Sunday, July 23, 2006

Counting my blessings

Women have been the bane of my professional life and men of my personal life
SP

This eloquent sentence was uttered by my friend SP as we sat talking about nothing in particular.

What she meant was that she had hell with women bosses in her professional life and some really mean men in her personal life like her father and husband.

SP always speaks from the heart, as you can see from that quote above and nurtured that habit in me when I, as a rather wet behind the ears trainee copywriter was placed under her charge. SP was my Creative Director and mentor and the most beautiful person at heart I have ever met. Within a month of joining the agency she removed the ‘trainee’ tag and made me a regular Copywriter, even though I would drop into the agency only on Saturdays. She is an amazingly talented lady and now serves in a ‘Communications’ post in an IT company like most ex copywriters. Her exit from the advertising scene is a huge loss for the ad world, a world which is not even aware of it, or if they are aware, they don’t care. We became the best of friends despite the difference in our age. The friendship continues to this day and it is something that I never forget to thank God for.

SP was the force behind ‘Poomanam’. She is the one who pushed me into blogging. She would watch me goofing around in the agency, making caricatures of ads and people in our weekly newsletter and would tell me, “You must blog”. When I asked her why, she would say “A blog is the perfect medium for you. You are spontaneous and do not follow any fixed pattern in anything …you do your own thing and blogging will give you the freedom to write without censure that you crave so much. So for a person like you a blog is the perfect medium.”

In fact she suggested “freespirit’ as a name for my bog, which I ‘characteristically’ turned down. She was not surprised! :p

When I finally made my blog under the name ‘Poomanam’, she said dryly ‘ I don’t think even God could have guessed it!”

She monitors every single post of mine and gives her comments quickly and mercilessly, but with a clause… that I don’t react to criticism or praise. In my profession where writing dry marketing collaterals can sap even the most gifted individual, blogging has recharged me and kept the creative part in me alive. I may not be the best, I may be the worst, but I can proudly say today that I have always written for myself.


I realize that over the years, I have adopted her as my elder sister and like close biological siblings I can trust her blindly. She is Gods compensation for not giving me a sister. I have always admired the bond between my mom and her sisters. They are always there for each other through thick and thin and I realize that I would never have that because I don’t have a sister. The bond between sisters is very unique.

SP is also the only person besides my elder brother who can give me a ticking off when I do something that may not be potentially right. Between the two of them they have managed to give me enough freedom to do what I like, reserving the right to intervene when they think fit. And it is these two people, whose judgment I trust implicitly.

Today I am counting my blessings and SP I am sure you were my sister in my last birth, because I cannot think of plausible explanation for the kind of relationship we have.

Thank you!

13 comments:

b v n said...

SP would be surely delighted to know that silverine has crossed ten thousand profile views :-)
way to go !

mathew said...

Wow..cool tribute to a real friend!!..Congry SP for making you blog!! :)

I wish she moved from "Communications" to mad ad world where creativity flows bigtime !!!!

Anonymous said...

Three cheers for SP!!

Sarah said...

wow! SP..you are a lucky person to have a super prote'ge'!

Mind Curry said...

very sweet..sometimes we get get overwhelmed by some of the people we hold really close to our heart..and i am glad you have such a great relationship with SP..who is your mentor, friend, sister and what not. touching..

Dhanush | ധനുഷ് said...

Blessed to have a friend-mentor who identified your talent. Somewhere I feel somethings in us need to be ingnited by some one. We need to get that spark or little push.

Hmmm .. Appo Ennum raavile (mikkavarum) ingane chirikkan chance undakki thanna aa SP chechikku Nandi.

silverine said...

b v n: Thank you :) 10 k profile views feels awfully creepy sometimes :p

Alexis: I am indeed fortunate, for the many people who have come into my life both good and bad. I guess at the end of the day, it is what you have gained from them that matters.

mathew: Thank you :) I don't think there is any copywriter going back to advertising in a hurry :)) It's literally an ad mad world out there!

Aashik: Thank you dear :)

Kosh: Amen!

Sarah: Thank you :) I am really lucky that she came into my life when she did!!

Dhanush: You are so right. Some people ignite that dormant ember in you to a fire. Sometimes it is positive influence and sometimes it is a negative influence. Well.. if it had not been for SP I don't think I would have blogged when I did :)

mind curry: Thank you doc :) I guess when we look back we will all find such people who have made a difference in our lives with a word or a gesture or by their mere presence in your life.

Dr. Pissed said...

SP, Thank you!

silverine said...

dr pissed: He finally appears!!! :)) Hope you are not on the Australian govt's hit list da! I know we will get a post on that soon! ;)

Jiby said...

beautiful post...i almost missed it...one thing i regret in life is i never gave anyone a chance to mentor me...one man came close but i left him behind...ur post reminded me about him.

Anyways thanks to SP I am happy I have gotten to read both your wonderful blogs for more than a year now...your talent is amazing...you should take your writing to a new level some day...something like a novel.

silverine said...

Jiby: SP is a regular reader of your posts and thinks you have it in you to make a name for yourself in writing :)

Ganja Turtle said...

In fact she suggested “freespirit’ as a name for my blog, which I ‘characteristically’ turned down. "Mais oui!!!

silverine said...

GT: Merci :)