Friday, August 29, 2014

Is there a real slim shady?

A few days back I was talking to a friend and telling her how I miss writing. How I think I have had a million ideas but not the will to write. I have been writing a lot of stories and have become a content writer by profession though, so that's some solace. But I wanted to get back to filling this canvas of my personal space.

And then I saw it! The reason that triggered this blog. I saw another blog that had lifted all the content off my blog (I counted five posts which were mine) I appreciate the fact that this person at least had the sense to edit the parts that made no sense to her (since all my blogs are personal and you can't possibly feel exactly what I feel) but I felt invaded.. Cheated and not honored. The only happy thought I got was the joy of reading my own blog, I wrote well :)
There is a thin line between plagiarism and inspiration. I am yet to decipher it as I have been hearing the music directors since the 90's say it and not explain the difference. When I find out the music of barfi is lifted...it hurts. When I find out RD Burman copied music...it hurts. When I find out a recent idea of marketing by a channel I worked with, and the people who I admired for their creativity, copied it from an airline ad..it hurts. Is there no original thought or idea left now? Is that why we are resorting to remakes in bollywood and find ourselves reminiscing the good old past?
I have always loved the 70s as an era. Revolution was coming. Ideas were flowing. People were thinking and were proud of being original. I see scores of people now wanting to desperately hold on to these...those who have the time to stop and smell the rain. Or trying to adapt anything that is new (Americans were getting married in an Indian way because they thought that's why marriages last here...what they didn't know is most of our people don't have the balls to admit that there's is a crappy marriage). I don't have a problem with trying something new and see if it works for me...but this?
I recently got married. Call it the blissful lenses but I think my marriage is different from so many. We have our own work and space, we both cook (and my husbands a better one), we talk about everything that is related to us, we have our personal stuff as well and don't yearn to learn everything about each other, we didn't want an elaborate wedding or a reception to show off and we can be aloof and jack asses to people and not care. For me, these are things that are mandatory in a marriage or a relationship..a given. But when I shared it with some of my married friends...it became a gift. My in laws and I are very different people, but its working for us because we respect each others individuality. And no its not because I'm lucky, its because we are honest. We are just...as original as we can be.
We all develop over a period of time. Taking a part of everything and everyone who comes along, and shape into someone. If one is really proud of who they are and what they feel..one will not resort to being a "copy cat" (something that I used in my past quite often, along with cheater cock). It is my appeal to this female and all the others who think they can't churn anything original...at least try and not be shameless!

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Supriya...a fellow blogger here. Do not stop writing just because someone is lifting the content from your blog. Let the creativity in you be channeled through.

I know about the blog that you have referred to in your last post. It was suggested to me by someone as a potential read. The author of the other blog and referee are friends. What I find amusing is that the plagiarized blog has some comments on posts, but not your original content. It is a bit disheartening. I checked out the author's facebook profile and understood why she's having 2k+ followers, while, was not even able to trace you.

Anyways, I would encourage you to keep writing, for your own sake. People are going to do what they have to do, but at the end of the day, truth comes out. I do not read this genre of blogs, and only came across this because it was referred to. But was able to figure out the original channel of content.

Keep writing.

Supriya said...

hey parakh

I can't stop writing...that's something that is a form of expression and I feel is unique in its own way..I understand if I am sharing my thoughts on a public platform I need to be ok with plagiarism and the additional bane..but thanks for your words. It made me think that I should probably get acquainted to practices that will help boost my followers..the genuine and the right way :)

Supriya said...

and as you can see i replied quite late..which shows even i don't follow what is being said in my blogs :P I guess now is the time to start