Lets talk about Talking!!

I am always reminded that I talk too much! Always. Way back, during school, my esteemed teachers would wait for my voice box to rest before they could make some progress with the class inputs. My report cards would inevitable have the comment saying “good student but very talkative” or “needs to talk less and study more”!! My parents, somehow, never saw this as a problem and thought indignantly, that well we’d rather have a child who speaks a wee bit more than someone who is speech inhibited. I still remember during my 8th grade, when my voice broke and I had trouble speaking for a few days, our school had the most happy and beaming set of teachers one could find!!

Right through college and initial part of my work life, I continued exercising my vocal chord with complete indiscretion and gay abandon. My friends and colleagues were my usual audience, who suffered my verbal onslaught. Mind you, being blessed with a decent sense of humour, my chatter was not unbearable and boring, but in usual circumstances, too much in quantity. I would never find it difficult to make friends or be the life at any party or get-together. For the first half of such gathering I would have the entire crowd’s rapt attention, hanging on to everything that I uttered. However, an hour or so later I would get subtle and sometimes not so subtle signs that it was time I shut up and let someone else do the talking. Quite graciously, I ignored these indications and continued with what I thought was my right. Right to Speech!! I was (still am) the master at the art of providing unsolicited advices and suggestion to poor hapless mortals who chanced to come in my way. Playing agony uncle came naturally to me.

Seeing my inherent talent at verbal communication, my parents felt convinced that I would someday make a great lawyer, while there were other relatives who thought I should be a journalist or a news correspondent, or host a chat show etc etc. My teachers used to think I had a future in elocution, debate and the like. Most of my pals were convinced that politics and public speaking was an area where I would do exceedingly well, as I had the ability to wriggle out of seemingly tight spots by exercising my tongue with amazing ease.

I have heard the saying that opposites attract, but in my case, I fell in love and married a wonderful woman, who matched me word to word in the speech department! Now imagine what a normal day in my house sounds like. T.V. blaring in one corner, my one year old toddler (with inherited superactive speech genes) babbling away non-stop and the proud mama and papa engaged in a never ending talkathon!

Well, 16 years after passing out of school; leaving behind much relieved set of teachers, today I find myself working as an Assistant Professor in an undergraduate programme with a U.K. based University. A profession where I earn my bread and butter by my incessant chatter to an captive audience of 60 odd teenagers !! Providence!!