POR QUE ESCRIBO

Let me begin with the most simplest preamble, even at the risk of sounding cliched.

I've always wanted to be a writer. And also a painter. I don't know if I'm going to do any justice to my passion but I have made a fair attempt at doing so.

This is where it all began. My mother's bookshelf :-)

My first book was Black Beauty. I was moved beyond words reading the horse's story and amazed at the animal's acumen on humans. It made me ponder about the kind of treatment we render the animals to.

And then I moved on to Ruskin Bond's novels and short stories. He mesmerized me with his simple stories. He spun magic with his words around the lives of people we will not bother to think about twice: the Chai wallas, sabzi wallas, raddi wallas, etc. He made me see the greatness in simplicity of everyday life.

Amitav Ghosh. An exceptional writer. With his books, I revived my attachment to my roots, my culture and the little things that define me as a Bengali.

Then came J. K. Rowling with her kitty of Harry Potter. And boy was I overwhelmed. Like any other child, I delved into the fantasies, fought with the death eaters, quarreled with Draco, tried to outsmart Snape, played the fool with Ron and Hermione and simple loved Quiditch.

Outside the world of books, two people instilled in me a desire to express those unsaid words through colours. K.S., a colleague of my mother. And M.B., a very dear uncle of mine.



My friends at school, the Famous 11 gang, and college are one more reason why I write. I've had some of the best, most stupid, awkward, embarrassing, and downright humiliating moments with them, without which I cannot imagine my life now. Rupi, Buf, Ben, Hanu, they are part of my life now and will stay so forever.

A show on Zee Bangla, called Mirakkel, changed the way we speak at home. Truly, a simple comedy show had such a huge impact on me and my family. I've learnt some priceless lessons from this show and its mad host, Mirda. According to him, there is no need for license to be mad:-). And when we have all the freedom to laugh and make others laugh, then we must wholeheartedly plunge into madness.

I write because I enjoy myself thoroughly while writing a story. There are no pretenses, no excuses, no adulation to be won, no audience to be impressed, no facade to fake. I feel like a child when I write and paint. And as a child, I have had wonderful moments with great stories and fantasies. I would like to do my part in return, so someone else can also become a child and howl mindlessly with laughter as they read my stories.