*12.53 am* midnight mood to have a heart to heart!
I remember when I started this blog two and a half years back, I was unsure if I would be able to continue it. In fact, I was unsure of what to do in life itself. While the later one hasn’t changed, I still took the plunge. I lived life as it came and have continued writing. I mean, I am here writing this one, so yay me! But I did give up on it a lot of times, took breaks, some longer than others but I always came back and that’s what today’s post is about – sticking to what you love!
Writing has helped me get through a lot of tough times. Writing has continued to be my escape and my personal guide to life. By writing down what I feel, I have helped myself in more ways than anyone else ever has. So yay! Kudos to me!
Someone recently described my posts as ‘dreamy’. And I won’t deny it. I did write about all the fun, dreamy stuff when I first moved out of my parents’. I was a new girl in the city of dreams, alone and independent, making new friends and exploring the by-lanes of Mumbai. My own words let helped me believe that I was okay and see the silver lining in every situation.
I am glad that I stuck to it & recorded the journey. Gives me so much to reflect upon and be a better person everyday. Frankly, I am impressed at myself.
Nikita from 2017 who called her first blog ‘A work in progress’ would be so proud today.
Anyway, like I said, writing is therapeutic for me but sometimes, I miss the appointment. Some situations and thoughts make it quite overwhelming & impossible to write. Then there is the big p-word Procrastination. So hard to kick that one!
That brings to the most interesting part of this blog. I got the opportunity to meet an amazing, inspiring, legendary writer named Kamna Chandra last week at the India Film Project fest. It was the ninth season of this content festival, and it was hosted at the Mehboob Studio in Bandra. For me, it was a first. I witnessed a gathering of so many creative people, sharing their thoughts, ideas, networking, listening to the ones who had made it big, and getting inspired. It was an encouraging environment and refreshing to see the amount of creative energy floating across.
Kamna Chandra was the guest of a session I attended. If you’re not aware, she is the legendary writer of Hindi films like Prem Rog (1982), Chandni (1989), 1942 A Love Story (1994) and the recent (at the age of 70+) Qarib Qarib Single (2017) to name a few. At this event, she spoke about her experience, told us how she pitched her story to the infamous Raj Kapoor, how it got made into the super-hit film Prem Rog, what drove her to writing for the radio before all of it and how, years later she inculcated those values in her kids, all three of whom are creative geniuses in their own way. Take Anupama Chopra for example, who is a well known film critic in the Indian film industry, or Tanuja Chandra, creator of many powerful, off-beat films and not to miss, her son, Vikram Chandra the author of many wonderful books including Sacred Games. Both her daughters had accompanied her at this event and it was a treat to listen to these three ladies talk about their respective writing careers. Their happiness was infectious. I remember being totally star struck and grinning the whole time.
While the entire session was beautiful, what stuck with me was one thing that Kamna ma’am said at the end of the session. It felt as if all the questions I have had about life, my purpose, career, writing, and how it all fits into the confusion were answered by this one line. It almost brought me to tears. It wasn’t something I didn’t already know, but I guess I just needed to hear it. Also, coming from someone of her stature brought a lot of credibility to it. It was a sign.
She said “If you like writing, just keep writing. Don’t ever give up, don’t quit. Hope is the strongest thing in the world. No matter what you write, believe that it is going to be picked up someday. Nothing you write goes to waste, somewhere someone will read your thoughts and it will make them feel good. That’s when you’ve done your job, even if you know it or not. Don’t wait for it to become anything huge. Just keep writing and creating as long as you can.”
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My Colossal Anecdotes 