Manali Manan Desai's Blog, page 63

#UnlockWriting Phase 3 ~ 21st June to 30th June

Henry Ford, said,

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.”

I began the #ArtistCollaboration from 1st June. In recent blog posts around the same theme, posts I had shared the first 20 posts under this challenge done between 1st June to 10th June, and then between 11th June to 20th June.

Here’s the third phase with the next eleven posts done between 11th June to 20th June. These are a result of my writings and the artworks of 11 super talented artists and illustrators.

Grateful for the little things
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Outdoor Temptations
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On Time Arrival
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Immortal Love
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Near or Far
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New Beginning
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A Secret Affair
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Life in Lockdown
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See You All Soon
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Book O’ Clock
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Rules of Lasting Love
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When You Believe That Nothing is Impossible Unless You Try It ~ A Sister Duo With A Creative Venture Share Their Story

Helen Frankenthaler said,

“There are no rules. That is how art is born, how breakthroughs happen. Go against the rules or ignore the rules. That is what invention is about.”

In our #MondayMotivation blog focusing on the #WonderWomen segment we bring to you two women, who similarly ignored the conventional rules and a breakthrough followed. Meet, Shweta Saha and Dimple Saha, who started a venture to help out people, in their own creative way, during this global health crisis. While Shweta works as a full-time graphic designer in a advertising agency,

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Dimple is pursuing her 3rd year degree of Garment Technology.

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So, what kind of venture did these two creative siblings start and how do they manage do it while doing a job and alongside pursuing academic studies? Let’s find out in their own words.

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“I’m Shweta Saha and I graduated as an Applied Artist from Goa College of Art, last year. I’m currently working as a full-time Graphic designer in an advertising agency. My younger sister Dimple is studying in the 3rd year of Garment Technology.

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When the Covid-19 news spread across India, people started buying masks in bulk. It didn’t take long for the greedy business folk to start selling these masks at exorbitant prices to reap profits out of this sudden bulk requirement. Even the medical stores started selling these masks at a very expensive rate. In fact, when I myself went to buy a mask, they didn’t have it in stock. As they say, ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ we couldn’t wait around and so I asked my sister Dimple to stitch masks for me and everyone at home.

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Being the kind-hearted soul that she is, Dimple went an extra mile and stitched three extra masks to help the needy around us. This led to a seed being implanted in my mind. You see, I’m an artist and Dimple is a fashion designer. So, I thought, why not get together with her to create offbeat, quirky and creative masks; she would stitch them I could paint, and we would sell them at an affordable price, for which people wouldn’t have to burn a pocket in their holes at a time like this.

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The problem after this idea generation and implementation though, was how to sell these masks? I mean, how would people know that we’re selling these masks at prices as low as 50 INR per piece, and how would we be able to make these masks reach the interested people; there were so many questions in our minds that it felt disheartening and discouraging.

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But, when I myself started using this mask, I had posted a photo of this hand painted mask on my WhatsApp stories. Looking at that, a person from my contact list messaged me saying he would like to order 10 such masks for his general store. Thus, we got our very first order as we started making masks for him on a regular basis. Later, many of our friends dropped in messages inquiring about the price and then ordering in small and big quantities. In a matter of weeks, our little business started growing.

The initial struggle besides tapping into the market, was that of the creation and making of the masks. We had to find the proper fabric for the masks, and once we had the fabric, we needed to source other materials. Later the challenge was to increase our customer base, but social media came in as a blessing and helped us overcome this hurdle too. Currently, the challenge for both of us is to manage this business and our other tasks, me with my job and Dimple her studies.

Currently, my schedule consists of going to work during the day, and after returning from work, have my evening cup of tea, then get to the task of painting the masks. Dimple already has the masks stitched and ready for painting everyday before I reach home. That way, a new batch is ready for me to paint every day by the time I reach home.

Managing time between office, this business and my personal work is a little difficult, but with each other’s support, we are able to get by slowly and effectively.

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Another big challenge we have recently started to face is of timely delivery during this rainy season. But I am sure we will be able to overcome that too. The turning point for both of us was when just by looking at our WhatsApp and Instagram stories, people in our network not only gave a good feedback but even started ordering from us. This is what boosted our morale and we realized we were doing a good job, because not only were we doing something which was a need of the hour, but our USP is our affordable price range because of which people from varied strata of the society are able to buy our masks.

Our customization and creativity, combined with our affordability factor have made our masks a hit! In fact, we are popular among the kids too, because we have been able to provide designs of their favorite cartoon characters on masks. In fact, we have also done customized masks for couples!

Eevn Mr. Conrad Stiphen , the managing director of Purple Crest Advertising, where I do a fulltime job, placed an order of 100 masks with us. This became another turning point for our home-grown business.

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The journey so far has been a good one. We faced many new challenges and have been able to overcome them all successfully too. Up until now we have delivered our masks only in Goa but now are planning to courier them out of Goa as well. Many of our friends have inquired and placed orders from places as far as Kerala, Hyderabad and even Delhi.

