My Computer Story

It was when I was 4 that I saw a computer for the first time- at a stall in the Thrissur Pooram exhibition. I was there with my father and my cousin brother, and I had no clue as to what that TV-looking junk was. Suddenly, my hitherto quiet cousin bro blurted out : 'Oooh... that's a computer!'.

I always had this feeling as a kid that I was among the smartest of the lot. But now, I got filled with humility. Or it was more like 'shame'-- “ I couldn't recognize a 'cambooter' and my brother could? My life's not worth living. WTF?" (paraphrasing of course). But the next moment, as I fixed my gaze on that little glowing box in the stall, I knew (or we knew), for some reason, that we were made for each other.

The first time I actually used a computer was at another of my cousin's house(where I stayed during my summer hols), when I was 5 or 6. All I did was open MS paint and draw stuff -- I pretty much started out like others, more or less I guess. There were restrictions as to what I could do, so I was confined to using 'Paint'. I knew vast areas were unexplored, but I waited.

It was from my 5th grade that I really got into ‘computing'. We had a wonderful teacher who taught us to make slide shows and encouraged us to think out of the box. Yes, I gradually picked up the basics and went on to perpetually pester my father for a computer of my own.

It was not until in 9th grade that my dream came true. I didn't have to beg for the mercy of my computer teachers during recess any more. I felt gratified. But this was not an end. Rather, it was a turning point from where I could learn and do more, I did realize that.