Travelling : A Therapy - Debasmita Das

TW : Bullying

"Being a victim of bullying, self-doubt and insecurities had built a home in my life. But, I wanted to grow out of it. My longing to be an independent, conscious and in-control adult kept me going. I always wanted to travel and I knew that financial independence could guarantee that.

With a lot of hard work and dedication, I started working in the male dominated field of product management. Now, I had the freedom to travel to places that my soul longed for. Travelling was so rewarding and relishing that I performed better professionally, leaving footprints for others to follow.

I am at my best right now. If I could, I would go back in time and tell my little self that, "It may seem difficult right now, but in the future, you made it and you made it BIG!". I am so thankful to the 28 cities that I have travelled to for giving me the mental peace that I needed." - Debasmita Das.

Here To Learn And Grow - Shekh Sameer

 

“I always went out to eat, and I love to try different things from various places. Be it street food or good restaurants, I love to explore all such places, and my friends and relatives often ask me for recommendations. During my school and college days, I did not get much time to explore blogging. When I got into Tech Mahindra, and was working from home, that was when I started digging more into this field.

 

I started my journey in December 2020, and initially I thought that I only had to upload pictures of food, and provide the address of the place for my viewers. During this year’s lockdown, I got in touch with a lot of other bloggers, some of whom were from other states, and that broadened my view. I wanted to learn more, and encourage everyone else who wanted to try their hands on blogging.

 

Before I started, I had never thought that blogging would be difficult, but in reality, it takes a lot of work and effort to make a good blog for the audience. I even lost my job due to the pandemic, and there was a lot of pressure from my family to get a job, and I did not have much support for blogging. I continued on my path, and let fate decide my destiny.

 

I went to my first bloggers’ meet as an invitee, and I was nervous about it. But, I got to meet a lot of famous bloggers, and I got to learn many things from that event. Eventually I hosted a bloggers’ meet for the first time in ‘Yellow’ restaurant, Bhubaneswar, with the aim of bringing together new and experienced bloggers. I organized more such meets, and gave opportunities to new bloggers to gain more experience in the work that they love to do. I also received a lot of appreciation for organizing these meets.

 

A lot of people came to recognize me as a good blogger, and more importantly, they saw something good in my nature. I admire and appreciate everyone’s hard work, and I try to learn from them. I respect all creators, and try to be humane in all situations, and I hope to learn more, grow more, and achieve more.” - Shekh Sameer

Fortune Favours The Brave- Moushumi Patnaik

“I was studying in an I.C.S.E school and was very good in academics till 8th grade. Then, some disturbances happened that affected my performance. Maths was not my cup of tea so my 10th board results were unsatisfactory. I had always wanted to pursue Humanities, but my parents made me take up Science in my senior secondary years. Due to unsatisfactory marks in 10th exam, I pursued Science in Prabhujee English Medium school.

I required private tuitions, however, unavoidable circumstances put me into group tuitions and I found it really difficult to cope up with the pace of other students. Somehow, I passed 11th grade, but I flunked Maths in 12th board exam. The results came as a complete shock to my parents and my father stopped talking to me. He almost believed that my life was over and giving compartment exam was of no use.

But, I insisted on providing me with a private tuition and with a month’s preparation, I scored 65 in compartment exam. After that, I got selected in Christ University for a triple major in Arts, KIIT University for Designing and B.Tech, and in NIFT. As I couldn’t get a seat in NIFT-Bhubaneswar and other locations were quite costly for me, I made up my mind to do Designing in KIIT. 

I got rank 26 in Designing entrance, KIIT and under 500 rank for B.Tech in KIIT. My parents wanted me to take up engineering. My father and I were on our way to deposit the fees and were arguing the whole time. He was hesitant but was almost on the verge of doing my admission in Designing, when an employee from the documentation department brainwashed him to put me into B.Tech. That was the first time I retorted and my father was stunned.

I got into Designing and my father stopped talking to me for six months straight until one day when he saw my results and portfolio file where I had secured exceptionally good marks. He had tears of happiness in his eyes and came to me and hugged me. I’m in my final year now and doing multiple internships. I also own an art page and a small business. I purchased my phone from the Rs.30,000 profit that I made in my business.” – Moushumi Patnaik.

Shine On! - Ipsita Mohanty

"I decided to juggle both of my careers, as a singer and an engineer. It’s like rowing 2 boats at the same time. They require the same level of concentration; a slight mismatch can lead to a disaster.

Music has always been my life, ever since I started learning at the age of 3. My first Guru, Gauranga Pradhan, always said ‘Shine In Your Own Talent’. These words are my motto for life. 

I try to achieve my goals just with my talent, not anybody's favor. But, sometimes, some people adopt unethical means to succeed and that hurts. In my music community, while I get 2-3 gigs, my contemporaries get 10, through influence and power. In my workplace too, I see people going out of the line to get into the Manager’s good books and on the other hand, when I pave my way with my own hard work, it's unacceptable to them. They are envious of me and talk behind my back. 

