WHAT WAS THE ATTEMPT?

 WHAT WAS THE ATTEMPT?

For quite sometime now, friends have been presented with the item “GLIMPSES OF LIFE” The item was on reserve for near 15 + years  hoping to spot an opportune time to ‘share’ with readers. Hopefully it was not something of a scare,  in the sense that the subtitles used tried to ‘pinpoint’ that some core item was being presented. The original version never had any caption and the component items were circulated to a limited cluster of readers , more as hard copies each running to about 5- 9 pages , so as to deliver an elaborate treatment bringing out every subtle isue within. Since the pages were in hard vesion ‘readers’ had  option unfettered with no stipulation whatsover to read or respond to any item.

As a stupid writer, when I sought to have a feed back, too often I was being taken for a ride with a vague  gesture –“it was good”. Even pointed questions failed to yield tangible answers and even well-meaning friends used to wriggle out saying “I had very serious commitments to attend to; I shall ger back to you on my own when I finish reading it”.  “I shall get back to you on my own” is a brilliant shield suggesting ‘please do not call me again on this’. Though not any sharp-witted, I have the native wisdom to infer that people are not happy or ready to speak on issues arising out of an item handed down in print. After all they elegantly implied that ‘reading it or not looking at it s my prerogative , kindly leave me alone’.  Then I  realized no reader has any obligation to respond to an author for the mere sin of having read a piece of writing by the person. Then it struck me that a writer need not expect a reader to go through any item with zeal or eagerness much like the writer. The writer is eager to know how well a piece goes down with readers while the reader is in no hurry to even formulate an opinion consequent to reading a stuff. Well, some 15 years ago it was a grand revelation to me that writers should learn to keep off readers, lest should irritate them of the writer being  a pestering pest . In the process the writer effortlessly earns the wrath of readers , though any strenuous effort fails to help earn something. Besides, writing in English is a ‘faster irritant’ and with times changing , none seems to

 

accord specific value to grammar or elegance. At times inappropriate expressions readily penetrate readers –perhaps an indication that both are at home with such writing styles. I am too aware to make any insinuation  on any writing or writer, as it is unethical to launch comparisons  for content or  delivery, with the inescapable prospect of being labelled ‘head strong’. Someone suggested ‘the treatment is quite elaborate demanding quite a discerning potential for readers. The item in its present form [its then condition] can baffle the readers , unless they have had a thorough grounding in nuances of language. So, the suggestion was to condense the ideas into a nutshell sizing them down  to half a page each or so. While doing so, a specific title was a logical need to have an ‘all-embracing relevance’for the subtitles . Thus, arose “Glimpses of life”

Given the wide variety of prospects, all these topics had a cold burial until recently when I was obliged to make a posting daily;  especially during my relocation from Madurai to Chennai, I HAD TO KEEP ITEMS IN STORE to release them in slow trickles daily. Android phone came in handy as a store house to retrieve items from. That way ‘Glimpses of life’ had its natural run without looking biassed or irrelevant.  So far so good . Thank you one and all for the nice reception.

Regards                Prof. K. RAMAN