Writing and expressing in words is a wonderful thing to do. It keeps one’s mind engrossed, thinking and searching for ideas or topics to write about, and giving the world a new perspective. It relieves emotion and gives one a free hand for creating thought-provoking content. Mother Nature and her realm are like a life-infusing potion that gives me vigour and strength. Writing gives voice to my thoughts. Though I express my feelings on socio-cultural and current affairs, talking and writing about Nature and her processes is my like.

Creative expression is best which involves the fewest things to create an object with the greatest impact. There are a lot of creative fields, namely painting, photography, dance, music, cooking and so on. The list is long. All mediums need paraphernalia to produce effects and impact while conveying messages to the masses. Nevertheless, writing is one such medium of creativity which produces punch and power by using words. For writing, one needs a pen, paper (and, in the modern world, a laptop or smartphone) and lots of mental involvement. The human mind does not sleep. It stays active even when the body rests and the individual is in slumber. Dreams testify working of the mind when an individual sleeps. Sometimes, while sleeping, things become lively, and we feel as if things are happening in reality. It takes us to another world, fairly not possible in real life. That gives a new aspect to the things, difficult to experience. This aids in the writing process. With a pinch of imagination and writing skill, a writer creates wonder.

I am not a prolific writer, but I want to be one and work hard to achieve it. Writing has been my hobby, which started during my student life. Incidents, sometimes routine ones, used to evoke my mind, and I would jot them down on the pages of my diary. Writing serves as a conduit for expressing a spectrum of emotions, encompassing frustration, sorrow, defeat, and anguish. It also captures the instances of joy and elation that grace the pages.

Letter writing was one of the popular means of self-expression. Pouring hearts on a leaf of artistically designed letter pads and painstakingly writing calligraphically using well-crafted writing instruments used to be a good pastime in the days of yore and I was not an exception. Watching my grandmother sitting in the doorway, deeply engrossed in writing letters on a postcard or inland letter, is a cherished treasure. Squatting, with her postcard and writing on it, her frail little body would look like a sublime figure. It can only be remembered and felt by heart.

With time, things rolled further and started giving me enjoyment. Although a dearth of ideas hampered the pace and quality of writing. The result was a superficial piece limited only to the description of a place or a happening. It was purely for my satisfaction. I do not mean that now it has improved to a level of professional writing; only readers can decide. Reading works of established celebrity writers would amuse and please me; their usage, word choice and flow thrilled me. Reading them is enlightening and rewarding. They give me an insight. I long and dream of writing like them. The impediments are my strength. Working hard to improve and hone my skills I am inching ahead, and who knows, one day, my voice become strong enough to make a punch! I am optimistic.

During my journey through life, I have seen things changing. Comparing the old days with modern times I find a great difference. Today’s time is the time of race, cutthroat competition and professionalism. People vying for more. No one has time to take things easy and do on one’s own. Life is zooming fast and appears in a mad race with ample crowds on the roads. People are seen helter-skelter, shouting and honking horns of their vehicles. They are racing.

Things that I thought were close to me have volatilized. While on the journey, several things came and are still coming. Some caught my attention, some lured me, but some made a room in my heart and settled permanently. One of them is photography. It germinated in my heart during childhood. I saw my maternal uncle working on film processing and printing contact prints from negatives with rapt interest. Then came the Era of 35 mm SLR film camera and the first camera I laid my hands on was Canon. While on an excursion tour or picnic, I would ask my friends to give me their camera and let me do picture taking. This would satiate my hobby. With time, it grew and became more and more strong. I used to take pictures not with heavy photo gadgets but with any instrument at hand, including a smartphone or point-and-shoot camera. My pictures give me pleasure and refresh memories. Some of them find a place in my writings as well.

The seed that germinated years before, is growing. Though the plant is slow growing; its slow but persistent growth will be fruitful, I feel so. Lines written by Robert Frost are my inspiration:

“The woods are lovely dark and deep.

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.”

Yes! I have to cover miles before I sleep. I think we must not lose hope. Things are adverse and daunting, sometimes frustrating but so what? We need to move. Martin Luther King Jr. says,

“If you can’t fly, then run. If you can’t run, then walk. If you can’t walk, then crawl but whatever you do, you have to keep moving.”

These words pump adrenaline into our veins. We need to be steady despite scathing by peers, relatives, even family and friends. We have to have faith in ourselves. We have to move.

I am moving, staggering, but standing on my feet and defying the odds. Are you?

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