ORIGINALITY

“It better be something original” my teen aged daughter said, when I disclosed, ( not for the first time) that I wanted to start my own blog. “What about a small uncomplicated love story”?? I countered. She sighed “ are love stories ever uncomplicated”? and rolled her expressive eyes . My son who heard this said “ Oh No! Not a love story “and made a suitably disgusting face. He is 15 and refuses to discuss anything other than sports. He suggested” Why don’t you write some thing about god?? God? I wondered aloud. You know, the god who bats at no.4 for India?? he said.

That was not an option, I decided. It had to be something original, I decided, something no body had written about ever. I lamented to my husband there was nothing original left. Take the movies for instance, Everything these days was a remake of this bollywood or Hollywood original And songs, a remix or a straight lift from the original. And many authors copied too. Few had the time or the creativity to create something original. So do I stand a chance??

Unwilling to give up so easily, I listed out the virtues of originals. “ They lasted forever, They were valued and cherished for ever, They had so many followers. One only had to read about the prices an original Picasso or MF Husain fetched in those pricey auctions. Now, our own Gandhi, aptly named by none other than Tagore for being a “ Great soul” was an original. He is remembered for his original idea of “Satyagraha” a most harmless but effective way of protesting.

Unknowingly, my fingers were flying in the keyboard. I poured out my anguish at the lack of originality, at the multitude of versions of every other original. Before I realized, it was 9pm and time for dinner. My son barged in” Mom, what’s for dinner?? My husband added helpfully ”some original recipe, I suppose”, and not the ones you try to copy from those women’s magazines”? Neither, I said tongue in cheek.” I have a very original idea” , We are all going out for dinner today.


Sujatha Natraj