My First Reader...

There's a story about a blogger who started his blog somewhere around August last year. He was a typical teenager, waiting to rule the blogosphere with what he had to say. Ofcourse, that's what every new blogger wants to do. This particular guy sat down and spent less than half an hour on his first post. He then waited for the next three hours. For his first comment.

For those of you who've never experienced blogging, let me tell you what receiving your first comment is like. You could say it's like a father waiting outside the delivery room, wanting to know whether it's a boy or a girl. Okay, that's maybe not the best example right now. Still, the point is, the first comment you get, is by far the most memorable one.

He got his comment, after about half a day had passed. It was just two lines long. It wasnt a very flattering comment. No, in fact, it was nothing more than a mere acknowledgement, and a mild encouragement to write more. But to the person who'd waited so long, it was a reason to continue blogging.

That particular blogger is Mohammed Musthafa. And the comment was from a guy named Rejin.

This post is perhaps a tribute. Or in other words an acknowledgement. But at the bottom of it all, it's just a thank you. Someone recently said that my blog was quite good. "A good enough fan base. Decent number of comments. You're lucky!" Yes, I was. That's when I realised how it all started. It started with a comment.

Rejin did what any other bored teenager on a Saturday afternoon could do. He merely commented on an article which he found to be slightly better than average. But the difference was he commented. He may not have been the first one to have read it. But he was the first one to have encouraged a comment craving, nervous, self doubting, potentially talented wannabe blogger.

To say that Laptop Diary is what it is today, because of Rejin, would be an exaggeration. But yes, I owe a lot to him. Not just for the first one comment. But for the interest he shows. To everyone else, he's just another reader. But for me, he's a reason I've wanted to write better, funnier, smarter. Even 'My Card House' was published partly due to him.

So here's a request to all of you. Thankfully I've reached a point in blogging where I dont have to refresh Gmail for 6 hours before receiving a comment notification. But there are many who wait. Right now. For the first comment on their blog. If you happen to read something that interests you, something that you think is worthy of appreciation, take a minute and drop a comment.

It's not a secret that I want to be a successful blogger. I want to be interviewed in newspapers. I want to be read by people in offices, and schools and homes. I want to be quoted in newspapers. I want to scroll down the page and read all the 100 comments for my post. I want all of that. But what I dont want, is to forget those few who've helped me become who I am today. Those few who are the reason I'll become what I can tomorrow. Rejin is one such guy. And for that, I would like to say a humble thank you.

P.S.: Just because he was the first to comment, doesnt mean you cant. Drop a comment please!


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