Today once again I am discussing a subject, which I might have discussed a few times earlier also. Yes, it’s regarding the writing and then blogging activity. Basically it is regarding expressing myself, be it through writing or speaking in any medium.

I remember listening to some orator who told that a person who has something worthwhile to say, does hesitate, if speaking before public he would initially face many problems, while any street vendor would cry without any hesitation, since he does not need approval from anybody, he just has to sell things!
Anyway, every individual expresses himself in his or her unique way. There are some who would keep speaking on every subject, even without any subject, but can’t remain calm. But let me tell you that speaking doesn’t always mean expressing something meaningful.
I am talking today regarding my journey in expressing myself. So, in my younger days in Delhi, I started working and writing poetry at the same time. While I went to Chandni Chowk and then to Jhandewalan for my initial services, where the monthly earning was Rs. 100 to 250 in total, during initial over 3-4 years of service with Pitambar Book Depot, then with Delhi Press, where Sarita, Caravan, Mukta etc. magazines are published and finally I joined Govt. service in Ministry of Industry, New Delhi, where I worked for 9 years.
So, while I went to these places from my residence in Shahdara, in east Delhi, on the way I often went to Delhi Public Library, opposite Delhi Junction, where budding poets and orators met weekly on Saturday and Monday evenings respectively. I was more regular in the poetry meetings, in which many famous poets had been coming during the years, before and after me. It was during 8-9 years of my attending these poetic symposia in Delhi that I wrote most of my poems. Actually, that was the time when the movement of Navgeet (Sonnet) was active in Hindi, and people wrote lyrics (Geet) with new format and content, I also contributed a little bit to that.
Anyhow in 1980 I left Delhi and with that the activity of poetry writing also slowly disappeared, accept for some time in Jaipur, then I lived in far away places of India, at project sites, cut off from all such activities.
However I slowly found a new and very effective way of expressing myself. I conducted cultural programs for the residents of our townships, where thousands of our company employees, many contract employees and their families lived. The programs included Kavi Sammelans and also programs by famous singers, which included Jagjit Singh Ji, Mahendra Kapur Ji, Nitin Mukesh Ji etc. etc. Such programs gave me a great opportunity to express myself.
Anyhow, after my retirement in 2010 there were no such connections, no scope of attending poetic symposia or being part of cultural activities. Slowly I came to learn that blogging is a great way to keep expressing my own views and creativity and being in touch with people who believe in expressing themselves in any field.
In this way I have been blogging for last 3-4 years and hope this activity would keep me engaged for longer than I hope.
• This is my humble submission on #IndiSpire prompt- When did you first realize that you can or must write? What was the subject of your first creative written work? #NewWriter
Thanks for reading.
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