Our plan is to make our masks available to all those in need of them, irrespective of their age and location.

Our biggest learning has been to be able to adapt to changing times. Also, my sister and I have never worked together before, so this business has helped us understand each other better, especially on the professional front. We are doing something new together for the first time and learning all the new big and small things about it together too. We learnt how to take orders, how to talk to customers, how to do teamwork in a serious manner; but most importantly we have learnt how to encourage and support each other.

Working with each other has given us some of the best moments of our lives and we have both come to realize that

“Nothing is impossible until and unless you try it.”

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To drop in a message to Shweta or Dimple, check out their creative, quirky and customized masks, to inquire about its prices or to order them for yourself and others, follow the links below:

 

Shweta’s Instagram handle
Dimple’s Instagram handle

 

Other personal and professional social media handles:

Shweta’s personal Facebook profile

 

 

 

 

 

Grateful or Grumpy?

This story was originally published on The Naked Truth

It’s not new, it’s just rare.

***

Rohan Vikram Maheshwari

The name was a title in itself. It carried a weight of which I became aware of, right from when I was born. I may not remember the days of the first few years of my life, in detail. But I do remember moments.

A room full of toys which failed to make me happy, only made me crave for the attention of my parents every now and then. A house, empty during the day, but filled with noises; loud music and unknown faces, all of whom doted on me when I was in my mother’s arms or on my father’s lap, but wilfully ignored me when my parents weren’t watching or holding me.

These moments didn’t change over time, but only grew more elaborate. They started making sense as I grew up, and when conversations moved from, “Ah! Such a cute baby!” to “Oh! Such a spoiled brat!” and then to, “How fortunate you are! You have everything at your feet.” I was a privileged one.

Who and how was I to complain? I was, after all, that they tagged me as, “born with a silver spoon”. I had everything, but I was crushed under it all. The expectations, the lack of attention, and the constant anxiety to prove my worth made me grumpy, almost every single time.

From something as little as not having the right amount of sugar in my milk, to something as big as not being able to score well in examinations, made me ungrateful, rather than grateful, to having owned things which most people spend their entire lifetime in trying to achieve, and even then, are most likely to fail.

Yes, despite having more time, money, all kinds of resources and privileges, I wasn’t grateful enough for the things I was blessed with, of which I was reminded by one and all, repeatedly.

***

Suraj Prakash Sharma

An ordinary name, with no extraordinary life. I knew I had to work, whether hard or not, would come later. But there was no day without work. The first few years were confusing, as the day would begin in a dark, dingy room, and then, to a room without having any boundaries.

This room had everything in abundance; the toys and clothes were just as endless as the room was. At night again, there would be darkness, followed by loud noises, sometimes, of people, and sometimes, of the creaking bed.

The conversations I remember from these years were puzzling too. Because in the dark and dingy room, sentences were made of words like food, milk, cash, and clothes. The room with no boundaries was usually eerily quiet, and the snippets consisted of words like madam, sir, baby, and yes.

As I grew up, I started noticing another one, just like me in size, but with different kind of clothes. He looked confused and lost. And despite having many toys around, he always seemed unhappy.

After a few years, the dark and dingy room was something I came to know, and learnt as ‘home’. I didn’t see the room without any boundaries after those first few years, but the memory of it stayed with me. My parents were mostly away in a different world, but whenever around me, I became their world.

I envied the other one, his toys and space, and this stayed for long. But his lost and confused look bothered me more. Why was he sad despite having most things I could only dream of?

***

Doris Day once said, “Gratitude is riches. Complaint is poverty.”

***

I didn’t do well academically, on purpose. They expected me to excel, I didn’t. They wanted me to become ‘just like him’, I didn’t. I did that on purpose.

I, Rohan Vikram Maheshwari, did not want to become a businessman, nor the part of my father’s business.

I disliked the idea of selling jewellery. What excited me were stories, of people who came from nothing and were still happy. I had everything, and was still craving happiness. Now, I wanted to understand the kind of unhappiness of people who didn’t have anything.

I remember those eyes going ‘aww’ on seeing my room, filled with toys and clothes. I remember him being confused. Those eyes were one of the moments from the days I don’t remember much about.

He found me interesting for my possessions, I found him interesting for his mother’s love. I understand this now. On growing up, I found many such eyes going ‘aww’ over what I had. I wanted to study these eyes, I wanted to know what their sorrow was, and how those were different from mine.

***

“I’m Prakash Sharma, Suraj Sharma’s father,” every time my father said that, his pride was a little more than the previous time, and every time he said it, my gratefulness was a little more than the previous time.

Today, he was looking at me on a television screen, being interviewed by another, just like me in size, and wearing the same kind of clothes as I did.

***

“I’m grateful for having had nothing, because that made me who I am,” said Suraj Prakash Sharma, one of the youngest and most successful entrepreneurs of the country.

“Well then, I should be grateful for having everything, because that made me who I am,” replied the interviewer, Rohan Vikram Maheshwari.

