Showing posts with label random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label random. Show all posts

Nov 22, 2013

Coming back to the books

The smell of old books floated in the air. She stood there, inhaling the thick air that filled her thoughts with nostalgia. The room was locked for over three months, awaiting her arrival. Her grandfather’s will demanded that the key to his library could be handed over only to his only grand-daughter.  For, in the family of business tycoons, she was the only child who loved literature.

Like her grandfather, her paa who had majored in English and had scripted many popular plays and prose, she dreamt of becoming a popular author.  However she was still struggling with a couple of her work under print. They were critically acclaimed but never popular.

Now that she was there, she re-lived many years that she had lived in this house, away from her parents to be groomed into a sensible young lady at the convent she attended. She stepped ahead and felt the arms of rocking chair and recalled when she would wait for him to settle down in that chair so she could wrap herself around his legs and not leave till her demands were met. The strong mahogany wood table, reminded her of her duty to arrange things up on that table. She felt the leather back of his chair, where he would sit through the long evenings, furiously typing away a novel or immersed in his thoughts while he created a plot. A half typed page on the type-writer, a tick sound when she pressed a key reminded her of how this would be the only voice in the room while she finished her homework.

She then saw that smaller chair and table, made for her to sit and study, while paa worked. It was this place that introduced her to fairy tales and horror stories. At this very table, she learnt about Jesus and stories of Ram and Buddha. Although, she learnt her subjects in her school, this was the place which gave her the world of her dreams of being a writer and made her who she was. It was at this table where paa told her about his will and she had innocently asked, “Will these books will be divided too?”  He told her that she will know eventually.

Standing there she remembered the day when she had to move out of the house for her graduation. Just over there, she had hugged paa from behind and cried. She promised to come back in holidays and he laughed. He held her hand and pulled her to face him. He then asked to promise that whenever she returns, she will finish the pending piece of work. She thought he was mocking and said, “Paa, you have never let me read any till they get published, how will you let me work?” Tears welled up in his eyes and he said, “When you come back, I will be able to trust your ability to write.”

Fifteen years, yes that’s the time she took to return back. Every holiday, she planned and postponed. Sometimes it was for summer school, then internship. Eventually it turned into excuses like too short breaks to travel, then family, marriage, kids, holidays with them, etc. Today she understood, why paa laughed when she said that she will be back soon.

She saw on the table, all her books were lined up. She picked and opened one. Corrections were made, appreciations were written, and comments were scribbled with a pencil on almost every page. Each was dated differently, as if the book had been re-read several times.

She opened the first drawer. There kept his unfinished book and a note. A biography of their lives, which he had left for her to complete.

The book was later published as her first non-fiction, a bestseller and an award winner.




Based on Write Tribe Wednesday prompt - the smell of old books

Oct 13, 2013

Welcoming festivities - WOW post :)

I woke up to a loud “tak tak” sound of someone trying to put a nail on the wall next door.
I got up to get ready, when Jerry excitedly started “Bhow Bhow”, jumping and pulling the pile of clothes.
Po po” horn from office cab made me hurry. Avoiding the “clink” of my heels, I rushed down the stairs. “Thud” a loud noise, and I landed on my back. Reason – a pool of wet paint, splattered due to the on-going painting work.
My way of welcoming the Diwali preparations. Phew!

This post is a part of Write Over the Weekend, an initiative for Indian Bloggers by BlogAdda

Sep 6, 2013

Seven blogs bookmarked on my internet browser

Now that I have established that my attention span is very small, I guess it also gives me right to establish that my mood to write changes… therefore, I am not writing about one of promised topics but today I am celebrating my favorite blogs.

I have a practice. If I like a blog, I follow. And when I really like a blog, I bookmark it. I suddenly realized yesterday that I have full seven blogs on my favorites bar.

Sep 5, 2013

Seven super - teachers in my life

My original post planned for the day was seven people I love the most. But keeping in mind that today is teacher’s day celebrated in India; I change my post to seven teachers of high importance in my life.
Since everyone we meet, knowingly or unknowingly, whether we like or not, teaches us something, my post is categorized into groups who taught me a certain thing. This isn’t a first or second list, it is in the order of when I met them in my life.

Sep 4, 2013

Seven things that I hate in myself

Or I’ll put it like this…seven things I am trying to change in me.

More than once, I blame my nature and behavior to my zodiac sign. I am a Leo and being one I have certain good and bad issues with my personality. There are a few without which my life would be happier. Probably listing them down and getting to read will help.

Aug 18, 2013

My blog is being noticed... Yipee!

Did you hear something? No? Not at all? Well…let me tell you what I can hear… I can hear drum rolls.

Why? Because one amateur blogger is celebrating her blog and that amateur blogger is me :)

I have earlier talked about how I came back to blogging after a long break and this time I was determined. I made a promise to write and write, even if no one read it.

But the problem is I am a Leo. If any of you readers are Leo you know about the problem. We love attention. We are people’s people and cannot mind our own business ever. And importantly though we never admit we need approvals and appraisals. At least I do.

Aug 16, 2013

Freedom of Expression - a gift for writer/bloggers in an independent nation

What does freedom of expression mean to me as a blogger/ writer?

The question reminds me of the case of a cartoonist who was put behind the bars for mocking a political leader. It also reminds me of several writers who are banned from their countries, whose work are banned for creating social or political unrest. It reminds me of books that are criticized to be meaningless, thoughtless, etc.

I always think that as a writer (if I ever become one) if I put my heart and soul into a work and publish, how important acceptance to me is.

Aug 1, 2013

Celebrating no post day!

Today is a no post day. Why? Because today I will pat my own back on completing the Ultimate Blog challenge and take the well-deserved break.

I have been waiting for July to get over for a while now. It has been a crazy month. I have travelled for almost 10 days in this month. Have had challenges with phone, battery, laptop and charger (thankfully not all at the same time). I have struggled to find topics, inspirations, ideas, prompts or contests. I have had a constant flow of guests who wanted to keep me away from my laptop and in the last few days I have had a feeling that I’ll soon be thrown out of my job.

Jul 24, 2013

Contests, prompts, games and more…

It is 24th day of the Ultimate Blog Challenge. I took this to improve content on my Blog and subsequently increase the blog traffic.

However, writing a blog post each day can be tricky. There have been times I was travelling or really busy. Most importantly there have been times when I have absolutely run out of topics to write about.

At such times, these contests, prompts, games , challenges have proven as helpful as God sent angels.