Yes, I know this is the title of a song by Garbage :) It’s a song I’ve always loved and like anyone who’s ever loved a song, I feel that this one could have been written about me.
It’s raining chaos in Bombay…quite literally! The monsoons are here and like every one of the past 30+ years, we are again not prepared. So, while the rain has brought a much-welcome respite from the unrelenting heat, it’s also dredged up a whole other list of things we can complain of instead. Like the drains being shut so the roads can flood or road repairs which have inconveniently just started or the trains standing still after half an hour’s rain or the roads being congested after an hour’s pouring….not to mention the mud, dirt, sniffles and sneezing coming around!
Yet, there’s also something quite uplifting about a good rainy day, ok – especially if we have the good fortune to be indoors. It changes the complexion of the city, making the grey look dreamy instead of grimy, the breeze refreshing instead of humid and the mad rain dances of street urchins and tourists never fail to make you smile.
Or maybe it’s just the nostalgia that makes me feel like a truant school child wishing for an unexpected holiday!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
THE PRICE OF PASSION
We’ve all heard of the struggling artist, the struggling writer…how many have heard of the struggling investment banker? (Well, apart from those who may have been laid off by the recession!)
When a person pursues money blatantly through his/her work, it’s understood, celebrated and yes, rewarded. However, if the same person were to pursue work for any other reason, his passion is commended yet it’s quickly pointed out that he/she may not expect any kind of financial reward.
Why is this?
Is the pursuit of a passion considered reward enough?
Or is it necessary that money and passion may not be found together?
Consider Bollywood as an example. Commercial viability and critical acclaim are almost mutually exclusive. Shahrukh Khan may sell many films but even with a few acclaimed performances, he is considered a ‘star’ rather than an ‘actor’. To qualify as an artist, he would need to regularly feature in those obscure ‘art films’ which almost never do well commercially.
In other industries too, candidates in job interviews are put on trial to demonstrate their passion – this is a requisite to making an impression and performing well in the interview, of course, but it is also a guarantee that the salary will never meet expectations! As someone once told me, ‘I want to hire someone who is motivated by passion, not by money.”
Well, I agree that you cannot put a price on passion. But does that mean that passion shouldn’t ever be rewarded?
When a person pursues money blatantly through his/her work, it’s understood, celebrated and yes, rewarded. However, if the same person were to pursue work for any other reason, his passion is commended yet it’s quickly pointed out that he/she may not expect any kind of financial reward.
Why is this?
Is the pursuit of a passion considered reward enough?
Or is it necessary that money and passion may not be found together?
Consider Bollywood as an example. Commercial viability and critical acclaim are almost mutually exclusive. Shahrukh Khan may sell many films but even with a few acclaimed performances, he is considered a ‘star’ rather than an ‘actor’. To qualify as an artist, he would need to regularly feature in those obscure ‘art films’ which almost never do well commercially.
In other industries too, candidates in job interviews are put on trial to demonstrate their passion – this is a requisite to making an impression and performing well in the interview, of course, but it is also a guarantee that the salary will never meet expectations! As someone once told me, ‘I want to hire someone who is motivated by passion, not by money.”
Well, I agree that you cannot put a price on passion. But does that mean that passion shouldn’t ever be rewarded?
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
THE WRITER WHO DOES NOT WRITE
I always wanted to be a writer – as a child it seemed like such a fun thing to do and as I grew up the attraction grew….even as I realized that this profession has its own custom-built excuse for goofing off. After all, whether we admit it or not, the attraction of work is not just in and of itself but also when there’s a chance of some respite from it. This is the added value perk of any profession (and I’m sure every profession does have at least one!)
For writing (and also for pretty much any creative pursuit), one needs to be inspired. There is no formula/framework for inspiration – the creative philosophy is to explore/do whatever works. This leaves room for expressing individual idiosyncrasies and exercising creativity in the very pursuit of creativity. Sometimes, sadly, despite efforts to the contrary, inspiration does not strike.
For a writer, this is the dreaded curse of writer’s block. Or is it? Hmmm……
I’m not saying writer’s block is not real! It’s just that there’s no way to tell the difference…even for the writer him/herself. Take me for example…I haven’t updated this blog for a while. I didn’t have a justifiable reason for this. Yes, my regular work does keep me busy, but I was busy too when I started this blog. I didn’t use work as an excuse then, did I?
So, what’s my excuse now? When all else fails, I fall back to blaming writer’s block! Is there anything worse than a writer who does not write?
For writing (and also for pretty much any creative pursuit), one needs to be inspired. There is no formula/framework for inspiration – the creative philosophy is to explore/do whatever works. This leaves room for expressing individual idiosyncrasies and exercising creativity in the very pursuit of creativity. Sometimes, sadly, despite efforts to the contrary, inspiration does not strike.
For a writer, this is the dreaded curse of writer’s block. Or is it? Hmmm……
I’m not saying writer’s block is not real! It’s just that there’s no way to tell the difference…even for the writer him/herself. Take me for example…I haven’t updated this blog for a while. I didn’t have a justifiable reason for this. Yes, my regular work does keep me busy, but I was busy too when I started this blog. I didn’t use work as an excuse then, did I?
So, what’s my excuse now? When all else fails, I fall back to blaming writer’s block! Is there anything worse than a writer who does not write?
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