Oh,To Be A Writer!
Why do we write? I am ever confronted with this question. And what are our objectives? Is it just a fulfilment of an emotional need or a passion or some others existing at subliminal levels of our minds. And how do you look upon success or failures. Well, the answers to all these would be as varied as the classes of writers, authors, poets and others who are in the literary field. The literary people are very sensitive people, if not oversensitive. The other day I came across an angry outburst of a member of Boddunan who went on to make some unfounded allegations of bias and all that on grading of his articles . Perhaps the truth lies in the fact, to all writers ,novelists, poets, columnists and others, their works are very dear to them, may be dearer than their own children ! And the harsher truth is every publishing house and site have their own yardsticks to strictly judge an offering keeping in mind their commercial and literary imperatives . Thus an otherwise good article may be rejected or unfavourably graded causing anger, disappointment. But as an article writer I have learnt to live with it. No grudge or complaint on this issue.
The editors too have an onerous job on their hands. They are called upon to perform a very delicate and to some extent thankless task in this regard. Stories involving editorial whims and fancies are a legion and one of the stories that I find hard to resist to narrate was that of a Bengali writer of short stories who tried his luck to get one his stories published in one of the leading magazines under a pseudonym , met with instant rejection and when submitted that again in his real name that was promptly accepted! Such cases are rare and should treated more of an exception than the rule.
My own writing career started on a tragic note. My father was endowed with literary abilities and took very active and passionate interests in literary and got some of his works published in some of the leading magazines and journals and was source of inspiration to me. When I attempted a letter to the editor on certain issue to India Today as a teenager and succeeded first time in my maiden attempt. On the very day I could see my letter and my name in print he passed away and could not live for a few hours more to see it!!
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