbies and pursue fulfilling tasks with undivided attention back then. Anyway, I believe every decade comes with its own possibilities and pitfalls and we must become a little more mindful of the areas where we want to spend our energies and precious time. Our priorities must serve as a blueprint for the lifestyle we choose to live each day and things will eventually fall into place. Here, I am reminded of a beautiful quote I heard on a podcast by Hindu priest, entrepreneur and speaker Dandapani,
"Where awareness goes,
energy flows."
The intellectual trigger to this write-up was my diary I stumbled upon recently which I was writing back in 2009, exactly a decade back. In college, I discovered George Orwell, thanks to a friend sharing a similar appetite for reading. His iconic 1984 marked my initiation into the intelligently crafted Orwellian world and there was no stopping from thereon. In fact, this piece is inspired by one of his essays first published in 1946 titled "Why I Write", the link to which I will provide in the very end. Different people are driven by different motives and here I attempt to elucidate why I write:
- I believe that the written word is a powerful medium of expression and will continue to be no matter what advancements in technology take place. People who crave new ideas and knowledge will continue to seek them and good writing brings with itself a kind of aesthetic enthusiasm for the author. Therefore, with the advancements in technology, on one hand, we find people addicted to video games, pornography and social media and on the other hand, the number of e-books, audiobooks and kindle being sold are also increasing. There seems to be hunger within me to write and disseminate what I've learnt from my 24-year-old journey round the sun.
- Being a reflexive individual and a sociologist, I constantly engage with contemporary realities of the society, polity and economy. Certain questions pop up in my head every now and then to which I believe a lot of us seek answers to. I want my writing to urge people to put their thinking caps on and seek the truth, to take every comment or piece of media with a pinch of salt.
- It has been forever since I've wanted to write a book and I know for sure that one day I will face the gargantuan task of streamlining my ideas into one coherent piece. So, I perceive writing at present as a primer or refresher course before I actually, embark the journey of writing my first book. It might seem crazy to many but the image of the Acknowledgments page is already embedded in my mind. For information on the theme, you will have to be patient.
- I write to get rid of certain uncomfortable feelings and emotions as writing is a cathartic experience for me. Many of us don't realize that every day we are exposed to a rainbow of emotions and experiences, both pleasant and unpleasant. Once in a while, we need to press the reset button on our system so that we continue to move ahead in life, discarding the unpleasant and ugly moments of life. I believe journaling or writing are practical tools available to us to achieve better mental health.
- I look forward to the sense of accomplishment, I feel when I finish writing an article or commentary. Writing is not easy and certainly not everyone's cup of tea. It is a test of patience as well as attention. I don't struggle with words but the "writer's block" is real and can often dampen the desire to express and this is why writing consistently is quite difficult. One needs to achieve a particular state of mind and have moments of solitude to get the pen flowing or keyboard typing.
- It would not be just on my part if I don't acknowledge the egoistic drive towards writing - being discussed, respected for your originality and earning some recognition in the society. This trait is similar to those of scientists, artists, lawyers, politicians etc. ("the whole top crust of humanity" as Orwell puts it). I believe it is not the money per se, but the additional feather that you add to your cap, alongside the career you pursue.
- Lastly, I write as an attempt to capture the creative juices flowing in my head to arrive at something concrete or tangible out of it. An influx of ideas and thoughts is a gift that I like to treasure by transforming it into an intellectual product before it fades away. It is up to you what value you would like to attribute to your train of thought or just rubbish it aside. In the coming decades, I wish to create more (valuable content) and consume less of digital media in the long run. If you don't value your independent thinking, who on Earth will?
I hope you found it interesting and it was worth your time.
I would appreciate if you can leave your thoughts in the comments section below.
You can find Orwell's essay here -
Amazing! Keep it going!
ReplyDeleteThanks :)
Delete