When You Train Your Mind To See Something Good In Every Situation ~ A Fitness Trainer and Co-Founder of A Baking Venture Shares Her Story

Margaret Sanger says,

“Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression.”

 

In our #FridayFeature blog focusing on #WonderWomen segment, we bring to you a woman who challenges herself with every role through her skills and never-give-up attitude. She dons multiple hats in her professional as well as personal life, and fulfils them all, commendably. Meet, Arwa Madarwala, who is a Baker, a Fitness Trainer, a Tailor, a Recycler, a Skin and Body Consultant and a Gardening and Decomposition Consultant. Surprised? Well, so are we, but more than that we are awed and inspired by this woman who does so many things! Arwa is the Co-founder of a baking venture Bake Me Happy and the founder of a fitness studio Happy Feet Fitness Studio. The other titles we mentioned, she does them on a freelance basis regularly too. So, how did Arwa get into so many varied professions and how does she manage them all? Let’s find out in her own words.

 

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“ My sister and I found our life partners, got married and settled down in the same city,  Mumbai. One day we were just exploring and discussing the options about what kind of business we could get into and thought of utilizing my sister’s culinary skill. Farida, my sister is such a magician when she gets into kitchen, and desserts were a tempting option to go ahead with.

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As for what I would contribute, well I know the in and out of marketing due to my work experiences. Being a Computer Engineer I can handle all the technology part and use this skill fir turning our art into a business. Along with these, the procurement and budgeting is also my department. Along with the help of my husband, I can say that I’m able to take care of these things very easily.

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As for the fitness training part, that wasn’t something new. It’s been 9 years that I have been in this field now. I took a break here when I moved to Mumbai after marriage. In fact, I was about to reboot it but unfortunately the lockdown happened before this could materialize. Fitness has been my love and passion throughout my life.

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Fitness has been love, passion and aim for as long as I can remember. My professional journey in this field started just when I completed my 12th std. I took up a part time job in a dance and fitness studio. People in my school used to train and learn it rigorously, but blissfully it came to me directly as a profession without any efforts. I appeared for the interview, gave a physical fitness test, and just like that the job was mine.

And so, I started working in this field since then alongside my college education and later even alongside a full-time job. Later I took it up as full-time profession after using my job earnings to get a proper certification from Reebok. In fact, even today I keep taking different certifications from time to time to keep myself abreast with the latest happenings and developments in this field.

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The struggle in the baking business was to grab the opportunity with both hands in improving myself. Being from Surat, where most people in the city are business heads, my sister and I pretty much knew the drill. But moving to a city like Mumbai brought in fresh challenges like understanding a bigger market, procurement of the raw materials from new and unknown places, delivery of the food products, fund gathering; every small and big step had to be relearned and improvised from time to time. However, my sister and I together make a resilient team and that’s how we have sustained and grown.

In the fitness industry, my journey has been a delightful one indeed. I was fortunate enough to come across warm and trusting people who gave a newcomer like me a job in the field purely on the basis of my physical test and my passion to train people. I have worked some of the biggies like Vibes, Talwalkars and SM studio. Later I have even worked as a freelancer where I conducted my own batches in the most unconventional spaces possible, ranging from godowns of friends to roof terraces and what not! After marriage there was an expansion plan to start off my own studio but the lockdown came in and this came to a pause. Now I’m just waiting for regular life and routine to resume so I can start this studio in a full-fledged manner.

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With Bake Me Happy the turning point was the idea itself because just when we decided to take off, we started getting orders from the very first day. For newcomers like us this was a huge confidence booster which gave us the push to turn it into a full-time business.

In fitness, the turning point was getting a certification from Reebok. When I got this prestigious certificate, I had already been training people, but my confidence and vocabulary changed after getting this. It changed my attitude completely and so I took the plunge of quitting my day job and started working as a freelancer in this field.

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My motivations are the lifestyles of the two cities that have shaped my personality, the fast paced life of Mumbai and the business mindset of Surat, were great combinations for me to kick start my journey into becoming an entrepreneur in the baking field with Bake Me Happy and in the fitness industry with my studio Happy Feet Fitness Studio.

The journey throughout has been absolutely beautiful and I wish for it to stay that way. The goal with which Bake Me Happy works is freshness, authenticity and lip-smacking cakes and confectioneries. For future, we are constantly expanding our menu each time we see a window from our regular orders. Our aim is to try our best to keep the happiness maintained all around.

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In the fitness field the journey has been a long and power packed one. Now I’m eagerly awaiting to start off my new venture Happy Feet Fitness Studio so stay tuned! My main focus here will be Zumba and Yoga. I’m also excited about yoga for kids, which is still quite a new concept in India and will be my USP. 

Apart from these two ventures, I take up all all kind of collabs and workshops related to naturopathy, home based remedies, skin care, body care, diet plans, gardening, decomposition, teaching, stitching or any artwork.

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My biggest inspirations are my mother and my maternal aunt. They gave me all the teachings and courage to always believe in myself and go for it no matter what comes in the way. Even my father has been a great motivation, as he me the strength to keep trying harder every single day because it would all make sense one day.

