“I told you to do this long ago.You never listen to me!” is what Anasua, a best friend, is probably going to say when I tell her I’ve started blogging. To be fair, She has indeed tried her level best for the past two years to entice me into the world of blogging. But my innate laziness is something, despite best efforts, I can’t quite shake off. And it is this laziness, best described by the word ‘lyadh’ in Bangla, coupled with a terror of emerging trends, which blogging was in those days, that prevented me from making my foray into the hallowed virtual reality of the blog world much sooner. I always told Anasua that those who blogged were deeply unsettled, attention-craving ( what else could account for the blog comments that every blogger lives for?), neurotic pseudo-intellectuals. And I wasn’t going to be a psychological case study, thank you very much. Also, technologically challenged as I am, I preferred writing in the traditional way - with pen and paper. I still type about 20 words a minute, and believe me when I say that’s an improvement from last year. But then, as I grew up, (I like to believe I did, even though detractors might scoff) I began to realize that that blogging was about much more than just having a few moments under the limelight. It is also about catharsis, when you sieve through your emotions and get to the real you beneath all the layers. But where it veers from keeping a diary is in the fact that it is also about questioning the accepted norm, standing up for your beliefs and sharing that on a more visible platform. You are more open to criticism too and other people’s opinions now matter making for a more humane outlook. Humane, but not mellow. Over the past few days, I read a few blogs, like an educational tour through a strange, exotic land. Although occasionally venturing into uncharted territory, I kept following the right signs and somehow made my way through. While reading blogs about people I know gave me this inside peek into their minds which gave the curious Jane in me quite a high, I also loved reading some of the blogs of people I was not acquainted with, because it gave me a sense of knowing the unknown, familiarity in anonymity that was like reading a novel.
And I know I want to belong here.
