Hello Readers!
This draft had been lying around for a long time! I had assumed it's fate was sealed like the many others and would get dropped into the Just-Didn't-work out folder. But was able to finish it and have deemed it post worthy :) This explores freedom within a boundary. is that freedom at all? Hope you like it!
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I take a deep breath and gather my
hard-to-find-at-the moment courage.. I huff my breath out and launch into the
speech I’d been practicing in my room from the past…month!
As I start to speak, it’s as if I can
predict my family’s reaction more accurately than an astrologer! Dad gives me a
nasty frown, mom gives me the ‘why-me?’ look and my bro! He puts on the
holier-than-thou look, shakes his head and goes ‘tsk!tsk!” Grrr! Acting the
good son part down to a T!
I start talking and they all start
mumbling, grumbling or in my bro’s case smirking!
What could I have possibly said to make my
not-so-conservative, living-in-a-metro-city, quite well off family to become this medieval? Did
I come out of the closet? Did I tell them my desire of marrying a marijuana
smoking jobless bum who earns his daily bread by singing near the subway? Did I
tell them I’d be part of the coming-soon-next-season of BIG BOSS?!
Nope! None of it! All I told them was
this……
I want to become an artist…full time…not as
a hobby but as a profession
You’d think they’d be a little more
supportive as my family! But nope! Not in a million years!
They grounded me! For wanting to do what I
love!
But we live in the era of internet…I can
connect with anyone..geography no bar!
I got encouragement from one of the
communities I was a member of…they taught me the basics..on how to setup a few
things, the right equipment, the investments, the training etc…etc..
That would cost a bit…so I’d been saving up
from quite some time, as I had a vague Idea on how they’d react and I was
right! Damn I was! My family doesn't disappoint!
My dream? To establish myself as a graphic
artist! Yeah! To be paid to do something that cool! A dream come true!
Oh! BTW did I mention I am currently a software
engineer? It took a lot of thinking, courage and plain guts to take the
decision I just announced…I had given 5 years to this profession and was in a
good position, pay was great too…only…the job didn't excite me anymore! And
what started as a way to while away time during some weekends, became more
interesting than my work!
My family thought I was a fool and my mom
was cribbing endlessly about my Marriage prospects looking bleak if I went
ahead with this insanity!
How do I tell her that my marriage prospect
is just fine…..as I have a boyfriend and both of us are pretty serious about
our relationship and are planning to be a part of each other’s life forever.
How do I tell her he is a techie and an extremely good one at that and is
totally in love with his job. That being said, he gave me full support when I
voiced my desire on changing my well paying profession to a not so regular payment of being an
artist.. It made me love him more!
Seeing my family react like this made me
more determined…
I wanted to follow my dream….do something
that I loved…I didn't want to live in a confined space anymore..It’s not that I
wanted to break rules…I just want to follow my own….
Over the course of a few weeks..I got a
basic grip on graphic designing, I found a decent place to stay which was in my
budget..here my bf was a bit miffed that I refused to accept his monetary hand
in this matter!
Now came the matter of my moving out of my parents’
home…They were horrified at the very thought! They expected me to stay with them and get married
and move out to his place! End of
story…. But unfortunately for them, I had written a different story. They tried
everything, blackmailing, crying, threatening,
but they couldn't budge me an inch!
I immediately packed my stuff (which is
pretty less!) coz the only things I own other than my clothes and electronic
stuff are a bean bag and my desk which would be my dining table/head rest during
a snooze/clutter magnet!
I took about a week to settle down in my
place. My very own place! It is really great when you live in a place you call
your own. Now that I can fully concentrate on my work, I have come up with a
new super hero! And a super villain too!
My hero is a lady who wears jeans and Tees, does not fly, does not have
super human abilities, does not have a cape…then what makes her a super?
She is a super as she doesn't give a rat’s
ass to what the gossip monger, middle aged, walking talking horror of a female
thinks. She is a super coz she is the queen of comeback. You jus cant pin this
one down. She’s a super coz she does what she thinks is correct and doesn't
feel the need to explain the same to anyone. She’s a super coz she doesn't
confirm to the rules of society. She’s a super coz she’s multi talented!
And now, coming to the super villain! What
do you think of first when I say ‘Super Villain’?? Tall, Pale, Well dressed but
entirely so in black (leather maybe!), Kinda Good looking in a sinister way, who
happens to be super rich and is out to destroy
the world as we know it?
Well! Lemme tell you, my super villain is
none of that! First of all, It’s a SHE! She is middle aged, wears loud jewelry
(has an even louder mouth) and dons a crisp cotton salwar, thinks she’s
holier-than-everyone (though narrow minded to the core), a narcissist in
denial, the list goes on…..She’s your
typical aunty! The one who pokes her nose into everybody’s business! My comic strip
was the daily adventures of Hisha, the protagonist against..well..the world! And
in particular the super villain aunty!
Once my concept was solid and I had set the
main theme of the strip, I came up with a few weeks worth of work and decided
to scout for publishers.
These things do take time. I went from
publisher to publisher only to have my work rejected, mocked and I even experienced
a downright ‘Get her out!’ from an uncouth guy! This was when I really hit a
low. I started to question myself and experienced a lot of self-doubts but what
kept me from going back was knowing how my family would react and of course the
never wavering faith of my man in me!
My persistence paid off! No…I didn't get a
publisher, I opened a facebook page for my strip and started putting posts on a
weekly basis. It slowly gained momentum
and it started attracting a lot a views! This in turn got media attention and
my page was featured in one of the fortnightly magazines! I gave a couple of interviews
as well. Things are turning for the better, as my parents have reconciled with
me and my bro said he’s damn proud of me!! A first! Now that things are bit smooth
at the home front, have decided to introduce my BF to the family…Wish me
luck..coz I sure as hell need it!