My biggest learnings have been that in order to stay motivated and focused, you must,

“Train your mind to see the good in every situation.”

And for ambitions and goals,

“If your dreams don’t scare you, they are too small.”

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To drop in a message to Arwa, check out her delicious bakes and cakes, or to hire her for one of the many services she offers, follow the links below:

Bake Me Happy Instagram page
Bake Me Happy Facebook page
Happy Feet Fitness Studio Instagram page
Happy Feet Fitness Studio Facebook page

Features & Mentions:

BFY Sports & Fitness
 A Rustic Mind

Other professional and personal social media handles:

Personal Instagram handle
Facebook personal profile

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When You Think That There is Beauty in Everything ~ A Fashion Designer and Independent Artist Shares Her Story

Émile Zola said,

“If you ask me what I came to do in this world, I, an artist, will answer you: I am here to live out loud.”

In our #WisdomWednesday post focusing on the #WonderWomen segment, we bring to you a woman who believes in living like Emile, out loud and finding beauty in everything. Meet, Sejal Agarwal, who is a Fashion designer, and an Illustrator and Artist. What’s her story and how did she find her calling as an artist? Let’s find out in her own words.

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“I fell in love with the colorful crayons and those pencils as a kid when I could use it anywhere in the house, be it drawing in a book, on a wall or even on the floor. I was fascinated by how every stroke turned into an art piece for me. Since my childhood, I always doodled on every empty spot on whatever paper I could get my hands on, and I used to cherish every moment of my art class in school. Art and fashion have been, and continue to be, the main outlet for me to pour out my feelings. I think there is beauty in everything. What ‘normal’ people would perceive as ugly; I can usually see something of beauty in it. When I draw, I sometimes add an element of wit and satire, which I believe makes the drawing more interesting to analyse. As I grew older, I became fascinated with the clothes I used to wear. I would love all the little details that added a touch to my overall appearance and personality, right from dressing up to wearing matching footwear with my dress. So fascinated was I with it, that I wish I could play dress up for life.

 

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Ever since I was a little girl, I loved fashion.  I started doodling dresses along with their matching accessories on paper. I would do a lot of paper craft, make handmade cards and all kind of art and craft things that would be more cherished. Fashion for me was love, magic, fantasy and adventure. It was pure bliss for my young heart and an escape from the ordinary. Then one day this playful hobby became an ambition, and I aimed to become a fashion designer, an artist, who would see things around and convert dreams into reality. Fashion design requires a great amount of business strategy. So, I had taken up commerce in my class 11 & 12, to have better understanding of these business strategies. In fashion design there are many levels of opportunities and that means you can create a unique career path. The skills we develop through observation and creation can be used in many industries so we should have the ability to transfer into other areas of design very easily.  To be honest, I have not faced such a big struggle that I would want to put into words. This is because my father has always been there with me at every hurdle of my life. But still I would like to share a small part about my story which can be said to have been challenging. When I was in class 11, I started taking classes to appear for entrance exams of fashion colleges. I wanted to go out of Kolkata to pursue fashion designing and become an independent and successful woman. I wanted to do something on my own in my life and recognition for my work.  So yes, I cracked few of these entrance examinations and got into UID Ahmedabad and Pearl Academy Mumbai and even NIFT. But I wasn’t sure of which city NIFT because my rank was not that great. I was little disheartened because couldn’t get into NIFT which was my actual first preference. But then seeing other options, I chose Mumbai because that was my dream city and would be the perfect place to get a fashion exposure. 

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So, July 2015, I took off from the safe haven of my hometown to a new city, a new place to stay, new surroundings and with unknown people; everything was just new to me. Staying in an expensive city was a bit of little struggle for me as I had to take care of where I spent each penny. The daily hustle in Mumbai was a learning phase, right from buying stuff for college purpose and sourcing materials, to handling household chores like cooking food and preparing my day schedule properly to handle everything on time, it all came on me who had never been exposed to such daily struggles. Luckily, I found some great friends, who became a fantastic support system to me during all the four years that I spent there. Before moving to Mumbai, I never thought money had so much value in everyone’s life. My experiences in that city, made me respect my father in a new light who has been working from years for the prestigious livelihood that we had been brought up in. Mumbai was proving to be expensive, what with my course fees and the other day-to-day expenses like rent, travelling, etc. So to save a little and to help my father in whatever little way I could, I tried taking small projects of graphic designing as a means of side income where I could spend money to buy things for myself.

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This taught me to compromise, rather just to stay basic in a lot of stuff, right from food habits to travelling preferences, I made the simplest choices in order to save money and avoid unnecessary expenditure. Those four years in Mumbai made me an independent lady, who could do whatever she wanted to and travel anywhere in the new city, and even handle a lot of random people. But most importantly I survived, and I lived. The journey of reaching to high rank from junior level made me acquire the finer details, relevant knowledge, and skills to enhance an improvement in my overall performance and confidence. Fortunately, the fashion industry has ample room for progression in terms of profile and money. So those 4 years passed by quickly, making me learn and grow. It was a wonderful journey which taught me a lot and made me who I should be as a woman; lessons that people couldn’t teach, a city made me learn and realize.  

