I THINK THEREFORE I WRITE

Once again I’m face to face with the impasse of frozen creative spring. Willing, though I am, to take up the 99 per cent of the writing endeavour, which is funnily called, sweating it out, but what to do about the elusive 1 per cent which is the mother of all writing? Can I import it, whatever cost? Of course not. That one per cent which kindles the spark within can only be waited upon anxiously.

For the last couple of days, unease of not getting hold of that mysterious trigger point bothered me to no end. I waited but remained unsuccessful in arousing the muse of inspiration. Finally decided, that the way out is to coax the mind out of the slumber of inertia and dismantle the slothful grip of languorous inactivity.

After going through self censure and some resolution, dragged the whining self and sat it on the chair with a big pillow behind, to straighten the back, in preparation for facing the ominously blank computer screen. The task of dislodging the devil procrastinator which dangles like a sword of Damocles is a tough one. But when disarmed, it is felt like a sweet victory over wily treat of impassivity.

After mounting the eyes with the appropriate apparatus to aid vision, the dye was cast with the first click on FreeCell to shake the grey cells into a thinking mode. The game won, hurriedly clicked MS Word before the ‘dil mange more’ syndrome takes over.

A familiar state of mental haziness unavoidably precedes a fresh attempt at writing. A few lines and treasured Sim Sim opens, and the process slowly comes on the track

Actually friends, I am amazed at my own foolishness. Experienced as I am about this tug of war between the mind and opposing pulls which try to bog it down, I should always brace myself to fight it out.

At this awkward moment a valid question pops its head with a smirk on the face and says, ‘What on earth is the need to endure the constant internal squabbling? Nobody is pressurizing you and you don’t have deadlines to meet. Take it easy. What is the big deal?’ 

But there is the big deal! I can’t help confessing the steely hold it has managed to have over me. It has made itself paramount and everything else stands as second. It is a compulsion which is God sent. It is a silver lining in the dark clouds of purposelessness. It is a tonic which revitalizes the body and the soul. It ensures participation in an intellectual marathon which gives wings to imagination to soar high in unknown territories. It blesses clarity of thought process and substance to thoughts. It is a pick-me-up for confidence and bearing.

And the priceless bonus of making good friends on the way, whose love and support keep you going. I wish to continue to traverse the less trodden pathway in the hope of making more friends, in whose pleasurable company this journey will be more enlightening and meaningful. Hasn’t it been the quest of all thinking beings since the beginning of humanity?

So friends, here I’m, trying to be in sync with the unique persona of maverick dame creativity.

image: courtesy Google

STRAY DOGS - A GROWING MENACE

Friends, I’m taking up this cause to write upon, through personal realization of its seriousness. No longer is my dear park safe, frequented as it is by mongrels who roam unhindered inside and outside. In fact the hordes have been shooed away by adjoining villages and landed in our peaceful vicinity. I feel terrorized and my imagination runs wild conjuring up horrific scenes of dog attacks. My fear has got the better of me to make me halt my preferred activity of enjoying a morning walk.

Just imagine that our cities have been in the throes of this blight for a long time and still we’re rudderless to find effective solutions. Does it mean that we’re incapable of seeing the writing on the wall and delude ourselves into believing that it’ll go by itself, like a pigeon that closes his eyes on seeing a cat and ends up losing his life? The grievous consequences of this apathetic attitude are felt by the whole populace –rich and poor, young and old. Yet so callous we’re that we don’t muster up the will to execute measures which have been discussed ad nauseam. Now can any nuisance be wished away? Nah.

Almost every day there’re news about stray dogs endangering early morning walkers, unescorted children, cyclists, milk vendors and mobike riders et al. Many horrifying incidents are reported daily, still no urgent steps’ve been undertaken by our municipal corporations whose councillors are elected with much fanfare and the process gets wide reporting in newspapers. Are the people manning these institutions living in ivory towers that they are not conversant with ground realities? Where on is the tax payers’ money being spent, if not for public good?

Are we to remain mute spectators to the gory killings of small children by these canine brigades? This insensitivity has to go!

Apart from the danger of rabies and lethal attacks, stray dogs pose a threat to smooth running of our daily lives. One sees them causing ruckus among themselves at street corners or near garbage dumps and scaring passers-by. The ferocious dogs jump low boundary walls, snap at owners and scatter waste by over turning the bins.

There is no part of India, which is not in the grip of this scourge. The atmosphere is charged up. Let members of animal rights groups, civil society groups and Government agencies put their heads together to implement an action plan to stamp out this problem. There is no time to dither any more.

.image courtesy: Google