Courtesy tvmtalkies.. and my wandering mind :P

More than a decade back dad wrote a school essay for me. It was on religion. The opening para was something like this 'The religion of fire is to burn, the religion of ice is to freeze. Religion is not Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian. These are all sects and what we believe is religion but sect ism'.

A decade later I came across something which reflects a very open mindset about a very sensitive topic of religion. Its a short piece. Precise. Apt. To-the-point. Everything my type. More importantly it talks about religion the way I was taught to look at it. Thats why its here. Read on.

Jeevan without Religion

The lesson is set in a school room where two parents and their kid meet the Principal for school admission. The Principal fills in the forms,

Principal: “What is your name?”
“Jeevan”
Principal: “Nice…father’s name?”
“Anwar Rasheed”
Principal: Mother’s name?”
“Lakshmi Devi”

The Principal looks at the parents

Principal: “What should I fill in for the kid’s religion?”
Parents : “Keep it blank…or else add No Religion”

Principal: “Caste”
Parents : “not needed”

The Principal leans back on his chair and asks solemnly

Principal: “What if he wants a religion when he grows up?”
Parents : “If he wants a religion when he grows up, he can choose the one he likes then”

End of Lesson

- Excerpt from class 7 Social Studies textbook from a school in Kerala.

My first assignment for the Writers Bureau is on its way to Manchester

Yeah.. atlast, the first assignment is on its way which means I am done with the first blue book in the comprehensive creative writing series. Yippeee!!!

Guys, I am posting the answer to the question I raised more than 5 blogs ago. Thanks to all for replying then.

The question asked which I even posted here was - Tell us in 300 words why you want to write, what you hope to gain from this course and your ambitions for the future.

And this is what I wrote

Will my saying I love to write suffice? That is the precisely the reason why I took up writing as a career. But in a more elaborate way, I want to write because it gives me a chance to experiment with words. It gives me opportunities to look at a single situation and think of it from several perspectives and express them differently.

The vividness of words, the colourful vocabulary and the pictures I can conjure up through my writing inspire me to write more.

I began with writing a blog. Four years back when I began writing it, it was because I wanted to utilise my creativity somewhere and I could think of nowhere else but on paper. It let me be imaginative. It let me be creative. It was to me what a canvas is to a painter. I could splash words on it whichever way I pleased. And every time a new piece came into being which was different that the one before. The newness is one thing about writing which has always made me come back to it. The fact that there is always something to write, something to describe is what keeps me going.

Through this course I aim to be flawless at writing. I take my career as a writer quite seriously and I want to have a full overview of each genre of writing, explore each at my own pace and then decide which suits my abilities the most. I am sure this course is designed to help me achieve these goals.

My immediate goal is to be a travel writer. Owing to my sheer fascination for travelling, food, meeting new people backed by a strong purpose to write I wish to be a travel writer. As for my long-term ambitions, I want to run my own business where writing is central to business. It can be anything; a content management firm, a copywriting firm or an institute that trains writers.

Can everyone who read this rate the answer on a scale of 1 to 5. Thanks in advance.

PS : This is blog number 100 and in a way a good day to be written on. Ma arrives tonight. :)

A weekend treat

It feels like my journey as a writer has begun to pay off.

Below are the links to a few articles which I did for Home-Designing.

All the articles on "Our pick from around the world" have been worded by me.

The good news is the article on the Spectacular Getaway Villa in the Caribbean has been re-tweeted 17 times.. so much for publicity!

Please go through

Modern Bathroom Designs from Rexa, Futuristic Pod House Concept, The 2010 Living Room Collection From Huelsta, Cold War Era Aircraft Converted into Luxury Hotel, Baby Room Decor Ideas from Paidi, Recycled Home Decor, Stainless Steel Kitchen Designs, A Chic House In London and White House Interiors.

Please leave your comments here or on the website.

PS : Am off for a lonnnng weekend... Tata everyone :D