Why do I write? Well, it gives me immense pleasure.
Why and when did I write? Well, Ruskin Bond hooked me. His ‘First Time I Saw My Novel in Print’ made me fall in love with writing. Bond’s way of writing not only hooked me but also inspired me to take pen and paper. During those days (the early 2000s), desktops and laptops were yet to arrive and revolutionise the world of writing.
So, one rainy day, I wrote a somewhat similar piece (in English). I intentionally tried to match the tone of my write-up with that of Bond’s. I was so obsessed (in fact, I still am) with Ruskin Bond that I could not think of anything else. The simplicity and lucidness of his writings turned me crazy. From that write-up onward (unpublished and lost) began my journey of writing. I used to save pocket money to buy magazines (India Today, Filmfare, CineBlitz, Sportstar), newspapers (The Telegraph) and comics.
Years passed by, and I began reading serious texts. English literature, novels, poems, short stories, thrillers and ghost stories, and what not. Writing, by then, had become one of my favourite hobbies. I began writing here and there, with a dream of getting published. However, it took years for me to get my writings published. There is an other-worldly feeling which comes with seeing your article in print for the first time. I could relate to Ruskin Bond.
Writing is a mental exercise which should be performed regularly. The best part of writing is that it gives me an opportunity to express my feelings, reach out to the people, and above all, rejoice with the feeling of seeing my writings in print.
Silchar, a city in the south of Assam, gave me that scope. I used to buy books (offline) from bookshops, which were scanty. Even now, there are a few bookstalls here. I remember the days when my father (now late) used to take my brother and me to book fairs. My father was a voracious reader and used to teach me English. Alas, he could not see my writings in print or in the digital format. The habit of visiting book fairs has not left me. I still frequent book fairs.
My beloved teachers and well-wishers used to advise me to read as much as possible. Reading is the only option, which can make you a good writer. I love reading Jawaharlal Nehru, Shashi Tharoor, R K Narayan, Khushwant Singh among Indian writers. I appreciate the efforts of ‘Youth Ki Awaaz’ for providing a platform to write. Oh yes, I write on cinema and read books on film studies.
Happy writing!