On Gratitude – Part 1

Beware the ides of March

So said a soothsayer in Shakespeare’s play Julius Caesar. While that quote remains in most people’s minds, it is what Caesar replied with, that stayed in mine.

He is a dreamer; let us leave him

It was January 2015, the first time I saw multitudes of comics on stage as part of an event organised by Times of India. I knew of only one amongst those comics and that too in a completely different avatar. I loved what I watched that day. All but one (an interesting story for another day) succeeded that day in getting consistent laughs. Following that high, I pushed myself to learn more about this art form and I frequented open-mic places to watch, hear and learn more.

The ides of March of 2015 came and for the first time, I tried my hand at being a stand-up comic. I had a simple objective in mind. Two in fact. I wanted to be a writer and felt I sucked at comedy. Also, I wanted to be the next Jon Stewart/Stephen Colbert/Yugi Sethu/Cyrus Broacha. So here was a ready-made format for me to try my hand at. I don’t think I was successful during that time period, but I knew I didn’t suck totally. There were moments I saw a smile and heard a chuckle from the watching audience. That gave me enough confidence in my writing, which I realised was the validation I actually needed.

Fast forward to the ides of March of 2016. I liked writing poetry and have done so on Facebook from 2010 (Me writing poetry can be whittled down to regular mainstream reasons 😉). But I never knew that there was a community, a non-judgmental space to boot, present, with whom I could share my love for poetry whilst also listening to other like/unlike-worded individuals share theirs. What followed was 9 beautiful months of open-mic poetry sessions across three lovely platforms where I gained even more confidence in my writing and by extension, in me.

I think you recognised the pattern by now. Ides of March 2017. I heard about an opportunity to write a full-fledged play and submit it in the hope it would get selected and performed as part of World Theatre Day celebrations. Being the daredevil I was by this time, I wrote a satire titled Anti-Climax. Yeah my first ever work that was going to be performed live with that ‘inauspicious’ title. Quite ‘funny’ I know. But it was wildly successful on the day – beyond my expectations – and it was then that I fully believed that I can pull this writing bit off. I just needed more consistency. For procrastination was my best friend.

Soon after, I joined The New Indian Express’ cinema division, Cinema Express, where I buckled down, put in the hours, honed my skill and developed the writing muscle. Now, all I need is one Studio Ghibli track and 3 hours a day for me to pull of a decent writeup. No need for magical inspiration to strike me like the rain drop in Chennai summer.

Why this post now? Ides of March 2019. A friend was doing a full 40 mins set and I wanted to see. Cos he started around the same time I did four years ago. This was as much supporting him as it was, I would later subconsciously realise during his performance, about me. Selfish of me to think about myself at that time, but truth is I never did acknowledge my growth during the past four years. He made me understand myself better and I knew then what I had to do. I had to thank the community for my growth, cos it would be remiss of me to not do so to all the men and women responsible for it.

First, the fantastic open-mic comedy community – Evam, Stray, Burma Bazaar Conspiracy/Chennai Comedy. Some of them are bonafide stars now (and even back then), but I still remember the learnings from that time and apply it religiously when writing. Next up, to the beautiful open-mic poetry and music community of MockingBirds, Let’s Talk Life and Open Sky. The warmth, the openness, the encouragement all played its part in building a positive mindset. A shoutout to Asariri too, where I was able to vocalise my short stories. Last, but not the least, to my peers and people who I look up to in the writing community. These were the ones who told me my play, by a debutant, was the best that they saw that fateful day two years ago and that they enjoyed it very much. They did not need to but they did. I have been in touch with them over the years as they read what I have shared with them, give feedbacks, engage in constant dialogues about writing – all while encouraging me to write more.

To all of them and to my small band of friends who read my below-par first drafts, I have this to say. I will never forget you and am forever grateful to you. Thank you for letting this dreamer be so for the past 2+ years. Full-fledged stories, plays, screenplays – all of them are happening and I can’t wait to share it all with you. That is both a promise and an announcement.

This Ides of March, I march again. Let’s see what the next four years hold for me. 😊