A Fresh Start

It's Diwali season - the start of the Indian New Year. So, a fresh start at this time makes sense. For the past decade my passion for writing has had to take a back seat to domesticity and overwhelming family circumstances. Well, the circumstances haven't really changed all that much; it's just that maybe I've ceased to be overwhelmed by them (touch wood)! And so, I'm starting the new year by rediscovering my joy in the written word.

I know there are millions of people like me, who have had to subordinate their passion in life to the claims of family, economics, or whatever. Perhaps those who are fortunate enough, or maybe single-minded /aggressive enough to have pursued their dreams successfully, are unable to understand this. I have often faced (and I'm sure all those kindred spirits out there have too) allegations of 'laziness', of not having the 'drive' or the 'killer instinct', of making excuses for not getting on in life, etc., etc., etc. Ironically enough, it is usually the very persons to whose 'well-being' you have subordinated your own dreams, who 'turn and rend you'.

I have no complaints against these detractors, even though, when they include people close to you, they can really hurt. They have a right to their opinion, and from their point of view, they are perfectly justified in making these allegations. After all, it's concrete results that are visible for all to see, not the efforts that went into those results. It's the skyscrapers that catch everyone's eye, and not the foundation stones.

I have only this to say to all my kindred spirits: if I am strong enough to be the foundation of a skyscraper, let me not doubt my ability to be a skyscraper in my own right. This goes for all of you non-aggressive people out there who are taking a backseat to the ambitions of your spouses/ children and the needs of family, and are getting abuse for it. Get up with me and chase your dream. Don't be afraid of failures - they are part of life, and to use a cliche, they really ARE the stepping stones to success, provided you don't lose heart. So, let all of us, laid back, non-aggressive folk rediscover our inner strength and channelize it to carve out our own niche, however small.