Originality is fine, but copying is an art

To copy others is necessary but to copy oneself is pathetic. Thus spake Pablo Picasso, the prolific Spanish painter, regarded as one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. He was initially taught painting by his father who believed that proper training required a disciplined copying of the masters. Little did the latter know that his protégé would go on to become one of the most copied artists in the world.

Right from the time we are born, we learn to copy gestures, speech and behaviour of our family, older siblings and teachers. We mouth their words, mimic their sounds, copy their smiles and egged on by anxious parents, totter hesitatingly to our feet, matching them, step by step.

In school, we want to ape our seniors and are told to be like ‘that student who always tops the class’. At that stage, there is no pressure to do anything other than follow, conform and fit in.

It is much later that all of a sudden, without much warning, an ugly word rears its head. ‘Imitation’ and ‘duplication’ are terms viciously thrown around any new effort or work of art, literature or science, if heaven forbid there is even a whiff of similarity with previous works. From an innocent, harmless emulation of what we see and hear around us, accusations of ‘plagiarism’ are hurled on an unsuspecting and bewildered individual. Why cannot an artist be excused for having a muse that encouraged him or her to paint on parallel lines? Why does an author or filmmaker have to deal with the pressure of originality if he tries to, in his own way showcase a previous piece?

Why does the world make capital out of ‘being original’ when from birth we begin learning from each other? Why do we adopt double standards when in reality there is so much to learn, imbibe and ‘copy’ from people who know more than us, maybe because they had more opportunities, lived in bigger cities, travelled extensively, and were open to varied experiences?

I have no hesitation in truthfully accepting that friends and family are responsible for the person I am today. I have benefitted immensely from their knowhow in numerous ways.

I try, though mostly in vain, to copy my mother’s sense of equanimity and restraint even in tough moments. I have always marveled at a friend’s poise and judicious choice of words in awkward or uncomfortable situations and I make a conscious effort to be like her. From one, I learnt different recipes and now can copy them to perfection. Another showed me how she styles her hair and I have duplicated that to suit myself. My daughter loves makeup and imitating her strokes, I have taught myself the art to some extent.

No one is born dumb. They are unable to speak because they have a hearing impediment and thus cannot replicate or ‘copy’ the sounds around them. Each individual is special and even in ‘copying’ or learning from each other we remain original and unique.

WHY CAN’T AN ARTIST BE EXCUSED FOR HAVING A MUSE THAT ENCOURAGED HIM TO PAINT ON PARALLEL LINES? WHY DOES AN AUTHOR HAS TO DEAL WITH THE PRESSURE OF ORIGINALITY