Sujoy Ghosh

Writing is not my bread and butter. The first time I had to write for a newspaper with a defined role of a writer, I realized that writing for me is probably not something to pursue professionally. Deadlines made the work inorganic and although the write-up was decent, I hated it more than the crappiest of my amateur works. There was a lack of joy and felt forced in voice. Looking at that moment, I will admit, that had I been more serious about my writing and more receptive to adding a professional structured pattern to my writing, I would have achieved more success and arguably a little happier about it.

I have always been a dreamer but risk averse. To be honest, I don’t know if both contradictory outlooks toward life are outcomes of my inherent personality, my circumstances or my upbringing in a middle-class family based out of a small city. As much as cathartic it might feel to blame the latter two, I would own it up as my inherent personality more than anything else. I can’t blame my upbringing. It made me who I became as a person and provided me with aspirations and opportunities, and honestly, I won’t trade my family for any alternatives. I could have punched back at my circumstances but I folded and took the safer route. I did what most people do and although I have regrets, I have made peace with my choices.

The thing I don’t know (and probably never really find out) is whether I made the right choice walking on a less thorny path. Did my writing have the potential to evolve into something worth fighting for or I chose wisely by being practical and risk-averse about my life choices? And where can I take my writing with all the life lessons I learnt in the due course? In the current time-space continuum, I am losing hair and whatever is hiding my inherited baldness, is getting whiter one strand at a time. With some stability in life, I am focusing more on my writing.

My current project has been a work in progress for the past five years and my immediate goal is to complete the second draft by the end of the year. To be honest, my pace has been such a disappointment that a second draft in 2025 might be a tall ask. Still, aiming high doesn’t necessarily set you up for failure – a lesson my corporate life has taught. So, shooting for the moon is my this New Year’s resolution.

Best

~S