Hey! I crossed 250 posts on medium
This morning, I suddenly realized that I have now crossed 250 posts on my medium publications.
The first time I wrote something, like a fantasy short story, was when I was 19, based of a bus road trip organized by my classmates.
Our classroom in engineering had gone to a bus road trip. We do that here in India. Of course, in India, it is like a tradition. School kids, 12th grade kids (PUC, we call it here) and Engineering/Degree kids, go on classroom trips, annually.
Of course, being born in an extremely poor family means, every year since I was 5 years old, my family could not afford to send me to these yearly classroom trips. Except on two occasions. Unfortunately, the first occasion, I had no ‘spending money’, so the trip was depressing as I watched all my class mates buy gifts, toys and clothes and I did not even have money to buy food.
Thank god the trip fare included lunch, otherwise, I would have gone hungry, the entire day. I dont remember anything about that trip. It’s like a suppressed memory.
The second trip, was more fun. Mom put together some money (hiding it from my dastardly father) and got me prepped properly. I had spending money. Point and shoot camera (this was the pre-smartphone era), female companionship…which made the whole trip enjoyable.
I travel a lot! Like crazy lot. I love it. Exploring different cities, staying in hotels and homestays, tasting cuisine of different cultures and languages. There is this fantastic orgasmic feeling about stepping out of the train station or the airport, just taking in a new sight. A new city, new place, new people…god, my life is awesome and I thank god for these little pleasures (touchwood). I must have some 2000 + Uber rides all over India, and averaged a dozen different cities every year.
Pre-Pandemic of course.
I fully intend to resume my travel working post full vaccination. I miss it so much!
The more I think about it, the more I feel that, I picked a career that requires traveling because I never got to travel when I was a kid. I am not a shrink. Just applying some vague logic.
Anyway, yes, the trip when I was 19. I wrote a two page note, and then passed it around. Folks seem to like it. They enjoyed it. They liked my writing.
I wish I had pursued it more seriously. But, as I have mentioned many times before, poverty means, you barely have the mind to focus on hobbies. Every day you are more concerned if there will be food to eat, when you go home. will your college and school fees be paid on time or do I have to once again see my name on the ‘fees due’ notice on the notice board.
It’s crazy! So, dropped my writing thing. Over the years, I would pick it up sporadically, blogging on blogpost and wordpress.
Then, eventually, I decided to make writing more regular.
February 4th 2017 — My first post — Hello World — from medium — Let’s start with the horse station
That is also the time when I finally got out of my long term debt, and bought my first apple device, iPad Mini. Since then, I have been averaging about 60 posts a year, one post a week. I think, that’s pretty regular.
Since 2017, I have had more money in my pockets (not including the financial disaster that pandemic has brought last year, from which, by god’s grace, I am now slowly recovering). From having to take a EMI loan to buy a $200 android phone, I now own more than 7 apple devices, most of them purchased with cash.
Of course, my posts rarely attract any audience. I am sure, my posts are not entertaining or insightful. I don’t even know why I write.
Why do I write?
Sometimes, there are no answers. Things just….happen.
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