365 DAYS 365 TALES

Interview with the Writer

1... 2... 3... Go... The director signalled.

"Good evening folks. Welcome to Interview with Vikram..." he paused for the back music to blast and end.

"As always, we have a special person here today, to engage us for the next thirty minutes with her brilliance. O-K-A-Y let's see who might that be." Vikram pretended as if he was thinking.

"Oh yeah I remember now..." he faked his realisation, gaining laughter from the audience. "I might have amnesia." He jokingly hit his forehead.

"She is an young writer, published recently and had been a big hit. Any idea?... No? No?... Author of 'BEHIND THE BLINDNESS'" he announced loudly, clapping his hands, welcoming the author.

"Miss. Tara Maghesh."

She was seated in a well cushioned, comforatble black sofa in the centre of the shooting set. Tara smiled politely facing the camera and joined her hands to form a namaste.

"Hello Miss. Tara," Vikram extended his hands, but she didn't take it, instead she again did the namaste.

"Hi Vikram."

Soon, Vikram turned her hands awkwardly into a namaste. And the interview started with the formals about how she felt about the success and all.

"This is your first interview ever and infact we have struggled hard to get your appointment. Was it because you think you are polite enough to brush off the fame or is it your pride?"

Tara laughed out loud, her head leaned back in the act, "Taking pride in my work? That's really funny Vikram. To answer your question, it's neither... More like, I'm socially awkward kind and people tend to dislike me once I open my mouth."

Again a round of chortle passed.

"What motivated you to write a story about blindness?" Vikram was really curious.

There was a little silence before she chuckled, a little, her eyes were suddenly dreamy, "It was a summer vacation during my first year of college and my friends went on teasing about a blind girl who wanted to become a writer. That didn't seem fair to me. Can't a blind girl have dreams? I asked myself. They are a fellow human like you, like any other. Just because one of their senses is down, doesn't mean they have to be put in a different category, right? They have the same freedom to choose what they want, like anyother human with fully functional senses. There flickered my spirit."

The audience gave her a standing ovation. Vikram found himself standing up, clapping his hands hard. He moved the table a little towards Tara while he stood.

Her smile was polite as always while a happy drop of tears slide down her left cheeks.

After the excitement died down a bit, "One last question... Did you use conventional methods to write your script or the technology? Or which one did you prefer?" Vikram asked.

"That's an interesting question Vikram. And yeah, I used technology - my mobile to write the story." She chuckled.

"Younger generation... Do I even have to ask?" He laughed.

He stood up, indirectly announcing the end of the program. Tara stood up and took a step, but tripped on the table and fell down, on the stage.

Vikram rushed towards her but there were others before him, helping her up. Her face was flushed, yet she smiled and said to no one in particular, "Sorry, I let out one piece of information. The blind girl became a successful writer."

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Akiprabagar (04/05)

"Sitting in a room,

Being booked for a crime,

With the cops torturing you with questions,

It's the time you want to avoid."