Writing has been my habit-turned-passion for a little over three decades now. Not a day is complete for me without sending a letter or two to the leading English dailies, including this newspaper. As a logophile, living with words and sentences has become an indispensable part of my daily routine.
I was on cloud nine when my first letter got published in this very newspaper way back in 1986. The letter was not only a source of motivation for me to keep writing forever, it also gave me a sense of pride.
Writing gives one bliss.
It helps us focus our thoughts, sharpens the memory, adds on to our knowledge and ameliorates writing skills. Over the years, I have enjoyed reading articles in English newspapers penned by some popular writers not just because they are informative, but equally because the flow of the English language with some nice anecdotes and comparisons provided immense pleasure while reading them. Consider this excerpt, from Vijay Lokapally’s piece in The Hindu written when cricket maestro Sachin Tendulkar faced his worst batting trough during the home Test series against England in Dec.2012: “The master’s dismissal against England here on Friday was a poignant moment for those who have watched him conquer batting peaks that none dreamt of.
His state is that of a singer who has lost his voice, an artist his brush or a soldier his gun. Or, precisely of a Tendulkar who has lost his bat.”
A web portal has listed 25 authors who have changed the world through their writings. The list includes great names like William Shakespeare, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud. These writers strongly believed written words have the power to generate ideas, inspire revolutions and change the way we view ourselves and our place in history. Said the renowned American author John-Roger Hinkins, “You can’t think yourself out of a writing block; you have to write yourself out of a thinking block.”
Ten years ago when I was employed with a major publication in Chennai, it brought out a special issue on the DMK patriarch Karunanidhi. When the issue was released by him at his Gopalapuram residence, I had the rare opportunity to interact with him for a few minutes. After I told him that I was a passionate writer, he advised me to retain the zeal for writing, and not to give it up till my last breath. His encouraging words are still ringing in my ears. And many years have rolled on, but my insatiable hunger for writing hasn’t diminished a bit.