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My biggest motivation has always been my family. I believe that it is the environment in which a person in nurtured and grows up which defines their qualities and characteristics. Therefore I think that my parents are huge contributors to my environment, and they have played a huge large role in raising me to be the person I am today. I would like to give special credits to my brother who has always pushed me to face new challenges in life and encouraged me to do things even though they are tough.

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My family has always given me the freedom to become what I wanted to and never forced me to study or do things their way, like most other parents. They are positive role models for me and they encourage me to think to think responsibly and in a way that would make me a better person. They taught me that I could achieve anything with a good education, a solid goal, and an unfaltering determination.  My aim is to make sure I do good work and always keep challenging myself. The ultimate goal is to make my parents proud of how their daughter had grown up to be.

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I am grateful to God and my parents for giving me the education, not only the academic one, but even the education of being a person with values, responsibility, and honesty. I am also thankful to my friends Aishwariya and Kaushik for always being there for me, and for encouraging and believing in me I can do it.

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The turning point was moving to Mumbai and the four years that followed. I went to the Pearl Academy Mumbai and I was at the right age to explore myself as a designer. But the challenges I faced here made me question myself as an artist: do I even like what I’m making? Fashion has always inspired me, if you don’t love fashion from your core, you will burn out. It’s like an actor who is 80 and still wants to act, not for vanity but for the sake of the art form. The more fun you have with fashion, the better it is. For me, every art form has a story behind it, I create artworks based on something that connects me or someone’s life, a story behind it, which can help you to give some positive vibes. All the mood boards, story boards that I have developed to make clothes also had a story line behind it. So, there are a few things that I’ve learned like photography and marketing which have helped to add some extra skills that might come in handy. And I’ve learned to organize myself a lot better, so it gets easier – just slightly – to juggle it all.

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Working in fashion industry allows us to meet people from varied backgrounds having rich experiences and learning. I have learnt a lot from such people, and I treat them like mentors as they may play a key role in growth and development for us.

For my future plans? Firstly I would want to work with an established industry for a few years before launching my own label. I want to try to learn everything about production, right from when you are at work; be it design, cutting, studio management, ordering and procuring fabrics, to meeting with suppliers and marketing the product.

We need to develop a vision, accept the opportunities offered, and learn something from every step we take during the production process.

 

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I want to do and create something that is more affordable in the future. Right now that seems like a simple enough plan, but trust me it is not easy to open your own very label, it needs a lot of investment, a lot of hard work, a lot of management, and most importantly it is all about business aesthetics.

However, with the kind of faith of faith and support system I have around me, and the faith that I have begun to have in my own work and abilities, I am sure I will get there, if not today, then definitely a few years down the line.

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To drop in a message to Sejal, check out her amazing artworks and creativity, or to collaborate and hire her services for a commissioned artwork, follow the links below:

Instagram

Sejal’s artwork has been featured on quite a few online platforms. You can have a look at these through the links below:

Lakme Fashion Week
Design India
Pearl Academy

Other personal and professional social media handles:

Instagram personal handle
Facebook personal profile

 

#UnlockWriting Phase 2 – 11th June to 20th June

Helen Keller, said,

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”

I began the #ArtistCollaboration from 1st June. In one of my recent blog posts I had shared the first 10 posts under this challenge done between 1st June to 10th June.

Here’s the second phase with the next ten posts done between 11th June to 20th June. These are a result of my writings and the artworks of 10 super talented artists and illustrators.

Two sections
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Trust the Universe
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Chocolate Lover
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A Beautiful Analogy
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Nature’s Eternal Beauty

 

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Different Heartbreaks
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The Last Good Conversation 
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Spring’s Hope
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Cherished Moments
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City of Dreams
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We Met at A Bar. It Was Never Happily Ever After

Note: This story was originally published on The Naked Truth

 

It was literally becoming feverish for me now. Saturday Night Fever.

I was leaning against the wall, more like I was pushed towards the wall, of The Brick (how apt!), trying my best to not let the beer in my hand spill over me or someone else.

Ugh! How people talk to each other in such a loud music, and with their sweaty bodies sticking to each other is something I’ll never understand. As “Single Ladies” started playing, my body started swaying to Beyonce’s words of its own accord. Well, at least the song was finally something I liked!

As I tried to dance, I had to literally push people’s arms and knock their legs to make space for my moves. Thank God, I was mildly intoxicated, and hopefully, the ones I was knocking and pushing were even more out of their senses, to mind such acute (not cute?) invasion of personal space.

The song changed in a few seconds (or was it minutes? I could never guess!), and I made my way to our little table in the isolated and dingy corner of the singles’ bar. This was all I could manage. I tried popping in every weekend — on Fridays, and then again, on Saturdays, but these bars and clubs were really not my cup of tea, or mug of beer.

