A woman knows no barrier when she decides to step out from the confines of her boundaries!
The phrase sounds true when it comes to an inspiring story of Reshma who is scripting a successful story in her second innings by learning newer skills along with her grown up kids to make a mark for herself!
This pretty woman, like most Indian girls, was married at an early age and her family responsibilities took a top priority for her.
“Somewhere along the line, I lost contact with my inner being thereby burying all my aspirations and ambitions. Like a dormant volcano, I was calm and quiet on the outside but boiling within, because the chase for dreams might have ceased but the dreams I saw, never died and kept sending tremors from within,” she says.
Over the years, Reshma finally found a friend in her diary where she started sharing her daily emotions and hence came up her passion to write!
Lost in the words, she started presenting them with best emotions which honed her writing skills.
Although her family have had the orthodox views, she successfully managed to skip those barriers and developed a strong indulgence in writing which helped her discover her true calling.
“I believed that this escapade shall help me in realising my dream of becoming independent and self-reliant woman. However, multiple thoughts raced my mind at the slightest thought of exposure to mundane events or novel experiences.”
As years passed, she entered in her early forties; her grown-up children poised as her mirror and introduced her to her lost self.
‘Either you stop being so regretful of your past or you do something to amend it’. These were my sons’ words which echoed within me, rekindling those past embers.
All these years I had waited for an external source of encouragement or push, being pessimist and blaming my stars and circumstances, but never myself! A big lesson learnt was that the first step of upliftment must come from within and then watch how things fall in place!
She says these words helped her start new innings of her life.
“The need to cultivate my inner desires and follow my passion was so strong that I jumped over hurdles one by one, steadily and patiently. Eventually, perseverance paid and within a span of six to seven years, I armed myself with academic qualifications (BA, MA, DIPLOMA IN CREATIVE WRITING and still going on) in English Literature, which served as a catalyst to further enhance my writing abilities and achieve my goals,” says Reshma with shine in her eyes as she says, “I haven’t looked back since then.”
Speaking of an anecdote here at this point, she quotes, “My daughter was flying off for her first job, and simultaneously I was secretly stepping into a modest office for my first job interview. As a young girl, I had visioned myself innumerable times walking into an upscale Manhattan type office, in chic formals and stilettos with a heavy portfolio, confident to take on the world. In contrast, I was nervously clutching my saree pallu, acutely aware of the implications of my shining grey streaks, insecure about my resume which was based more on passion than experience and fumbling with words.”
“My reporting officer, a retired IPS officer running his cyber security company, took on me and gave me the initial lessons of the professional world,” she says.
A month-long workshop with a committed mentor, released me from my confines and gave me that much needed dose of confidence to share the pages of my journals with a wider audience. It has been my privilege that pieces of my fiction and poetry have been published in various magazines like Women’s Era, Himalayan Times, TOSS The Sheet, Siyahi etc.”
I have my teaching centre, WORD BLOOM where I nurture young minds and also conduct creative writing workshops for all ages, which is more like an indulgence into the world which I had dreamed all through my life, says Reshma with a smile of satisfaction!