Have you heard someone ridiculing a youngster for writing? Have you seen people around you comparing professions with money? If you have not, then which world are you in?
In Class 9th (age 14 years), a boy wrote a 12 page Hindi story. The pages were of a short notebook, and if you were to count the words, they’d be around 2000-3000. That story was circulated the class, and a few of his friends suggested him to write for a magazine or newspaper. That boy hailed from a lower middle-class family where no one even knows about writing. Their dream is to see their children as an engineer, doctor, CA or IAS officer.
The boy walked on the path of his parents and joined an organization. He had enough money to meet his needs and enjoy his life. Suddenly the dark day arose when he realized that politics at the workplace is greater than hard work. Even then he blamed himself for not understanding a few details, and instead applied to a management college, where he got accepted. In one class, during a presentation he encountered:
“Passion gives meaning to your existence.” “Passion? What is that?”, the boy asked.
“My dear something that is what drives you constantly.”
The class ended, but curiosity emerged out of nowhere as if a treasure in waiting. He sat on the edge of his room looking at the sky thinking about the answer.
“Writing?”
He was amazed. He started recollecting moments and realized that writing was his constant friend since the age of 14. In a years time he found a publisher and got his book published, spending a few bucks of his own.
“I want to be a writer,” he declared in front of his family.”Write along with the job, the whole world is doing this, why can’t you?,” a barbaric voice tried to show him the mirror. “My mind doesn’t allow me, why can’t I write?” he exploded like an earthquake. “What will you eat? At 26, you are speaking like an irresponsible adult,” the judge wrote his judgment. “I have started now, within another 4 to 5 years, I shall make my base and work accordingly,” he said with enthusiasm. “There is no money in writing,” the family warned. “My aim is not to be rich, my aim is to write, I love writing,” he tried to put his point of view. “All these are useless things, once you will get married you will realize this fact,” they said and went away.
And from there on started a battle. The next year, he participated in few anthologies and published another set of books, but there were no sales. “What is the problem?” he again started thinking. “Oh my god, no marketing?” The truth hit him hard. The publishers, who published his books weren’t big publishers and circulation was low. He was an introvert and did not market himself, much.
Suddenly he met an angel, and she told him the ugly truth. The world appreciates smart work not hard work. She showed him the politics, the greed and the mistrust around the writing industry. He realized that every field is the same, after all everywhere we have egos, jealousy and back-stabbing. She advised him to start the hard way. He knew diamonds didn’t form on the surface. It requires depth and immense pressure to craft the stunning stone.
That boy is me, Diwakar Pokhriyal, who had published his first poetry book in 2011. As of today, four years from 2011, the count goes to 12. 11 poetry books and one short story collection have been published and are available online and offline. I am a part of 74 poetry anthologies around the world. I have had several interviews with online interviewers, won various poetry competitions including Poiesis Award for Excellence in literature-2014, and my poems are part of various websites. A duet poetry anthology (Synthesis), in which I had participated, made it to the Limca Book of Records – 2015. And last but not the least my latest two poetry books, Poetry for Everyone Vol 1 & 2 consists of 50 different forms of English poetry. It depicts the simplicity of poetry. It gives power to everyone, to become a poet.
I am not an established writer till now, but the storm is near, are you ready?