As I had expected, nobody even noticed me returning from the (dance?) floor to the table. I gulped down the remaining beer in a single chug, and dreaded it right away. For one, because I would now have to get up and order another one (or two?), Ugh! And another, that bottoms-up or whatever it was that I had just done, did not feel good to my senses!

I swayed as I made my way to the open bar in the middle. Thankfully, I did not pass out or worse, throw up. Over the next minutes, I cried myself hoarse, in first, trying to catch the bartender’s attention, and then, in repeating my order about five times. As I waited at the counter, I leaned my arm over it for support, because I was pretty sure I’d trip otherwise. I glanced around and wondered again how anyone could like such a pandemonium.

That’s when someone’s mocking laughter chimed from somewhere very close to my ears. In fact, it was so close that I could feel the person’s breath in my ears, and I was instantly uncomfortable, so I turned around in anger.

Yes, I’d been right, that the laughter was aimed at me. But, boy! Oh boy! I hadn’t expected the one laughing to be so gorgeous. As our eyes met, he said something which sounded like, “So, you’re not enjoying your Saturday it seems!”

I rolled my eyes and simply nodded as if I had understood what he had just said, to avoid another round of incomprehensible conversation. He continued to stare at me as I steadfastly looked anywhere, but directly into his eyes.

“Look at him, you idiot!” I reprimanded myself, but just couldn’t follow through my own orders! In a few seconds, before it became too awkward, the bartender tapped on my shoulder, and handed me my drinks and the bill.

I shouted, like he could hear me otherwise, at him to send the bill over to the table, but obviously, he couldn’t hear me. He made a gesture which I understood to mean that I’d have to pay here itself, and I turned to get my purse, but before I could go, somebody stamped a few notes into the bartender’s hands. It was him!

Wow, so these things really do happen, huh?! Somebody had bought me a drink, just like I’d seen in movies and TV soaps, read about in books, and had heard from a few people around me.

I hollered thanks at him, smilingly waved a bye, and walked back to the table. To my surprise, he followed me, and plonked himself opposite me at the table. We tried to have a conversation, but most of what we said to each other were just nods and indecipherable words and phrases.

After about fifteen minutes or so (my Maths is terrible even when I’m sober), a few people came to our table. I guessed they were his friends because of the ease with which they walked over to him, and then, they bantered him endlessly before waving a hi to me.

He gestured they were going to leave now, and I nodded an ‘okay’, albeit reluctantly.

He wrote something down on one of the tissues, gave me an awkward hug, and left, with his friends in tow, who were still teasing him.

I looked at the tissue, and there it was. His mobile number! I felt suddenly all giddy, and like a teenager in love for the first time. I folded the paper and kept it in my bag before I lost, misplaced or completely forgot about it.

Suddenly all the beer gulping was taking its toll on my bladder, and still, unreasonably pleased with myself, I walked to the loo. After I came out of the stall and washed my hands, I opened my bag to take out my lip gloss. Without me realizing, and before I could do anything, the tissue fell into the basin sink.

Grr! Hoping against hope that the basin wasn’t wet, I picked up the tissue. Argh, it was wet! I turned it across all sides to ensure myself in vain, but his number, inked with such hope, was now all stained, and for all purposes, now rendered useless, for me at least.

I regretted that very moment, and was plain sad. That hadn’t seemed like a great start to an epic love story anyway. It was never happily ever after!

When You Believe in Breaking Traditions, Myths & Stereotypes ~ A Home Decor Enthusiast Shares Her Story

Connor Franta, says,

“Girls can be athletic. Guys can have feelings. Girls can be smart. Guys can be creative. And vice versa. Gender is specific only to your reproductive organs (and sometimes not even to those), not your interest, likes, dislikes, goals, and ambitions.”

In our #WisdomWednesday blog focusing on the #WonderWomen segment, we bring to you a woman who believes in breaking conventions and definitions when it comes to personal as well as professional life choices. Meet, Eram Khan, who is a Home Décor Enthusiast, and the Founder of Girl with Bindiya. But, her foray into this field is quite unconventional, just like her other pickings. With a strong academic record and someone who can be termed as a ‘science nerd’, hardly anyone would have thought that somebody like her would get into the field of home décor and interior decoration. So, what led to such a 360 turn and how does she keep herself motivated to continue in a field which is so different from her educational background? Let’s find out in her own words.

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“I was fascinated by the Late Kalpana Chawla since childhood and wanted to become just like her. This led to my interest in Astronomy. No one in our family or from our social circle had studied this subject ever. Even my parents were not that convinced or willing for me to continue in this field. Being a Muslim girl further added to my difficulties in engagement into this. But I relented, nonetheless.

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My biggest milestone was getting admission into ISRO. There wasn’t much support from my parents, but I made it into the institute as the only girl and one of only two people from entire India (the other person was a boy from Chennai) to get selected for pursuing the course of Post Graduate Diploma in Space and Atmospheric Science in ISRO.

After the course got completed, I had further plans to pursue a Ph.D. too but I had to let of this opportunity because my mom insisted that I spend time with the family. You see, I was to get married soon and they wanted me to stay with them as much as possible before I stepped into this new phase of life.

