Writer - by chance

My stint with writing started way back when I was in std 6th in school. In the parent’s teacher meeting, my teacher complained to my father about my bad essay writing skills and I really felt bad about that though my father did not take it so seriously. Only thing that concerned him was my marks in Mathematics, rest was alright.I had thought in my mind that next time this lady gives me to write I would show her. And yes, I did it. I got an excellent for my essay next time. First time I felt I can actually write.

Then came the most prominent event of all that I could remember. It was my 8th std I had taken part in an essay competition organized by Kala Sangam. I had given my name for participation but had forgotten to prepare one because meanwhile I was wounded by a motorbike silencer when I was going to school on it. Preparation generally meant to borrow some books from my IAS aspirant’s neighbors and copy word by word from it. But this time it completed slipped out of my mind and I only remembered an evening before. That was a cool evening of summers and I was sitting on my huge terrace. My maternal grandmother was sitting on the other side of the terrace looking blindly at me. She always starred at me when I was reading or writing, guess she missed this opportunity and always could see it happening through me. The topic of the essay was “when I think of my mother I think of _ _ _?” .We had to fill in the blank with whatever we wanted and write on the same. I thought of filling in with I think of my motherland but then I would have to write a complete essay on motherland and for that I needed some reference because I actually never thought of my motherland. Then I looked at my grandmother and an idea struck me. What about “when I think of my mother I think of how my mother’s mother was”? I started writing on the same. I was quite a bit inspired by movie stories and in my essay I announced that my mother’s mother was dead, for a moment I prayed to god not to take it seriously. I wrote that I had never seen her and I have not even seen her photograph. Then I described that I have an imaginary grandmother who is always with me and a complete sentimental story. This essay, I did not even had to mug up as I did with other copied essays. Next day I went and wrote the same thing wondering what the judges would think.

On a yet another day of my good times in school, a teacher came in our classroom to distribute some envelopes for the winners of the various competition held by kala sangam. Seriously not even in my weirdest thought I did think that I would get one. But by quirk of fate I got one. The envelope had names but it did not declare whether it was first, second or third prize. It was an invitation to an event where the prizes will be distributed and the winners will be announced. But yes one thing was sure I was one of the winners. I somehow made my mother ready to take me there as the event was in evening and it was quiet far off. And in the place like Patna, it was not a very good idea for two female to return home late. My father was not in town. The event was going to take place at an all boys school St. Michael’s. This was kind of Rajput school in "Jo jeeta wohi sikander" and there was another girl's school “Notre dame” just next to it which was much like queens college. So, what about my school. It was similar to where our Aamir Khan studied. You can understand how I was feeling going there. The event really went on for long with lots of cultural program and then finally it was time to announce the prize. They called 4 of us to the stage. There was one extra prize called special prize. So, all 4 of us stood there. It was like the announcement of winner of a beauty pageant. One after another every one got their prize and I was left alone. I was in a kind of Trans, couldn’t react at all. And then the guy (student of St. Michaels school) who was announcing the prize held me by hand and took me till the front of the stage and said and the 1st prize winner is……… You know whom. Only way I can describe my feeling is that I was floating on clouds and could not feel my weight at all. My mother was so happy but nothing bothered me that time, I told you I was in different hemisphere floating smoothly. We came back home with lots of difficulty as it was raining heavily and we were not getting any transport. I don’t know how I slept that day.

Next year kala sangam again organized the competition and obviously I participated. This time I was an experienced person who knows what to write and yes this time no copying from books. I thought I should make use of my imaginative mind. Those days I used to flaunt that my hobby is fantasizing. How stupid? We all are at that age but I have grown it as my habit to be a stupid. This time the topic was “After the rain”. I wrote about a small piece of cloud which was left alone after the rain in the night and who accompanied me till my school and we found a companion in each other and parted after going to school and never meeting again. And guess what, I again got a special prize ( kind of 4th prize) for my essay. I seriously think the judges were as stupid as I am.

Next year was my 10th std and as last year again participated in the essay competition to recreate my magic (stupidity). This time it did not work, may be I was overconfident or may be they changed the judges and I was not able to hit a hattric. For years after that I did not try my luck in writing till last year it was all IIT and physics fever. Last year I thought of applying to ISB and for the essays I wanted to keep my essays original and not idealistic but the kind of I write, sans the stupidity. And I feel they worked as I got a call for interview.

I have been planning to write since 3 years when I first went for my Karnataka trip but somehow was not able to actuate it. A few days back I started blogging which gave me an opportunity again to try my hands here and I am really enjoying, not sure the people who read it enjoys or not. It truly indulges me and I pour my heart out. Now I am a fan of blogging, it lets my stupidity come out and I still feel young and rocking.