In November 2020, I started a new phase of my life. After leaving my full-time job in journalism, I found myself in the middle of a rapidly spreading Covid-19 pandemic that had turned people's lives upside down. It was a moment when we all, including me, stepped back and reconsidered our life choices. I was seeking a deeper connection with the world around me.
Everything was uncertain -- life, future, career. How do you find meaning when everything seems to be crumbling? I decided to create this Substack account, a platform where I could share stories that mattered to me, ambitiously tagging it: "Stories of empathy in a world turning cruel." The idea was to interview everyday people around me; the inspiration was Brandon Stanton's project, "Humans of New York."
However, life had other plans for me. Instead of diving into the project, I found myself in a state of dormancy, a prolonged period of sleep where my dreams seemed to hibernate. Reality, on the other hand, was taking me down a different path. I began drifting into a series of soul-sapping content development/content marketing jobs, one after another, each leaving me yearning for something more meaningful.
Until 2020, I was immersed in the world of culture and entertainment. I had dedicated over four and a half years of my career as a culture and entertainment correspondent at a prominent news weekly. The nine years preceding that were equally eventful, with experiences ranging from writing feature articles in newsrooms across Delhi and Mumbai to producing a Bollywood chat show for a streaming platform. These experiences have shaped me.
I haven't set out to replicate Brandon Stanton's admirable concept. But you might occasionally come across stories that capture India's diversity. My aim, primarily, is to invite you into the world that I currently inhabit and have experienced in the past. Welcome to "My World, My Words," where I hope to share my perspective and the stories that have shaped my journey thus far.
