Saturday 30 July 2016

Because Readers Are Asking !

I make an honest attempt to always keep my praise response mechanism at a default setting of modest gratitude. However, on quite a few occasions in the past month, this setting changed spontaneously to genuine surprise and even unalloyed joy.

The first occasion was when a friend asked why there were no new posts on my Facebook page called Write Every Day that I’d started about a month ago. Although I knew he followed that page, often liking or commenting on stuff I wrote, it did come as a pleasant surprise to realize that he had noticed the writing had stopped.

The next occasion was at a family get-together when I mentioned in passing about having signed up for Sanskrit classes. A dear cousin whom I hadn’t met in person since quite a few months quipped, “I know.” In response to my surprised query of how he knows, pat came the reply, “I read it on your blog.” Which helped me realize that he follows my writings although he has never commented or indicated in any other way that he reads what I write.

Just a few days ago, another cousin popped up on WhatsApp with a sudden query, “Why no blog posts of late?”

And just a few minutes ago, an old student sent me a message saying, “When are you writing new blog Ma'am? I'm eagerly waiting to read.”

All these experiences hold a surreal meaning for me. Because many times when I send people links to my blog posts asking them to read, there's a tiny voice inside that keeps popping up now and then, "What makes you so sure they'll want to? Are you by chance intruding on their time and space by urging them to read you?"

 Whenever I write something, it’s mostly because I’m moved by a particular topic. In that sense, it serves as a chronicle of my views and an outlet for my thoughts. Sometimes, the writing is to try and convey a particular viewpoint that I think will be useful to my readers.

To myself, rather than a “writer”, I feel like just someone who
  • spends a lot of time thinking of things that most others don’t notice or don’t break their heads over
  • is persistent enough to work at putting those thoughts down in writing, and
  • has the nerve to share these thoughts with the world.

 Which is why it always surprises me when I get feedback saying someone is touched by what I write. And it astonishes and gratifies me that people actually wait to read what I have to say.


Putting together all those surreal experiences I mentioned earlier, I’m left once more humbled and grateful and aware of a greater sense of responsibility. To write more often in the vein I do. To try and keep my voice as sane and free of petty considerations as possible. To try and become a really great writer.


4 comments:

  1. Right again.You know what it is with you Anu? What you write is right there staring at our face.Infact we might have given it a passing thought and then let it be and her you are putting it down so simply and beautifully,you almost validate our normalacy.

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  2. That's such an insightful and sweet comment, Shreyas...thank you so much

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  3. Writing about writing
    I have always felt
    That reading more, is more important than writing.
    Thinking is much more important than writing.
    Practice should precede writing.

    Writing about writing
    Doing and performing should come prior to writing.
    After all this, if mind forces and time permits, then only write, man write.

    Here man refers primarily to woman As a man exists because of a woman.

    Do the writing with a purpose. Writing something for the sake of writing is an aimless roaming. Say like loitering around the shopping complexes. We make the dear readers (shopkeepers) waste their time and energy. An act of happiness to me should not cause undue pains to others, I always felt.

    Reading, ruminating, thinking and then instant penning is the order I always follow. Allow the soul to dance above the surface of the universe. Let our thoughts lift us into creativity. As monsoon rain droplets clear the air, a good writing clears the psyche. Unhampered by the opinion of anyone, trickle the ink, with a mug of coffee.

    And don't forget to be always a poet, even in prose. This is a prose dear. Continue your ever green writings at your own convenience. Carry proper and sufficient, equipments and ammunitions before your March onto the battlefield. Onto the Warzone full of happiness dear. With the flow of love and river of joy to stay afloat in this world forever. A writer never dies as she/he continues living in her/ his writings. He gets backs to life whenever one reads his writings. Valmiki lives everyday in every house forever. Jai ho..
    M G Kodandaram

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