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I am a very simple person who finds happiness in the smallest of things happening around me; seeing a beautiful flower or a colourful butterfly excites me, even if a small sparrow comes and chirrups peacefully in our balcony it makes me content and blissful. And that’s when it struck me that surroundings and the environment in which we live are what makes our moments memorable. After my marriage, I become a content homemaker, who was happy doing just this, making my surrounding and my home beautiful. I generally started buying random stuff for my home and making my house a ‘Home Sweet Home’ in the true sense. Then the lockdown came, and I started to get bored at home. It was during this time that my husband advised me to start a page for my home decoration ideas, which inspired me to share this hobby and interest of home décor and interior decorations, with likeminded people through Instagram.

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I love gardening, bonsai, and all kind of flora. I also believe in modern yet eclectic living which fuelled my hobby of interior decoration. This prospect of sharing my love and ideas excited me, and thus Girl With Bindiya came to be. You might feel it’s an interesting name, and yes there’s a purpose, meaning and story behind that as well. The ‘Bindiya’ in the name is because I love wearing bindi. However, the twist here is related to me breaking a norm. You see, wearing a bindi is not allowed in my religion but I do it anyway because I love it. Hence, the name ‘Girl with Bindiya’ was given to my new venture, which defines my personality as well as my rebellious kind of nature.  

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Apart from Kalpana Chawla, there are few others who motivate me. From the people around me, I’m most influenced by my mom. Seeing her practice the same everyday schedule with dedicated meticulousness and discipline inspires me. My father’s commitment towards his work and my husband’s attitude of always being Mr. Cool also play a daily motivational role in my daily life.

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I am passionate about any kind of plants. I do own a whole bunch of them and they’re not just a décor ornament; for me they’re babies and I treat them as part of my family, so yes, I’m a possessive and proud plant momma. My home décor journey has just begun but I’m looking forward to learning, exploring and growing in it. The skill and attachment here aren’t just a coincidence I believe, because my amma and nani are into it too and I guess its just in my genes.

I had to refuse the biggest opportunity of my life when I let go of my Ph. D but that has now led me into another field which I’m passionate about. So, my journey has truly taught me that though sometimes things don’t happen the way we want or plan, in the end finding inner peace is what you need the most.

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I am a breaking the norms kind of person. I have always loved to break old traditions, or stereotypical thinking, which I believe restricts us or causes unhappiness. First, I broke myth by studying space physics despite coming from a Muslim community. Secondly, I was the first in my family to marry a South Indian guy. Third I have proved that being confined in ‘char diwari’ or the four walls of a house can also you make you popular and successful.

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My husband and I are from different backgrounds. He loves Telugu movies, I love Hindi movies. He loves dosa. I love paratha, but we’re still together and it is love that binds us. We belong to different communities and states, had to fight with our families and the society to be together, but what matters is that we are together now and we are happy about our decision.

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Through all my professional and personal life choices, my learning has been that you should,

“ Never let yourself feel you are not worthy of anything. We are all born unique and have individual talents.”
 

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And also,

 

“The success rate for every human being is not the same. It comes to everyone but at the right time, not before, not after, and definitely not when you desire for it to come.”

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To drop a message to Eram, check out her gorgeous feed on home décor and interior designing tips and ideas as well as products, follow the links below:

Instagram

Eram’s work in the home décor and interior decoration field has been acknowledged and featured on quite a few platforms. You can have a look at these through the below links:

My Apartment Balcony
My Apartment Balcony
Interio Bloom
My Green Treasure
Jiscovery

From A Fan To An Artist

Dear Sushant,

You made a place in my heart from ‘Jhalak Dikhlaa Jaa’ season 4. Seeing you dance made my heart flutter.



I remember being awed by how a man could dance so gracefully. I remember slowly becoming a fan and then developing a major crush on you. I remember being jealous of Ankita when you professed your love to her on national television. I remember being happy, proud and excited, when you made your debut with a movie (Kai Po Che) I was eager to see being adapted, especially because it talked about my favourite things, cricket and friendship.


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I remember telling anyone and everyone that you were someone to watch out for. This crush might have swayed after a while, but I continued being an admirer of your work, especially with movies like Shuddh Desi Romance, MS Dhoni and your last one, Chhichhore.


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What breaks my heart the most is how someone who inspired so many to follow their dreams, gave up on his own. You being an outsider, made a remarkable place for yourself in the entertainment industry, and that gave hope to aspirants, viewers and fans alike. You also proved that someone with an excellent academic record can opt for a career in the arts and entertainment industry too.

Your death comes as a shock because yours was a face that always had a smile. That you were battling depression, only goes to prove that we shouldn’t believe what we see and that scars of mental illnesses run deeper than those of physical health.



I wish you’d reached out to someone, anyone, even one of your many fans, and that would’ve made you realize how worthy you are.

May you find peace where you have gone.

You shall be remembered well.

