Here's to Dad and writing...

My dad compares me to Velukutty. 

Now, before weird thoughts jump around, Velukutty was a genius of a writer who lived near my dad’s old house during the latter’s boyhood days. Velukutty wrote in some of those weeklies, which were a favourite among the women between the age group of 15- 40 during that era.  He had made many a lady cry with his portrayal of the quintessential Malayalee woman, who lives and pines for her lover, then her husband and her child.  Velukutty was a genius with only one flaw, if that could be considered one.  Velu drank like a fish.  He is said to have made drunken scuffles at all alcohol shops in Thrissur.  Finally, at the age of 34, Velu’s popularity declined, due to his habits.  One day, he was found lying near a canal, on the way to his house, dead!  Many believed that his flaw killed the genius of Velukutty or he would have risen to unprecedented heights.

I am no genius.  But I used to write. Write something or the other. My dad remembers my first essay at the age of 5, when we were only writing our first sentences.  I wrote a page about myself and my ambition to be a writer.  My cupboards are filled with diaries I wrote right from standard 3 till 1^st year of college.  After that I got a laptop and MS Word took over dog-eared leather-bounds. 

I kind of lost my diary writing practice somewhere after graduation.  “Why don’t I see you writing nowadays?” my dad questions me after his anecdote on Velu draws my attention to him, this time more seriously. “Look, I don’t know what has got into you. You may like your field of journalism or watching and dreaming about making films, but I always thought your true calling was writing. So come what may, don’t stop writing.”  I looked at him for him to continue.  “Start a blog. I want you to do it. Begin it for me and I am sure you will do it for yourself before you’re through with your second post. I don’t want a Velukutty in my family.” It was warning or a request I cannot say, but conclusive, it definitely was.  And that is when I decided, enough of whiling away time, thinking I need a blog. Now, it is time.