I am not here to complain about life. But, these little things actually affect people, as they already are taking a toll on me. The best thing to do is not to become like them. If you ever feel that you are more deserving, but somebody else took advantage through unfair means, remember that the talent you have is yours alone. One day, you will get opportunities, which will be better than the ones you lost." - Ipsita Mohanty.

Live And Let Live - Sweta Dash

"It's become so difficult to survive in a society when you have a thin body and also, with average scores at school. People laugh at your weakness. The only reason my fellow classmates talked with me was because I was good at art and thus, I did their SUPW projects. Due to my insecurities, I failed to adore and love myself. 

When I asked my parents to let me become a fashion designer, they denied as they were skeptical about the financial stability. Thus, I pursued Sociology and got a job as an Academic Counselor.

I had adapted this new life, new interest and new job, but then, I saw my old craft. It felt surreal and wanted to live with this feeling forever. My little sister suggested that we should start a digital store and after thinking for a week, I gave my resignation and decided to make a page.

That decision gave me a boost, I was like, "Enough of the boundaries that I have allowed people to set for me. Enough of the dicey relatives and fake friends. This life is my own, no human has the right to make or break me!"

I started listening only from the people who meant to me and were selfless. My Mousi and Mom are still fighting with my relatives as they keep getting into my way. My Art built my confidence and also, a circle of people who have my back. It also did a miracle by healing the scars which had been tormenting me for years." - Sweta Dash.

The Accidental Blogger - Sonalin Dikshit

"I passed out as a Civil Engineer from KIIT University in 2014. My parents always kept me limited to academics and away from creative things because they wanted to secure my future. I always stayed away from smart phones and hence, social media never lured me. I had a feature phone which was only used to make calls to home.

I got my first smart phone in 2019, but being stuck in the corporate rat race I couldn't explore much into it. Unfortunately, I met with a road accident and underwent an ACL reconstruction surgery which gave me a long time of bed rest.

Aware of my hidden creative side, my fiancé suggested me to open an Instagram account and post my clicks of good food and products. The basic aim was to keep myself busy with pictures and captions.

After brainstorming through a plethora of names, we landed on 'Crisps & Colours'. The page which started as a leisure, with some lame and not so attractive pictures of food and products, is now a strong family of 11K. Gradually I improved the quality of my posts and started getting a good reach. Every picture is now processed through 5-6 apps to make it appealing for the audience.

Being associated with some reputed brands for campaigns is the best part of this journey. I want my Instagram family to have a smile, seeing the colourful stories and have a craving for the crispy foods that I share on my feed. A big thanks to the man who always helped me spread my wings and to all those who trusted me throughout." - Sonalin Dikshit

Dancing Feet - Aayushi Kanungo

"I used to get up early in the morning and rushed to my Grandfather to listen to the songs that play during the breaks of astrology podcasts on the radio. Everyone thought that I was interested in zodiac signs, but my feet were eager to dance. 

On discovering my love for dance, my parents enrolled me into an institute, but sadly, my body could not cope up with the regular practice. Doctors suggested that I should stop dancing for a while. I cried out to my Maa and she assured me that this will come to pass.

Much later, there was a talent hunt in my school. Immediately, I chose a song, thought of some steps and in 5 mins, I was on the stage. Some days later, my teacher called up my Maa and congratulated her because I was the first runner-up. My parents were elated and celebrated my victory. 

Again, I joined an institute and again, I left due to my hectic schedule. I was upset, but there was no option. During Lockdown 2020, my Maa encouraged me to get back to my dance practices rather than sitting idle. I started practicing regularly for hours, got cramps and injuries, but didn't stop this time. I choreographed few songs and posted them. People loved it and requested me to keep going. Some of my videos have more than 7000 views, which is a huge deal! 

I could not have treaded on this path, had it not been for my family. I am grateful that they encouraged me to dance, even when I was unwilling. I guess that they(more than I did) knew that when my feet is dancing, I am the happiest!" - Aayushi Kanungo.

Welcome To My Food Garden! - Trushna

"My Grandma and my mother have played an enormous role in building my interest for food since childhood. They cook dishes so delicious that you would want to lick your fingers. Intrigued, I would ask them about all the recipes and ingredients. Since I was too little to cook, I could only store the information in my head, without any practical experience.

During Lockdown 2020, I started making desserts. I baked a cake for my brother's birthday and my Baba loved it; he asked me to pursue baking. That inspired me to start an Instagram Page. I was clueless about what I was walking into, but I had the support of my family, reaffirming and reassuring me. My Grandma is pro-active when it comes to the page. She gives me all the recipes and keeps a count of the page followers. 

Being an introvert, it was quite difficult on my part to get along with the food community of Odisha. I am still trying to get along and know everyone better. Itishreeya, one of my fellow food bloggers, guided me a lot on this journey. 

It took me a long time to go from 10 followers to 2500 followers. Now that college has opened up, managing the page, my studies and also, my job is getting messy. I will keep trying, as my aim is to build an Instagram family. Staying in touch with them is as good as my Grandma's food!" - Trushna.