April 10, 2008
Shashank - The Archer : Well it does not mean that Shashank is already an archer. In my childhood I was fascinated by the tales of Arjuna, a legendary hero of the Epic of Mahabharata. I always dreamed of practicing archery since my childhood. I did get a chance to practice archery with a bamboo bow, which was gifted to me by my maternal uncle. He previously used it for fishing - a feat which I was unable to reproduce, no matter how hard I tried. Though it was a very crude bow, I used to shoot arrows over a distance which - considering my height of about 3 feet at that time - gave me a feeling of great satisfaction; a feeling which can be truly understood only by those who have consciously and willingly loosened an arrow.

As is true with most of the good things, it was a joy which did not last for long. I had to do other really important things, which I now realize, were really unimportant. Childhood had to take a backseat and my days of archery were over. After a gap of about 10 years I tried to make a bow again. But owing to my inferior workmanship and due to the unavailability of good quality timber, I have been unable to recreate those magical moments I experienced with my first bow. Maybe this second bow did shoot at greater distances than the first one, but somehow it just didn't feel right. I guess it has a lot to do with my increased height (which is now about 6 feet) and the fact that I am a lot older now. Indeed, being older significantly changes the way you perceive your surroundings.