SELF IMAGE

SORRY FOLKS! COULDNT DO TEH POST ON SATURDAY!
27th February 2004
Self Images!
All these days when I’ve been busy trying to act out this whole farce of being a ‘bubbly’ extrovert. I’ve failed to notice others –observe them, study them. In this huge attempt to seek maximum attention I’ve lost out on knowing others. Yes I can say I am considerably happier caring only for myself and trying to know only myself and putting on a façade by which I want everyone else to know me.
Well of late all the teachers have been asking about the class’s perception of a person -yesterday Shanti and Swati. Today, Ratna. Weird. Well different people viewed me differently and I was asked about my perspectives of others too. I didn’t have one on most people, except the ones who were slightly boisterous or extroverted. Ratna ma’am thinks I’m ‘bubbly’ and she said it like she really believed in it, too. She said that when she heard laughter in the Psychology Department she knew that I was there and that though I laughed and I was bubbly and all I knew when to work. Of course I really like this impression and am proud of being a good enough “actrice” to have created it. But it came as a shock that it could be considered outgoing.
I mean –Duh where is Gowri? It was similar to the time when Akku told me I was creative and therefore wanted me to do architecture and what amma told me about Akku telling her about how I had made a sensible decision to do B A and all. Also about Tej considering my handwriting to be one of the best she’s ever seen in her life when all my life I’ve heard people literally worshipping Akku's handwriting and either telling me how normal or how bad my handwriting was.
ALL THE TIME. There was the time long ago-I think when we were going to Singapore …no Sikkim for a holiday and we were sitting in an airport. Akku and I were writing to Thatha Pati and I was writing in my very best handwriting. Of course I was a young child then and even my best was nothing to beat Akku’s worst. She is 5 years older. Of course she has a beautiful handwriting, with a lovely slant. Mine was never too even and never had much of a slant. There was this man who must’ve been in his mid fifties and his wife (who I think was a foreigner). I don’t remember too much except that this man had a snuff box and kept smelling stuff. He saw Akku’s handwriting and said it was so great. Though I didn’t realise it straight away that seems to have increased my already existing inferiority complex.

It’s maybe just about a year since I have been able to get rid of this inferiority complex. All my life I have lived under the shadow of my brilliant sister. Though my family did try its best o prevent the formation of such a complex –by treating us as equals –in fact by putting Akku down sometimes to make me feel okay, never telling me that I am stupider than her or less pretty or less hardworking or less intelligent. But stupid and insensitive as I was I couldn’t help noting these facts and develop such a complex. It took me nearly 16 years to realise that in spite of being less intelligent and creative than her I had some amount of intelligence and creativity, some amount of prettiness; I liked my eyes for example- soon I got glasses.
I liked my hair for example –soon I stated balding in the front. I guess my sense of humour helped me a lot. Well I guess I accept myself today as a unique individual who needn’t compete with Akku. This is how Appa and Amma have always treated me and Akku too. She has treated me with considerable amount of kindness and been very nice to me many a time.

I owe a lot to Nizam’s for having helped me to get back confidence in myself and my love for myself in spite of not hating others. In both my schools I started loving myself because I hated others.