Chapter 1 : Life as it is

Prologue

***

“Thank you . Thank you very much! “

(Applause)

“I wouldn't have been what I am today had it not been for you people. My inspiration for what I do, is nothing but one among you. You encourage me to speak for you, write on your behalf, give words to your emotions and present something which portrays life as it is, without any exaggeration.”

“Ma’am, I have a question. Why do you write so brutally? You could sugar quote things and put it subtly too!”

“Thanks again, for the suggestion, Mr….. Your name please?”

“Ronit”

“Mr.Ronit, you are right. There are writers, who sugar quote reality and make it sound oh-so-beautiful. But I have my class of readers too. Someday I would like to attempt a fantasy fiction where everything is sugar quoted, false and beautiful. Someday!”

“You mean to say, other Indian authors are not doing a good job, because they write fantasy fiction”

“I never meant that Mr.Ronit. I am just saying, my genre is different and I couldn’t be more thankful for the amazing response that I get for what I write!”

(Applause)

***

The applause is a good motivator, unless it is not just for relaxing your palm muscles. I am not attracted to a huge crowd or to massive response for my work. I am happy that I could just do it. When my work is published, I feel a sense of euphoria not because I know I would have thousands of readers vying for a signed copy, but just because, I could speak to many hearts through this one book. There are times when I am mistaken too. But I really don’t care.

The sun doesn't stop shining in the summer, or doesn't generously appear in monsoons. It just remains true to its nature. So do I. it’s very simple.

I remember someone telling me, “Miss Writer, you got a weird attitude. If you let go off your Ego, you’ll be more endearing”

I took the advice. But I never implemented it, because it wasn't my ego in the first place. My mom told me, it’s always good to be true, than charming. Truth has its own charm!

***

My thought flow was disturbed, as my phone rang. It was Shalini, my mother. She wasn’t present for my book release and I couldn’t have been more annoyed.

“Mom, you’re calling me now?”, I whispered getting away from the dais.

“Well, I just called to ask, which floor were you on, I am lost in this big building!”, she spoke so sweetly that I had an indelible smile on my face. I wanted to hug her for giving me yet another surprise.

Shalini was always so good at this.

She never missed important occasions, but I wasn't expecting her to fly to Mumbai from Singapore for my book release. I would have shared the video anyway.

I looked into the crowd as the crowd settled down, and I watched Shalini switch off her cell phone. She was the best audience one could ever have, the best listener and the perfect soother for the tempest – me. 

She had arrived! Finally!

***

to be contd...

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Sometimes, the world seems useless and the heart yearns only for...

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Picture Courtesy : Pooja Cornelius

I am on a diet and....

Damaged Self Control! :(

Serial Fiction : The Origin

Prologue:

There is something called the life of truth. Unadulterated by the eccentricity of human characteristics and deviations. A life which should be. But isn't  - Neither for me nor for you. That plane of existence is a universe unexplored.

***

A graduation in a certain discipline conditions your mind in such a way that you are devoid of the facts of life. You have to undo a lot of learning and start afresh.

After I received my degree for my masters, my mother, who’d come to attend the convocation, and I went to my favorite café.

She told me a few things that day, which I can never forget. 

She leaned forward on the table, looked into my eyes and said, “Your master’s degree has got you knowledge in how a certain electronic component works. You have no clue how you’d master the art of living with this little knowledge. Always remember, be ready to accept your faults, humbly, always speak the truth – to yourself, and others, there is nothing as a good lie, and always be ready to accept things the way they are.”

“Hmm”, I sipped coffee as I heard her speak. She spoke very less, and when she did, it was worth absorbing. This was very unexpected. She wasn't someone who would tell me how to do things in life or tell me the nuances of it. She had always let me be. But then, she was trying to tell me things. Things, which I would have loved to grasp, because she spoke so little.

“There may be times, when your heart will be broken, but always remember, the other person is not bad - the situation is. Time will make everything right. You will be a better human being after every experience. You will have lessons and you’ll be richer”, she added.

“Hmm”, I agreed as it intrigued me further. She was doing a great job. Where was all this all this while, I wondered!

“You will be blamed, held wrong for a lot of things you didn’t do, but it is not always necessary to prove yourself. As long as you are true to yourself, nothing else matters. Opinions are like armpits they say - Everyone’s got two, and they stink. Never let anyone tell you how you’ve ruined their life, because know one thing, you can never ruin anything. You are made to build, made to produce, on a basis of truth”, she said.

It was deeper than the speech the dean had given.

“Always do what your heart tells you and sometime in life, try and become a mother, before it’s too late”, she ended it with that.

I was 23 and I had no clue why she emphasized on the motherhood aspect. I realized she probably wanted me to have an equally awesome daughter like she did. Motherhood was nowhere on my mind.”

***

to be contd..

Onto Chapter 1: Life as it is

Diving in again

I think I am ready to blog all over again. There are if and buts most of the times, and the situations are not very favorable either, but writing keeps me going. I have been working on the fiction, and I shall start posting it from tomorrow which is a slot for "Fictional Fridays". I think one chapter a week will be good, as it will give me sometime to get some reviews about the same, and make me understand what I am writing. It's been a while that I've indulged into a full -fledged fiction and I want to do that now. I seem to have almost forgotten how to write stories, weave plots and develop characters.

The next fiction may just be an attempt at going back to the roots and starting all over again. And I am not very good at it, so I'll just try to learn in the process of writing fiction. 

Today is a thoughtful thursday, and this is a nice start, I feel. I can give up publishing at times. But I can never give up writing! :)