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| Ed Scissorhands vs. the monthly pay cheque |
When I started writing this post on
my favourite Halloween themed movie, I had two possible options in mind. Edward Scissorhands and the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, both directed
by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp. Edward Scissorhands, while dark at
heart was really about someone who is misunderstood by one and all, essentially
a misfit—cue the writer in me to nod
sagely! This seemed almost too obvious
an association to draw out. So I decided instead to focus on the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, originally
written by Washington Irving when he was living in Birmingham, London. I have
always been fascinated by the concept of the Headless Horseman. There’s
something very prophetic about a man with no head, mounted on a massive horse,
riding into the sunset, in search of something he cannot see. In my head, this scene
is played out to the accompaniment of U2’s I
still haven’t found what I am looking for. Many a time, I have felt as if I
was a headless horseman. No, its its not because I am an excellent horseman
(having ridden just once my entire life) but more because there have been many
occasions in life when I’ve felt as if I were losing my head over something. Or
as is the case now, where I am riding a treadmill day after day after day,
until it feels as if I may as well not have a head, given that the material
world does not allow for it. In the
reality of a large corporation, it is expected that one not question why, but simply do and die, and be paid for your efforts
by the security of the monthly cheque which arrives on cue. It is of course
this very predictability which soothes one into the gilded cage of life. It’s
a fairly nice existence too. The problem arises if you are a creative,
thinking person. In which case you are curious, you question the status quo,
then invite angst—which in turn fuels creativity. That’s the cycle I am caught
in right now. Having found my voice, I wonder if I can follow where it takes
me, out of my comfort zone and into the real world. Can I actually be true to
myself and find the redemption in my story? Or am I doomed to being the
Headless Horseman in this lifetime too? Stay tuned to find out where I land.
About the author (in my words): Though born in India,
wanderlust drove me out of my home country and I lived in Singapore and Hong
Kong before being based in London where I now live. I am inspired by Indian
mythology. It was in embracing my roots that I found my voice. My debut novel The Destiny of Shaitan is available on
Amazon http://tiny.cc/szqsew. Reach me here:
twitter at @laxmi
website http://www.laxmihariharan.com/.
good reads: http://www.goodreads.com/laxmi
