Writing, Among Other Things
There are some writers that we have been reading since childhood. We never imagine meeting these writers because they seem to be a part of a different universe. Mr. Ruskin Bond was one such writer for me.
I have used was in that sentence because last week our universes conspired – I can think of no other reason for our chance meeting – and brought us on a converging path.
It happened like this.
Today’s generation is an educated lot. The literacy rate is increasing all across the globe, and so, by default, it should be expected that we have more smarter people today, than we had, say, 50 years ago.
While it would be difficult to decide one way or another, it can be safely said that today we have more knowledgeable people than 50 years ago.
But, does having more knowledge make you smarter?
I don’t think so. Having knowledge is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for smartness is what I say.
Here is a little story from the great Indian epic, Mahabharat, to illustrate what I mean:
It has been about a month since I wrote anything on the blog. This is in sharp contrast to my goal, which is to post at least one post on the blog every week.
I know I am not alone.
There are numerous bloggers out there who, like me, set goals for themselves but soon find that they are not able to meet the stiff targets they had set up.
Why does that happen?
When I was a child, the thing I wanted to buy most was a typewriter. I used to write poems (or at least what I thought were poems) and short stories on paper, and wondered when I would be able to type them out on a typewriter. The typewriter, to me, was that one thing that would complete my life. Of course, I had no idea about soulmates back then.
It was by mere chance that one day I got a chance to use a typewriter in my father’s office. Typing my first poem on that machine was one of the happiest moments of my life. But, I never bought a typewriter of my own, because by the time I had enough money to buy a typewriter, no one was buying one.
The typewriter had been replaced by the computer.
Yesterday, a friend said a strange thing to me. He said that he had read many of my blog posts, and some of my short stories, but – before I could thank him – he added that he felt most of them were quite simple, as they were based on events and incidents that happened in my daily life.
My first reaction, naturally, was one of indignation. I felt that my friend was accusing me of lacking imagination and creativity. But, at the time, I decided to mull over the whole thing before reacting to what he said.
Eventually, I came to the conclusion that he was right. My ideas did originate in the events that were happening all around me. All I did was take these little, ordinary, incidents and weave a web of words around them.
But, isn’t that exactly what writing and creativity is all about?
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