Behind Kaleidoscope: An Etymology and Etiology

Etymology is the study of the history and origins of a word, or words in general, and etiology is the study of causes. In this initial post at Kaleidoscope, you’ll get to know to all about the reasons why this blog has come into existence, and why its been named as such.

When I first started blogging nearly two years ago over at the now defunct Sundries I had little knowledge of what the blogosphere was like, let alone any intention to join in this mass-publishing revolution. But then as I continued to blogged, this changed. Though my own blog was strictly topical (entailing mainly musings on cricket, cricketers and sometimes as an off side their hairstyles) in contrast the list of blogs that I started reading regularly was a diverse assortment of all kinds of content; politics, sports, reflections on the local scene and the larger ‘Desi’ lifestyle, photos, videos, podcasts and more.

I was enthralled by the mere versatility of this medium and how it seemed to cater to all sorts of tastes and pursuits. There was something to please every split personality and alter ego I harvested deep within me. And unlike the larger world wide web on its own, the blogosphere wasn’t just out there and present, it was also vital. Bustling with activity and discourse, difference of opinion and activism, passion and indifference, sarcasm and outspokenness; for a somewhat suppressed rebel like me, it was the perfect outlet.

I had just begun attending a dentistry program that I knew wasn’t my passion, nor my destiny, but an unfortunate product of circumstances, and critically, a lack of conviction on my part to peruse my dreams. Yet some how, as reluctantly as I was, I was still there; there at the footsteps of a career that consisted of, primarily, poking metal objects into people’s mouth, and secondarily, alleviating some pain along the way. I had not yet developed absolute contempt for the profession per se, but the ongoing endeavor to somehow try and make it seem interesting to me, that wasn’t going anywhere. I wasn’t, at the same time, able to achieve anything out of more modest tries to push aside deeper ambitions that were born out of an inherent love of writing and reading. Amongst all this, the blogosphere came and become my ideal companion.

It was perfect not only for exploring all those pushed aside ambitions, but as means to further discover my self. To say that I envisioned my blog as the means of liberating myself from the dentistry program I was enrolled in on my mother’s insistence may be a slight exaggeration. But there was, nevertheless, a passing sense of optimism about the rudimentary “goodness” of this pastime. I didn’t know how or why, but it always felt that it could lead to better things, better days.

Ever since then, my online experiences revolved around the blogosphere. Surfing through a daily chunk of links via India Uncut become a part of the routine, more extensive reading at Pakistaniat was thought of as time well spend, akin to reading newspaper editorials, Desicritics become an avenue to discuss new ideas, meet new people and acquaint one self with both, everything in between, from CoU to KMB, all became part of daily leisure time. It was almost as if I had discovered a whole new world, and with it, a whole new me.

Along the way, as I blogged more and more, I was very fortunate to have gained an audience. Something that led me to blog for a variety of different avenues, including some spells of “serious” blogging. The term serious here can be very misleading. It’s not to be taken literally. What it implies is a shift in the motivations for blogging. When I started blogging, I blogged for my self, and for the satisfaction that came with expressing one self, and being heard, and often being spoken at in return. When this changed to being “invited” to blog, sometimes for other popular blogs (like Cricket 24×7), and on couple of occasions for MSM (main-stream media) outlets, like CNN-IBN and Cricinfo, this is when it truly dawned me on how vast the impact of this medium was.

Becoming part of the editorial panel on Desicritics, interacting with huge (and often rowdy) audiences at Karachi Metroblog and thereafter freelancing for Spider all followed. Somewhat aptly this coincided with the major decision to finally quit dentistry and try and seriously peruse a career in writing. Doesn’t this move me, you may rightly wonder. The significance of a major decision like a career change being in part influenced by something as relatively trivial as blogging is not something that everyone out there might perceive as superior judgment after all. Yes, it does move me but I don’t regret that decesion, in fact I’m very content that I made it. What moves me more are the memories I gather as I look back on that cold fateful day in October 2005 when a typical media outburst by the controversial Shoaib Akhtar led me to make one of my earliest blogposts. Its how much I’ve progressed that moves me most.

Kaleidoscope in perspective of all this is an acme of this journey of self-discovery. Its were I will soliloquize on my life, reflect on things happening around me, and observe what others around me are reflecting on. That’s why it’s named ‘kaleidoscope’, because it’s a collection of reflections. Welcome on aboard and happy reflecting!

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