Three years back at a theater workshop, organized by NSD (National School of Drama) alumni, Anamika Haksar, a well known theater artist, asked us to 'imagine' as if we had discovered an old chest after 20 years. We were to enact on our own what we found from the chest..using our 'imagination. People got to work. After 15 minutes of this exercise, people recounted the things that they found. A pair of old shoes came out, some read their old dairies and love letters, some even discovered cool spider man costumes...as for me, i found nothing. I have no clue what i did for those 15 min. I tried hard to imagine, to visualise, to put myself in the situation and think..think what i could possibly find. But i didn't succeed. I found nothing. When my turn came to tell Ms. Haksar what i had found, i made up some stupid story on the spot and relayed it. She smiled.
I didn't realise it then or perhaps even if i did, i didn't give it much thought. I lack imagination. Am utterly deviod of it. I realised this a couple of days back when i was talking to a colleauge about story writing. She used to be a copy writer and has now shifted to client servicing. She was asking me why i wasnt into copy since i write. And instantaneously i told her that i lack imagination, i can write what i feel and express it very well, but i cant 'create'. It was only when i SAID those words that i realised how true they were. I find myself unable to write a story, to create a charecter and live his/her life through my words. Or probably, the child in me is dead. As a child i did write stories. I remember writing one about a monkey with only 3 hair on his head and how each hair had a magical quality that helped a prince find his treasure. Now i can laugh and yet envy the 6 year old's imagination that i now a 25 year old, cant capture.
