An Itinerant Observer – the Inspiration

On Observing Itinerantly

“What does itinerant mean?” someone asked after obtaining my book. The question was a source of annoyance primarily because I expected the presumptive reader to seek out the meaning of itinerant prior to delving into the observations of one.

But then I thought about the question from a broader perspective - the ethos of being an itinerant observer: what does it really mean to observe during one’s journey?

An itinerant observer is really a time traveler. He observes life - human, animal, or plant – and then documents what he sees irrespective of perceived space or time aberrations or limitations. What does that mean you might ask. Well…if you consider time to be cyclical then the past, present and future don’t align themselves on a linear continuum…and then observing itinerantly becomes second nature. But what does that mean you might ask. If so, I will refer you to the preface of my book in which I tried explaining all of the above ‘phenomena’ to the best of my abilities:

The entries might appear somewhat random, non-linear and anachronistic. But that is what observations of an itinerant are all about – when neither space and time, nor heart and mind are limiting. 

About the Book

My intention was not to write so that I could have a book. If I consider writing to be a journey and the book a destination, then the process of writing was much more evolutionary than the book itself. Therefore, much was experienced, self-explored and expressed during the process. Only retrospectively I figured that my underground musings, as a good friend describes them, had reached a critical mass and hence could potentially be compiled as a book. It’s hard for me to put my book into any particular genre because it is not entirely fictional, nor is it entirely non-fictional. It is also not ‘creative non-fiction’, as that too is merely a label. I think my book is some sort of a memoir that perhaps brings together both fiction and non-fiction into the same piece of writing. I won’t be surprised if someone out there has already coined a term for this kind of writing because categorization as a cookie cutter approach to life is a very human urge.   

I also mentioned in my preface that my book is comprised of independent stories that the reader might realize, not long into reading, that there is a connection between the stories. I think that is a reflection of real life, vis-a-vis the nebulous thread that brings us together through interconnecting stories. By indicating that subtle interconnectivity I hope I have done justice to upholding the story-teller’s creed.

My muse(s)

Finding inspiration in and around me to write about was not hard. I’m readily inspired by my most authentic and most consistent muse: my child – both the inner and outer one. Noori, my daughter was and is a great source of intrigue. While keeping her at the center of my universe, I was able to pen a lot of my observations. Then there’s Ray, my son, somewhat of a backdrop for my stories – he reminds me of myself when I was his age - and even now. And then there’s Ash – the mirror and the anchor; the one who has enabled me to understand the beauty and mystery inherent in the woman. My musings could not have reached completion had it not been for my non-human companions – birds, animals, and plants around me – to appreciate and thus draw inspiration from for my stories. I’m also inspired by my primary profession – medicine. My patients, kids for the most part, have taught me a lot and therefore they declare their presence in my book. Being born and raised in one culture, then working as a doctor in another, and now being back to where I began, was truly inspirational. The peripatetic nature of the past fifteen years of my life took me to various places and enabled me to taste a plethora of cultures; that hugely influenced my style of writing. I think it’s comparison and contrast between different kinds of people and places I have experienced that have really allowed me to write itinerantly. 

Gratitude and Going Forth

I am grateful to those who enabled me to improve my work. A few dedicated friends were willing to put in time and effort to critically review and edit my manuscript. A photographer friend took on the task to interpret my rambling and produce one photograph per story, and thus came the photo-book. Frances, a very dear friend and editor of this newspaper, believed in my writing from the get go and would showcase it monthly. I could not have managed to complete this work had I not received constant love and encouragement from my various mentors, teachers and friends.

So now that the book is published I think about its impact on me. I believe I’ve become a better pediatrician, colleague, and hopefully a better person. Getting this book out has galvanized me to write for a much wider audience through newspapers in Pakistan and the U.S. on topics such as health, education, culture, children, and parenting. Furthermore, using humor as a tool through both serious and non-serious writing is a process that I am putting myself through.  

Will I publish another book? Perhaps I will, perhaps not. Either way, I, an itinerant observer, will continue to travel, observe and evolve.

Acknowledgment: This article was first published in the Houston Inner Looper Newspaper (July 2014).