Call me a movie buff, and I will readily accept the title. Watching an infinite number of movies — romance, thrillers, sci-fi, you name them — and scrutinising the characters in these flicks has developed in me many qualities of a film critic. But, as far as the real world goes, nothing beats the incredible movie Harriet the Spy that I recently chanced upon and took to my heart immediately. The film revolves around a 10-year-old girl, Harriet. What hooked me the most was her one-track “mission to become a writer”. I could instantly find many similarities between the two of us.

At just ten, Harriet knew what she wanted to do with her life. Unlike her, most people lack a clear vision and the guts to delve into their hearts and find their true calling.

In fact, I belonged to the horde of the “undecided” until a year ago.

Like many young children, I still remember telling people about my ambition to become a doctor and serve my country. But as I was counting down my

teen years, I realised I would never be happy with a career in medicine. That was the turning point in my life, the time my destiny dawned on me: Yes, I wanted to become a writer.

I missed countless opportunities during my childhood fantasising myself in a white smock, a stethoscope slung around my neck. And seldom did I read literary books. I didn’t even heed the praises I got from my English teacher on my essays. I was too busy day-dreaming about hospital corridors and my intimate bond with my patients, you see! And always a daddy’s girl, I also wanted to fulfil his dream. How could I disappoint my dear daddy!

But, in time, I developed a great passion for literature. The likes of Sidney Sheldon, George Orwell, Charles Dickens and Samrat Upadhyaya started consuming most of my time. I dreamt about the characters in their novels and soon the great yearning to become a writer took hold of me.

Experiences teach one valuable lessons, they say. All I can do is learn from my past mistakes and work towards fulfilling my ambition. I am happy and proud that I have had the guts to follow my dreams. As I take big strides towards realising my dream, I too can boast like Harriet: I am on a mission to become a writer.