Our lives, as human beings, revolve around stories. Stories intertwined. Travel stories, food stories, sad stories, happy stories, stories of life and of death, stories of meeting and separations and reunions. It is like a forever story our lives are stuck in.
And I like stories – narrating them requires a special skill. You can get your audience bored in no time. If there is no hook, the person is bound to slip.
रंगा दी कहानिया चख चख के, मैं ते हाँ उंगलियां चट गइयाँ
I have tasted stories of all colours and licked my finger clean!
For as long as I remember, I wanted to be a storyteller. Someone who could just with the help of her everyday doings weave a saga so profound – people would be left wanting for more.
And I have been told I am pretty good at it too (you see, someone told me modesty is not my best feature). But I am honest. Growing up I realized I am not the most imaginative person I know. But boy, I can tell a story.
And honestly, more than a vivid imagination, it needs a gift of words. And well, I have it. But down the road, I somewhat gave it up.
Somewhere while working to bring out other peoples’ voices, I lost my own. People who loved me were always encouraging of whatever little I wrote – whenever I did.
But I had given up. Right up until this coronavirus-induced lockdown.
While looking at my Instagram feed and scanning the news sites, I realised how important stories are for people – sad, happy, love, life, lost and found – stories of all kinds. I understood the want and need of chronicling stories – mine and others.
And along came At Random – a platform we thought would give everyone a chance that I wanted for myself. A chance to write, to chronicle, to tell the world your stories – important ones, silly ones, embarrassing ones, ones you are proud of – ones you just want to tell.
After all, it is a forever story our lives are stuck in.
