Posts

Girlhood, a bad economy, and urge to stay hot

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Girlhood, a bad economy, and urge to stay hot  I spent the majority of March 2025 shopping. Books, clothes, makeup, accessories—everything in between. Legend says I’m still hunting for the next cute shirt and matching pants. But girl, to be a girl in  this  economy is almost murderous. So what the hell is even happening? How do brands justify that the cute top you like—handcrafted with love (and probably child labour) in Vietnam—costs INR 2,000? Why is life, existence, and the pursuit of aesthetic bliss suddenly so expensive? Is it Trump’s tariffs? Then fine, dude, I’ll swim across the ocean like a colonizing 18th-century man riddled with disease to fetch my clothes. But wait—those tariffs don’t even apply to our beloved desi land. Are we in a recession? Twitter’s been whispering “recession” since the pandemic ended, but officially, we’re in projection limbo. Too many rhetorical questions. Too little time. Anyway. Why should I pay Zomato INR 300+ for 10 steamed momos? Or ...
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Supporting someone dealing with grief.

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Hello Blog, This blog post is an ode to a series of tweets I read and related to the most closely. One of the Twitter users said that we focus so much on "competition" and getting ahead in the game of life that we forget how to deal with grief. No one teaches you that, and once you experience it with a close friend or relative, you feel constantly detached. I never related to something so true and real. I get calls from close and very dear friends, talking to me about their lives. While I listen to them with utmost patience, I help them objectively in whatever capacity. But I can't help thinking, Am I being sympathetic enough? or Are my solutions childish, or is it really going to help this person? In some situations, it almost feels like guilt because I think my help is not and never going to be enough. It could be the phone or the distance that is preventing me from saying what I want to say and really mean to these people. The real answer could lie somewhere in the a...
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Why is it so hard to say what we really mean?

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  Why is it so hard to say what we really mean?  I went in circles at the office because I had a situation with a particular task. The anxiety was piling up, and since I am a toddler in corporate, I had to find my parent and vent it out. The parent in question could only be accessed through a multi-level hierarchy called the corporate ladder, which seemed torturous to climb, but I just barged into her door. What was going to come next from my mouth could very well decide my future here—or not. I don't know; I am an overthinker. But let's backtrack. "How do I approach him for guidance?" I asked my colleague. "You speak less and give a solution to your problem while speaking to him," said my colleague. That's it. The formula was simple, and the parent was a highly approachable person. That is, until I heard stories about other children and their conversations with "the parent." "And when I did this, he screamed at me," they said. The in...
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Take2: Can you ever really leave Mumbai?

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Can you ever really leave Mumbai?  A city girl navigates the eternal pull of Mumbai's chaos and charm. A couple of months ago, a friend told me, "I would go back to the city I was born in, anytime because I don't think I am made for the Mumbai life." I found his comments quite amusing because, for an always-city girl like me, I couldn't fathom someone thinking of shifting away from the city of dreams. But it's their choice, and I am pro-choice (in this context). I don’t think I can imagine living in a small city. I bet it’s filled with its own perks and limitations. Yet, every time I visited my grandfather’s town as a child, the tranquillity in the air made me petrified. Deep down, I realized that I found some comfort in the hustle and bustle of the city. With that being said, there have been times when Mumbai has made me feel,  "Maybe I should leave it for good."  These moments were mostly about running away from people. But somehow, the city found ...
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Mid Week Connundrum : WFH or WFO?

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Hello Blog,  Welcome to Mid-week Conundrum!  About Mid-week Conundrum:  Every week, I'll dive into our curious conversations – the ones that spark a thought, make you wonder, or shift your perspective. In a jist, it is a snapshot of the world through the lens of everyday talk. It’s the mid-week breather you didn’t know you needed, with a twist of insight, curiosity, and reflection. ___________________________________________________________________________________ The pandemic was two years ago. Do you remember the social cues? Stand at a six-feet distance from one another and stay at home, avoid venturing out? The world and the government of the UK were so cautiously following these rules! I remember meeting a lady for an interview who believed that the pandemic was an agenda and tried to warn me and my friend against the unknown.  The collapse of the social world and the rise of the digital one gave everyone a chance to be more flexible, especially corporates. Henc...
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From the vault: Xavier's Khandala Trip

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  From the Vault: Xavier's Khandala Trip  Hey Blog,  30th June 2024 - It's been a year since I wrote the below article. I was clearing my drafts and suddenly I saw this post. I hope for some people it brings some sweet memories of our time at Xavier's Institute of Communication, Mumbai. This post was written exactly a year ago, today.  Pre Workshop Thoughts:  7th June 2023: I am beyond nervous about our upcoming trip to Khandala. The thing is that it has been three or four days so far into the programme. I haven't interacted much with my classmates. My close friends have been nothing but super supportive. I am actually desperate to meet them too. But our schedule has been so tight that I haven't gotten a chance to catch up on some sleep or a breather. Anyway, so far I have narrowed down which bag I would take to the trip. But that bag is too big for a one-day sleepover exertion. I wish someone I would have shared this experience with someone from school or coll...
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Mid Week Conandrum - My take on Marriage

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  Hello Blog,  Welcome to Mid-week Conundrum!  About Mid-week Conundrum:  Every week, I'll dive into our curious conversations – the ones that spark a thought, make you wonder, or shift your perspective. In a jist, it is a snapshot of the world through the lens of everyday talk. It’s the mid-week breather you didn’t know you needed, with a twist of insight, curiosity, and reflection. ___________________________________________________________________________________ My Take On Marriages   Carrie Bradshaw has been my muse this week. Her ‘research’ methods—if you can call them that—drive me to write this blog daily. Today, I conducted my own research, and here are my findings. Someone at work asked me who my favourite actor was. Simple enough, right? Until I realized all my old favourites are now either unattractive, aged, or embroiled in scandal—yes, I’m looking at you, Leonardo DiCaprio. I knew my answer would be judged, and while I could have said Vicky Kaushal...
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