"Beauty is truth,
truth beauty,
that is all Ye know on Earth,
that is all Ye need to know..." - John Keats


Thursday 4 February 2010

On an anecdote of criticism...

A random person whom I knew perchance ages ago,came up to me and asked me a favour,which was, to give my opinion on a certain topic on which he had made an attempt to write a commentary... I was mildly taken by surprise,yet was very happy to be invited for giving my view and politely accepted his request, and I read through his piece. Well it was a decent commentary,quite passionately written. The feelings were quite appreciable but the content in the piece seemed a bit deprived, or for the want of a better expression,be called immature. But I hardly dispose myself to reject or negate one's effort in writing something,and appreciated his effort,while mildly advising him to concentrate upon more feasible,and universally applicable solutions for the questions he envisaged to answer or at least make an attempt at answering. And then out of professional curiosity I ventured to ask him if he was happy with my reply,and he answered,"yeah,kinda,but not entirely."
But I was perfectly satisfied with that answer,as I don't think anyone can hope to be thanked for saying 'you got to get tuned up.'
This day I again met him,and considering his enthusiasm in the issues discussed,asked him to join a group I had planned to create,and the reply I got is,first you make,I will join later.
To that I said okay and sought his leave,when he stopped me and informed me of certain oppurtunity he had chanced upon which opened up prospects for him to become a columnist in future. I asked him as to how he come across such an oppurtunity,and he replied that it was because he knew many friends from media field and they informed him as to how well they appreciated his piece (in a tone which clearly said,"dude people better than you,think I am better"),and seeing his elation at the sense of personal accomplishment,I congratulated him. He went on to tell me in how many different ways he gained appreciation from them,and when he got tired of it,I asked him jocularly to get me a job too...:)
And, this is where the criticiser started becoming the criticised,and he started telling me the flaws in my ideology, and how conveniently common and boring my areas of interest were, while his included those shrouded alleys which have seldom seen any human footprint! Then,when I pressed him to explain his stand,he ended up saying that he never wrote on things that "everyone" wrote upon,but he concentrated upon things that people don't think of,and hence, he was approached with an opportunity.
And he advised me to keep on writing,on what my views and interests tell me,and he will,his,and thankful to his auspicious advice,I have written this piece on being critcised.

© Karthik Adithya Singaraju

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