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Journalism of Courage
At a time when authors are paid huge sums of royalties, I still vividly remember the ecstasy I experienced as a young lad of 14, studying in a government school in a nondescript Orissa town when I received a princely sum of Rs 10 by money order for my short story published in a Bombay-based children8217;s magazine some time in the early 1970s. It was my first earning. I invested the money in the magazine itself by subscribing for a year. Ever since I have never looked back.
After graduation, I came to Delhi for my higher studies and resumed my writing. A small 100-word piece of mine appeared in a Delhi eveninger and I received a cheque for Rs 35 for it drawn on a foreign bank. Until then I had no idea how one encashes a cheque. I went to the branch of the issuing bank and produced the cheque, asking for immediate encashment. A clerk at the counter advised me to first open an account and then deposit the cheque. That is how I opened my first savings bank account 8212; and I still have an account in that bank.
I have retained my child-like exuberance for the cheques I receive as payment for articles 8212; even if they are paltry sums. It8217;s a bit like a farmer plucking a ripe fruit or vegetable from the garden after nurturing it for months 8212; a labour of love in the true sense of the term!
