The Contest

A fortnight ago, actor Kabir Bedi announced a contest on social media. The entrants were to narrate an experience in their respective lives that taught them their most important lesson. 

I usually refrain from entering competitions such as these that involve slogans or recounting of life experiences, since the choice of the victor is purely subjective. In fact there often is a lucky draw whenever there is a tie. Thus the possibility of winning is extremely remote.

It is also particularly bothersome when you tell humans around you about it and they relentlessly pester you about the results. When you inevitably lose, the faces and tone of consolations resemble funereal condolences that are intolerable. They mean well, but I just do not have the patience for it.

In the end, a loss, irrespective of how big or small it is, is a loss, and why needlessly add a failure to your life experience.

Hence for this contest, I kept this entirely to myself, the individuals that I had to tag, based on the rules, were those I knew only through social media.

I penned, rather typed, the following in a matter of minutes, it was straight from the heart. It was posted, without much review. I had, unlike other occasions, had decided to trust my instincts and not overanalyze.

I used to write for as long as I can remember. Before computers became ubiquitous, I wrote in notebooks. These were stories, jokes and I even opined about current affairs. But I kept it all to myself presuming that it was merely something I did amuse myself and it would mean little to anybody else. 

I always suspected that it was probably not of the standards that would merit any public consumption. Social media enabled me to interact with people in the news media. On one occasion, I rather impulsively sent my article to the editor-in-chief of the leading digital news portal. 

I woke up the next very morning to find her comments, complimenting me for the piece and wondering if I had published it anywhere. She soon said that her digital portal accepts articles from new writers. 

Initially, I was hesitant to send anything, thinking that my scribblings were probably not up to the mark. Finally, I mustered the courage, and sent it, the worst thing that could happen is their editorial team would toss it in their dust bin. I was elated when the article was published. That was 2012, I am happy to say that I have written many articles for various publications.

The lesson learned is to never ever underestimate oneself and never hesitate to seize an opportunity. The worst that can happen is someone will have a good laugh, but the best that can happen is it may bloom into something very special that changes your life and brings ineffable joy.

#StoriesIMustTell

Time flew by, life got busy and thoughts about the competition slipped away. 

Then a couple of days ago, my phone buzzed, it was an Instagram alert, I was included in a couple of stories by @iKabirBedi. 

It is always thrilling to win, but what made this special is that Kabir Bedi recorded a personal message.