Two events that have shaped me

P.S.- This is part of a self evaluation exercise that I had to attempt. I blog my attempt here as I think I wrote some great prose here.


Two things majorly make me who I am


1) Bibliomaniac:- I started reading seriously as a child of eight or so. First I loved comics and then after I had read and reread all the Archies, Tintin, Asterix in the local library, I moved to Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Famous Five and similar stuff. By class 7 even these had been read so I moved to more serious authors and I was now an official bibliophile. I read during school time, after school, during the vacation and despite a rather severe reprimand on being caught even during exams.


The reading hobby has lasted forever and even now I read pretty much anything I get my hands onto.


However more than a strong vocabulary or a good command of English, reading has moulded me also in another way. Reading has made me much more sensitive to the world around me telling me there is seldom black and white in any argument or incidence but rather multiple shades of grey abound everywhere. And reading made me step into poetry and it was this fascination for the written word that I aspired to write and was a member of the magazine board in my school in class 11th.

2) The AIT story:- The story of my life starts in college. Everything else before that time is inconsequential like a misty morning vanquished by the rising afternoon sun. When I headed to AIT, I
was the bookworm who wanted to pursue his M.S. and PhD. in engineering and was both stage shy and an introvert. I also carried a disappointment from being forced to reject NIT Warrangal but that’s another story


AIT changed it all. Everyone was pushed onto stage. I was a member of English debates, Hindi debates ,Musical dramas and was also the only first year student to write the script for the street play.
After all the rule was if you were in the first year and were not on stage ,you had to be in the audience cheering. And it made more sense to be involved and be cheered rather than being a dumb
cheerleader(pun intended).


At AIT I was also for 3 years a part of a wonderful group called the Mag Board which did all sorts of stuff such as treasure hunts, betting rings, V day dress codes, fun notice boards , etc. Oh, there was also a magazine somewhere. When I attended the first meeting I was flabbergasted. I thought I was in the wrong place for I was surrounded by these awesomely glib talkers. And I was shy. But it was a challenge that I took up and I survived. The highest moment came in my third year of engineering when I became the Mag Board Secretary of my batch. It was a culmination of hard-work and
creativity.


And after my engineering I have worked for three years where I have been recognized as a great employee. But my confidence and creativity still spills from the time when I was young and unafraid.