Pratibha irritates with her ignorance and non-understanding

I am very much peeved at my family's response to my probability of joining IANS. None of them, particularly Pratibha, is in a condition to understand the influence of such a new job will have on my journalistic carer.

Call it her ignorance or anything, she just wants me to continue with the present job, as it's 'less demanding'.

Yesterday, I had to lecture her for half-an-hour over this issue. I felt very agitated on noticing that there is pall of gloom that has overtaken her mood, as if I am going out of this world on an expedition. She feels I will go away from her with the new job, as it will require my presence on odd hours of the day at times.

She is not able to understand just like a fish dies when brought out of the river the same way a writer cannot live without writing and a journalist would lose interest in life and surrounding if he is to live out of journalitic work for long.

I feel very very disturbed on such a response coming from my wife. She is totally disheartened. Thankfully, her elder sister has started to understand what it would mean to stay out of journalism that too for a contractual job of six months.

Pratibha wants me to be available for her always. No matter whether we quarrel over silly issues or I have live in wait for her just like I have done in this last one-and-a-half month period at MDNIY.

She doesn't understand the worth of being a journalist and the value of being 'nobody' in the crowd.

Yesterday (Dec.28,2010), we completed six months of our marital bliss. But I had to do some straight talk to my affectionate wife.

We were to visit Lord Hanuman temple for our Tuesday-visit. On noticing her face so saddened, I had to ask and lecture her about my basic nature, personality and dedication to writing.

Even though I hate talking about myself, but had to do the same yesterday. I chose to make things quite clear to her so that there is no scope of any ambiguity in her mind henceforth.

I said, "I have chosen a field for taking up tough things. Even if I manage to learn one form of writing , I would be instinctly inclined to learn something new and better. After one platform, despite the financial rewards being satisfactory or not, I would always wish for higher platforms of writing. This is my basic nature to try hard and endure pain for excellence in life. "

"I have never wished to be ordinary but extraordinary performer in every pursuit of life. I am after knowledge and excellence and not satisfaction of any ordinary person who aims to lead a simple life."

I had to mention that her husband, that's me, has set himself tough goals and aims to enjoy the satisfaction of rising high and making a splash all around.

But all she wishes is just a decent amount of salary and my availabity for her outings or enjoyments. I felt highly fed up with this attitude.

My dilemma and family....

Strange but true that I am faced with a strange dilemma in personal life over joining a coveted job of working at the foreign desk of IANS. None of my family members want me to join the new job and stay in the present one. They feel this five days a week job is the best thing.

They don't wish to think about contractual six-month job and the increasing stupid work profile and pressure. None of them is interested in making a note of the very fact this is non-journalistic job.

They don't realise the importance of working on Foreign Desk that too in a reputed news agency like IANS. They are very much scared with the shift system in IANS. I have informed that the new job will involve working 8 to 4 p.m. , 4.00 p.m to 12.00 midnight. and 12.00 a.m. to 8.00 a.m. . They concern is valid but they don't understand it could be quite useful for my career graph.

All of my seniors have asked me to jump and grab this opportunity.My family, including wife, doesn't understand the importance of getting back Journalist's tag and living without it. They view everything as just a JOB.