You can do whatever you want to. Whatever you want is already there within you. All you need is someone to remind you that you can and you will.
“What is your son doing these days?” inquired Mr. Gupta with the same attempt of suppressing his evil smirk that he had tried every single time he had asked the same annoying question in the past.
“Same old stuff. I have funded his education, now it is up to him to make a living”, answered my dad once again.
“This is the same answer I have been hearing ever since your son passed out of college. Take charge of him now and ask him to prepare for jobs rather than wasting time in writing craps, else you won’t ever get a bride for his marriage. Mark my words, Verma Ji” said Mr. Gupta, our next to next house neighbour with that controlled expression of enjoyment when a boss insults his subordinates.
“This is the same question you have been asking ever since your son got a job” replied my dad before resuming his daily habit of gardening as if he did not listen to any other line after the first.
Mr. Gupta left silently after discovering his state of wordlessness.
“Bubai, come down and help me in lifting this heavy bucket”, his voice startled me as I realized my dad was aware of the fact that I was listening to their conversation from the terrace.
"Sprinkle water on those plants. They look as dry as your face.” said my dad as he closely inspected my face with a quick glance.
“How did you see me? I was watching you constantly but never did you turn to look above. How did you notice me?” I asked unable to keep the suspense within me anymore.
“Look at that tilted water filled bucket. What we are looking for, are generally around us, but we simply waste time looking above waiting for God to help.”
I went over to the bucket and to my astonishment, i could clearly see the reflection of the blue sky and the place where I had positioned myself on the terrace, on water in it.
“Look beta, you have to face a lot of people like Gupta Ji in your life until you achieve something to show them. Don’t try to ignore them, instead, observe them and give them a shape through your writing. This is exactly what your Dadaji used to do. He was a great writer but due to lack of proper channel, he could not make it big. But time has changed now in the favour of the writers and this is exactly why you will achieve what your Dadaji could not. He retired voluntarily to follow his passion and remember passion will never let you down.”
“Anyway, November is approaching, are you prepared for the annual NaWri-Fest?” inquired my dad with a smug.
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2 years later, Indore stadium in Delhi At National Writing-Fest Finale Event-
“Ladies and gentlemen, authors and writers, this year nearly one lakh people from all over the world with the common passion for writing took part in our NaWri-Fest event and successfully completed and published their novels. Huge round of applause for each one of them. Some of them are masterpieces while some failed to make a single scratch in the hearts of the millions of avid readers. Yesterday, as you all know, we broadcast all over the world via Youtube, our final list of the top 100 best-selling novels of 2015 that were actually written during NaWri-fest's contest. And now finally the moment has come to declare the Best Selling Novel Award and the Best Story Novel Award by our renowned Jury for 2015.
Tonight, history will be written in golden words as both the awards go to that author whose debut novel has touched almost everyone’s life and especially the critics all over the world and he is, in fact, the youngest person till date to receive these prestigious awards - Mr. Akash Verma. Ladies and gentlemen this young Indian deserves a standing ovation for his masterpiece - The Voice Of The Voiceless. Akash, take it all over now, mic is all yours now.”
“A lot of people don’t appreciate special moments in their lives unless they become memories. Thankfully I am an exception. So I plan to celebrate this moment and party with each one of you because special moments are rare and all you can do is to stretch them at their max. Thank you NaWri-fest organizers for providing us a platform to realize our dreams and making this, the moment of my life.
I am extremely privileged to take these awards in front of equally deserving candidates. Art is incomparable. So we all are winners here and these awards are for each of those one lakh spirited persons who took part in the National Writing fest.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a list of people to thank and so I will rather tell you something I am best at - Sharing stories.
They say less-travelled roads are lonely. But I have always found people accompanying me in those roads who would give you ninety-nine reasons to change your track and take the usual and easy ones that can make you rich and give you a status in your society in a short span of time. Everyone wants to skip the struggling phase of life.
But fortunately those ninety-nine reasons never mattered to me for once, because my dad had promised me that my passion for writing would never let me down. Struggle is just a necessary step. As necessary as washing your hands before tasting a delicious dish.
You can and you will. All you need is someone to remind you that you can and you will."
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