Inkheart

It was 5th Grade.. "Ink Pen" was the new trend! All those who had a good hand- writing were allowed to write with an ink pen! Everyone tried their best to suit this category! And I was one of those many who , at the end of the year, got clearance for writing in Ink pen!! Cheap - thrills were a big deal back then!!

After 6 to 7 years, today, I sat writing with a pencil.. I made a tiny mistake while writing and immediately scratched it out.. After a dozens of mistakes, the paper looked terrible! "Ah! If only I had an eraser", I thought..

Back at school, life was easier.. All you had to do was make a mistake and erase it before people even knew you had made one! The eraser was an escape route to sophistication! Of course I didn't feel this way at the time.. All I felt was 'I'm gonna impress the teacher with my neatness'.. Now that I think over it, was I taught to be fake back in the 1st Grade? Mistakes were not allowed! I was supposed to be perfect! Mistakes by the pencil were cleared off by the eraser and the paper shined back brightly, neat and tidy!! And the best part was, I didn't have to own up for any of them because they "apparently" didn't exist!

The ink pen, on the other hand, wasn't so easy to deal with.. I couldn't get away with my mistakes anymore.. The write- ups started looking more like themselves.. Naive & Shabby!! Aah! I had to get scolded for every mistake that I made.. She now knew I was not really as impressive as I appeared to be! After a few days though, pen did bring out a different side in me. I didn't have to pretend anymore. Fine I made a mistake! Big Deal ! "Just don't repeat it again", I told myself! Who would have taught in school that pen would be a catalyst in changing one's way of thinking and bringing courage to own up, to say the least!

Reflecting over it after years, I guess, the pen did say, "Don't be fake people! Mistakes are a reality and sophistication just gives you momentary pleasure of having impressed others. Pen or pencil, your mind still knows you were wrong! At the end of the day, you are answerable to no one but your own self!! Choice lies with the individual, of course, but isn't it easier to choose a pen and be at peace with oneself rather than living in a mere illusion of having lived a 'perfect' life!"