R. I. P.

From,
A girl who once had a crush on you and will be your fan always

The First Time I Said ‘No’

Note: This story was originally posted on The Naked Truth 

Nooo!

I cried out loudly, when Sanjeev snatched my new toy, after asking twice to play with it, and despite me very clearly telling him not to touch it. We, both, were 10 years old; the age when our world was limited to our toys, and the world of games those toys made it possible to build.

My toys were my proud possessions. From the cars to the dolls and dollhouses, and from board games to crafts, I had everything a child could dream of. Sanjeev was my best and probably, the only friend then. Being neighbours, and growing up together, we were kind of inseparable.

Hearing my loud wail, my mother came running to my room, where Sanjeev and I were now punching and wrestling with each other.

“Trisha! What are you doing? Let go! What happened? Both of you, stop it, enough!”

I knew that tone well enough to sense trouble brewing in paradise, so, immediately I let go of his shirt. I told my mother what had happened. She gave me a disapproving look, and then, very calmly turned towards him and said, “I am sorry, dear. Go to the washroom, and get yourself cleaned up first.”

As soon as he walked out, she turned to me with an angry look like none I had seen before.

“You have absolutely no manners or what? How can you misbehave like that? It is rude and impolite to say no to someone. You will apologise to Sanjeev as soon as he comes back, and will willingly let him play with your toys. I never want to see or hear about you saying no again.”

***

“Trisha, can you lend me some money, please? I’m completely broke, and I need to pay my rent, or the landlord will kick me out ya!”

Parul and I were at our favourite spot in the city. She was the first friend I had had in this city when I moved here five years ago. We had been roommates for a few years before I moved to another place. She’d been a great support during those initial days when I was still figuring out life in a new city staying away from home.

Despite all that, I knew her Achilles heel was her finances. In fact, it was one of the reasons I had opted to move out.

I didn’t want to end up paying her part of the rent for yet another month, and had thought it is better to live away from her. Every time she was out of money, she’d ask from me to borrow some, and I’d end up giving it to her, even though I was cutting corners myself.

Instead of simply saying, “No, I can’t. I’m sorry,” I had chosen to distance myself from her.

And now, I was back to it. She could sense my trepidation, I guess. Because, she continued her persuasion by saying, “C’mon ya. Don’t you trust me? I will return it as soon as I have made some money. Tell you what, if by the end of this month I don’t have the money, I’ll ask my dad for a loan, and pay your dues. You know how much I hate doing that. Now, do you trust me?”

So, yet again, being not able to say no, and with the fear of guilt and hurt which I knew would come along if I did tell her no, I lent her the money.

***

The time for the monthly team-meeting was almost upon us.

We were all poring in on our reports, and going through our works to make sure we didn’t miss out on anything and were well prepared.

I was confident I would sail through. My team and I had managed to finish each task, quite efficiently, well before the scheduled deadlines. Akash, my team lead, and I were going through our PowerPoint presentation when Nina dropped by to ask what we were doing and how it was going.

After the chitter chatter she casually asked, “Would you mind checking my slides after you’re done here, Trisha? I’m pretty sure I have covered everything, but I’m just not confident. Your guidance will ensure I don’t go wrong.”

I sighed. The pressure on me was already more than I could take. My own work would take me at least another hour. Even with Akash’s help, and the other team members doing their bit, I would have to give everyone else’s work a thorough check.

Nina sensed my hesitance and said, “It will only take five minutes, I promise. Please?”

I nodded reluctantly.

As I had expected, Nina’s five minutes of help, took up a good thirty minutes, and I ended up reaching home late; all because I could not say, “No, I can’t. I’m sorry.”

***

The loud music at Ankita’s house party was making it hard for me to hear what Sanjeev was saying. I blindly nodded my head to make him feel like I had understood.

He walked away and came back a few minutes later carrying two glasses in his hands. He handed one over to me, and I gave him a quizzical look. I smelled the contents in the glass, and as I had anticipated, it was alcohol.

I was more disappointed than angry with Sanjeev. He was supposed to know me better than this. I shook my head, and was about to say something. The music suddenly stopped at that moment and I simply said, “I don’t drink, Sanjeev. You know that.”

He smiled mischievously, and simply said, “C’mon. You can have at least one drink. What’s the harm?”

Suddenly, a moment from years ago came flashing back. I was pretty sure I didn’t want this, just as back then I knew, I didn’t want Sanjeev to play with my new toy.

With a conviction like never before, I said firmly, “No, Sanjeev. I can’t and I don’t want to.”

***

That was probably the first time I had said “no” to someone in years.

But it was also the first time that I didn’t think about that memory from years ago of the first time I had said no, with a pang of feeling guilt. The guilt that had overcome me every time I wanted to say no, but ended up saying yes, because of the memory of the first time I said no, didn’t overpower me anymore.

In fact, the empowerment that this no brought along, made me see myself in a new light. It made me feel in control of myself, and suddenly, it felt like new opportunities were waiting for me. A new “me” was waiting for me.

It was also in that moment that I realised the difference between ‘No, I can’t’ and ‘No, I don’t want to’.

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