A Matter of Choice

When I was about seven, my father suffered his first heart attack. Although I barely knew what a heart attack was, I’d made up my mind that I would become a doctor who checks people’s hearts and keeps it fit. Well, I guess, ‘cardiologist’ would have been too complex a term to remember at that age.

At about 13 years of age, my father gifted me ‘Wings of Fire’, an autobiography of one his ideal Indian personalities, Dr. Abdul Kalam. The great Indian scientist’s life was so awe-inspiring that I instantly knew that I too wanted to be a scientist. All science projects, exhibitions, workshops in schools saw a keen student excelling with outstanding results. Practical labs could hardly keep me out. Consequently, I opted Science in college but as time progressed my aims still kept shifting and after 5 years of college, I graduated in Chemistry.

By the time I left college, I’d realized that I had profound interest in working with the numerous chemicals, the very many odors and flames had lit a spark of a renewed interest. I could imagine working with test tubes in a chemical factory, testing, analyzing chemicals, acids, bases, pH factors, the benzene chains, etc. I did have a very vague idea of how I wanted life to be.

Then, sometime after graduation, when I received the first mobile phone of my life, I couldn’t help being glued to the radio channels. What fascinated me most was how easily the jockeys could talk and bring a smile on the faces of listeners as I myself smiled to their voices so many times. Many nights, I would fall asleep with the earphones plugged and wake up to some song yet playing or some morning jockey trying to wake up the city with his vibrant mood. So, there was my next big interest, being a radio-jockey. After having auditioned for a show of about 30 minutes, I realized that day wasn’t far when I would be bored doing this too. I never made for the second round of selection.

Amidst all the skips and jumps, the only thing that never bored me was reading. I never gave up reading. I still found myself coming to a book at the end of a sad or tired or happy day. It was sometime before I started to blog and lookout for freelance writing opportunities. Fate favored me once again, and I was writing, doing freelance assignments. Then the big turn came when I received a chance to work as a content writer for my firm. So, here I am, writing/editing/proofreading for an MBA college where I initially, started as a College Placements Specialist.

I enjoy my days, because I love my work, and I love my work because it involves a lot of reading. So, it boiled down to this. Reading and everything surrounding reading was what got me. Now, I had most certainly never imagined myself as a writer but I guess it was just a matter of choice.

I could go all along placing college graduates, contacting MNCs, or being a RJ or maybe a scientist, had I not accepted what fate brought on. It’s a matter of choice and not chance that I write today. You may get a lot of chances, but that you make the right choices is what is important in the long run.

These instances in life also drive my attention to a less-favored fact – Not all that turns out unplanned is heartbreaking. Sometimes it’s adventurous, it’s way beyond satisfactory. Sometimes, it’s for your own good. And, I must say, I am happy, I am happy writing. After all, how many of us can really say they do what they love to do?

-Asha Seth