Times They Are Changing...

I have decided to make sweeping changes to my life. Yes, repeat after me. SWEEPING. CHANGES.

1.I am going to STOP trying to write something which caters to the mass market 100-rupee segment. Over the weekend, I tortured myself with a recent “best-seller”, written by an acquaintance with a similar background. This was her first book, which was picked up by Rupa. While it was a fast-paced read with elements of good humour strewn in parts, I found the subject matter clichéd, banal and a complete insult to my intelligence. But what was worse, were the repeated spelling errors which stood out glaringly, page after page after page. Trust me, I don’t grudge her the achievement: it’s a big deal to get published at such a young age, and that too by a reputed publisher, and boy, do I know how hard it is. However, I also realized that now I don’t WANT to be just another ‘writer’ churning out rehashed versions of the same old junk. What makes the 'not wanting to be just another writer' part easy is that NO publisher would take a chance on me in this segment: my writing simply doesn’t fit in and I can’t compromise on my style or content to MAKE it fit in. Hence, I am going to wait, till I am mature enough or experienced enough to write something which is different, radical and most importantly, honest and unpretentious and not simple a "me too" version.

2.I am going to STOP obsessing about my boss in the India office. It’s an open secret that he doesn’t like me, and I just have to accept it. No, I am not going to change myself or try to get into his good books. In life, you can’t please everybody, and due to genetic disadvantages (my dad NEVER got along with ANY of his bosses and the trait has been handed down the generation), I ALWAYS pick the wrong battles. In Company D, my manager and I nearly came to blows, and while things are much more civil here, I don't fancy my chances for too long. As long as my work gets appreciated, I shall stick around. When it stops making a difference, it would be time to move on.

3.I am going to STOP watching cricket. Yes, you heard me right. If Sahara can take the bold step, so can I. Now that I have played a crucial role in India’s rise to the top, I have nothing else to offer to the game. While I have always been an ardent tennis follower, cricket overshadowed it. So now, tennis will lead the devotion quotient, and I will also focus on other sports which I follow intermittently: Formula One, Badminton and Soccer. Especially with the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil, I have enough time to prepare myself for the event. And here I quote Subrata Roy, “I wish cricket well.”

Or may be, I should JUST wait till the India-Australia-Sri Lanka tri-series is over; for old times’ sake…