My exploration of the creative process in writers started with a short presentation (in the second year of post graduation) on "Madness, Inspiration and Creativity". Inspite of being a very shy person, who could never speak in public, I volunteered for the presentation for reasons not clear to me even now. As part of preparation for the presentation, I referred to a collection of essays by Bhishma Sahni which I had read during my graduation days. What struck me almost instantly were the statements of the writer reflecting his inner, subjective life, which in this case was full of doubts, inhibitions and feelings of inadequacy. And I pondered with this data in front of me as to how valid is the generally held view of writer as an 'omnipotent being' having the courage to rebel against the norms of his/her society. In the case of Bhisham Sahni, the 'self' was so fragile and dependent on the approval of the others that a conscious rebel against social norms simply seemed to be impossible. There onwards, I was able to appreciate that a writer cannot be conceptualized as a courageous individual set out to challenge the givens of his society.