CREATIVITY AND PLACE

I believe creativity is closely associated with a place and vice versa. I was born at Cannanore in Kerala, spent some time in Orissa, educated in West Bengal, employed in Andhra Pradesh and now in Goa.

From Kerala, I came to Howrah in West Bengal to learn Bengali, Hindi and finally English which became the medium of expression and the language of my creativity.

At Howrah, I did picture study from comics and at Rameshwar Nagar, Bauria, Howrah, I began to write: started with anecdotes to poems and stories.

While staying at Fort Gloster Staff Quarter, my creativity developed into various forms: poems, stories, novlettes/novels, dialogues/dramas, chalk carving and more.

After some years, I shifted to Medchal near Secunderabad and Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh to find more ideas and creativity awaiting me. Also I collected passages from 'The New Testament' and 'The Gita'. A Poem also got published in Woman’s Era.

In Goa, I have stated to write letters to the Editors which has always helped me build up my confidence. Eventually, I have self published three books and sent them to book fairs. Besides, I have created a site: http://uakiran.yolasite.com

I think a lot awaits me while I would be visiting another place. Surely, ideas are unlimited in this round world.

QUEER FISH

It happened when I was staying at Bauria in West Bengal. We were going to Kerala on 31st July, 2002. Our chief worry was about the aquarium. What to do with it? At first we decided to keep it with our neighbour, but it was changed and finally decided to keep it where it was - on my study table. I bought worms worth Rs.2 and just before leaving, put the whole lot into the aquarium, some dry food and dry worms. The main switch was put off and we were off.

Travelling by Madras Mail and West Coast Express, I was thinking about fish. We reached Kannur station and finally home where whenever I ate fish, I was reminded of our aquarium. We knew all the fish would die of hunger, but there is one chance. If they began to take the plants in the aquarium, they might live. But there was none to support this view. All believed that all the fish would die. One even said all the colourful fish would die and become colourless. I, sometimes, agreed with them, but I was feeling that if, however, the fish dined the plants,they might live. I had sometimes imagined that all were floating in the aquarium.

Whatever the result would be, it was certain that we would have to change the water as it had not been changed for three months.

We returned by West Coast Express and Howrah Mail, a local train to Bauria, finally an auto which took us to our quarter. My father opened the door and I rushed in to see the aquarium. We were astonished to find our fish alive except for a Gold fish which was dead and two others, whose dead bodies were never found. They were so small that they might have been devoured by the giants.

I put some dry food into it and all the living fish began to swallow them. To our amazement, none of the plants were touched. The water was as clean as we left it. The main switch was put on and I switched on to let the filter work and the air bubbles rose to the surface of the water.

We could not believe it, so could not the people who had heard it. I wondered about it as I changed the month to August and the day to 21st, Wednesday.

For full 20 days, the aquarium full of fish had stayed on my table, without the motor working and without food.

In May 2003, we sold the aquarium full of gallant fish, as we

had to move to Medchal, near the twin-city Hyderabad and 

Secunderabad in Andhra Pradesh.

Read my other Short Stories

Creativity in Goa

I always believe creativity is directly related to place. Little did I realize that creativity in Goa would be different from the places like Medchal in A.P., Bauria in W.B., Kannur in Kerala, etc.

In the month I arrived i.e. May, the reservation issue was hot enough to make me write my opinion regarding it and send it to The Navhind Times. It was published. It was my first letter to editor. Numerous letters followed it in addition to one published in The Week and I got them added to my site. A poem: ‘On the Pavement He Lay’ was also published in the Sunday Magazine of The Navhind Times: Panorama.

If my creativity got its wings while staying at Fort Gloster Staff Quarter where my mood got much time and more space to develop and what followed is now seen in Goa where many of my work are published although those were without any payment. It will come when it has to, I believe. Now it is the time to develop more and more and reach where my creative power would lead me to. 

The computer has brought more development to my creativity. My experiment with HTML and Adobe Photoshop and ImageReady has to said noteworthy as it has given new dimension to my creativity.