Indra Sinha

Another great master that I had the honour of meeting is Indra Sinha. From him, I learnt the value of honest, passionate writing. In a seminar he gave in Mumbai, he said “The first thing to do is not to think, but to feel. Feel, and feel passionately. It’s not the words you write that are important, it’s the wind that blows through their gaps. Write honestly, from the heart and the feeling you bring to your work will flood through the gaps between the words.”

His words were a truth that penetrated to the very heart of me. Yes, I can ‘do’ advertising intelligently, crack the brief and produce a successful campaign - and make everyone happy. Everyone, except me. Because I know I have not given of myself. And the times when I do, I sweat and struggle and bite my nails raw, not knowing day from night, lunch from dinner, my cat from my dog! It is not easy - it's almost like giving birth, and in a way I guess it is a birth of sorts - I am bringing a part of me out into the world. It's a struggle. But one that leaves me feeling fulfilled.