I probably had some sort of flair for writing, but my inclination was unexplored until last year. I truly blossomed as a writer during the lockdown. Although I still believe that I am not such a good writer, but I am able to articulate my thoughts objectively and succinctly. Nothing very flowery from me.
It was during that uncertain and dangerous time when humanity was forced indoors that I started approaching the idea of penning down my thoughts. Come to think of it, I realized that I really loved writing with the first words that I set on paper. Since then, there has been no turning back. I know that my love for writing is rather young as of now and I cannot fail to remark upon how hard I have tried to use my skill within such a short span of time.
I will speak more on my writings, but I think it is essential that we really try to delve deeper into my quality as a writer. I mean one may be curious whether I chanced upon this all of a sudden. To come up with a proper answer, I need to go back many years to my high school days. I could work my way with the language in the early years. However, that was not enough for me or anyone for that matter to realize that I had some kind of a gift as a writer.
I did not go out of my way to establish myself as a writer right away. On the contrary, I was pretty much like the other school kids of my age with the added advantage that I liked the language. Steadily, my propensity to write got noticed and it was in the ninth standard that I came across my first mentor. The training I got at that point of time was priceless as the skills I mastered back then helped me mould my writing abilities.
The demands of life are such that one is bound to venture out into the vast world of commercial activity as soon as one is able enough to do so. My story was nothing different. I was engaged with my work to such a level that it distanced me further from any creative callings. Needless to say, I was not able to nurture my skills well enough to emerge as a writer of any sort right away. Like many good things in life, it had to wait. Fortunately, the wait did not end up being too long!
Last year will forever be remembered as the year that thwarted the world on its path of steady progress. Civilization and society as we had known them, till that point of time, suffered a massive change. The COVID–19 pandemic had arrived, and it was running havoc in one country after the other. Millions of people felt the wrath of the virus within the first few months and several thousands died within the initial stages of the spread of the virus. It seemed as if mankind was standing face to face with its destroyer.
There was nothing much that the Heads of State could do other than shut their respective countries down. Humankind entered the phase of complete lockdown – perhaps the most widespread lockdown in recent human memory. I am sure that what happened next will be recounted by people many years from now.
All of this leads me to question: Was all of it just a bad phase after all? And it is with questions such as these that I am reminded of the mythological Phoenix who is reborn from the ashes of its own pyre! Yes, we were broken and almost turned to ashes, but the lockdown ended up being a boon in disguise for many persons. It was a chance to re-think, re-imagine and re-engineer our lives.
I was one of those who used the lockdown to my advantage. For the first time in many years, I realized that I had a lot of time on my hands that I could spend the way I wanted to. More than anything else, I was convinced that it should be productive if I desired anything good to come out of it. I started exploring my buried desires and talents. It was through such experimentation that I started scribbling little lines without much thought.
The initial scribbling acted as a catalyst to my old flair for writing and soon enough there was no turning back. The small lines began expanding and before long they had assumed proper lengths and shapes of their own. It did not take much time for me to start writing regularly. For me it was never really about great literature but a chance for regular people like me to be able to express ourselves. To get over our fears and share our thoughts into the abyss known as the internet. Did I expect responses? Probably not and probably yes. In the beginning I did not think that I was good enough to be appreciated or even read. But the appreciation and responses came from the most unexpected corners of our universe. All responses help us grow and it is nice to be heard by someone. By anyone. The positive ones motivate, and the negative ones help me improve.
I am happy to say that, at present, there is no stopping me! Finally, I was able to put out my own magazine and its basic aim is to inspire its readers to lead a better life. To be more intentional. More Mindful. More true to themselves and all around them.
I seek to keep working on my passion and scale new heights with each passing day. Go on and explore the side of you that really excites you. The side that you truly love.
Written by Mohit Gupta
Week 6, February 2021
