Writer. Editor
The world is full of stories that inspire – that perk you up when the chips are down. The lives of some people as I discovered through my interactions with them have motivated me to hang on when the going gets tough. Because change is the only constant and good times are never too far away.
Philip John co-runs a boutique creative agency in Bangalore. He is also an independent creative consultant and writer. He is the author of the Facebook page ‘Labyrinths’ that seeks to capture the mystery and the transience of modern urban life in very short stories and poems. He talks to me about his association with the written word, his writing process and what it takes to run a page that unfailingly publishes one flash story or a poem every day.
Read more
Be it capturing the spirit of the city, telling inspiring life stories of people or spreading positivity by aiding social causes, city-themed Facebook pages in India are becoming wonderful platforms that bring the human spirit to the fore. The people behind Humans of Bombay, Humans of Bangalore and Humans of Madras talk to me about what it means to be running inspiring Facebook pages that have transformed the way people look at the life of a person on the street.
Read more
One of the biggest developments that the internet unleashed was the arrival of blogs a few years back, which grew to become great forums for showcasing talent, having discussions, exchanging ideas, making new friends and most importantly, finding an audience in a world where becoming a published author for an aspiring writer was still a formidable task. I speak to Parul Sharma, author of ‘Bringing up Vasu : That First Year’ and ‘By the Water Cooler’, Judy Balan, author of ‘Two Fates : The Story of My Divorce’ and Sagarika Chakraborty, author of ‘A Calendar Too Crowded’ – all of whom began as bloggers a few years back before they became published authors. Parul, Judy and Sagarika talk about their days as bloggers, the roles that their blogs played in their writerly journey and of course their books, among a host of other blog-related things.
Read more
Words are magical, they are powerful, and to be able to use the magic of the written word to inspire people is indeed an immensely beautiful gift. I speak to three people who have used the power of words to inspire thousands and gets them talking about what inspires them, how they feel about the inspiration they are providing others, and more – meet Preeti Shenoy, author of ‘34 Bubble Gums & Candies’, ‘Life is What you Make It’, & ‘Tea for Two & a Piece of Cake’, Swapan Seth, author of ’This is All I have to Say’ and Varun Agarwal, author of ‘How I Braved Anu Aunty & Co-founded a Million Dollar Company.
Read more
In a freewheeling chat, Raksha Bharadia, co-author of 12 titles of the Indian Chicken Soup for the Soul series, talks about the experience of putting together the various titles, the stories that moved her, and how this opportunity changed her as a person. The stories in the series are meant to ‘open the heart and rekindle the spirit’. Find out what the person behind many titles in the series in India has to say on inspiration and human life.
Read more
India is a melange of many cultures – each with its own characteristics. If you have lived in India, whichever part of the country you may belong to, one of the things that keeps you implicitly connected with your place, no matter where you go or whichever part of the world you live in, is the defining culture of that region. Wouldn’t you think it is great to actually have some initiatives that help you sustain the connection with your culture, ones that take you closer to your roots? When we speak of culture, and initiatives that help you connect with your own, the Tamilian and his or her connection with the Tamil culture could very well be considered a case in point. Looking around, I found some very interesting ventures that are passionate about bringing regional culture to the fore with particular focus on Tamil culture. A special feature on a melange of inspiring measures. Additional inputs from Vani Viswanathan.
Read more
Kamakshi Khurana and Vishala Khurana, sisters, are also the young founders of ‘The Sound Space’, an entrepreneurial venture that uses the power of sound in different forms to offer therapeutic treatment to people with different needs. In an interview, they share their musical journey that has striven to make a difference to many lives.
Read more