Posted by It’s that time of the month again – to put my thinking cap on and share some wisdom on one of the causes listed by Blogchatter. When I signed on for their #CauseAChatter program, it was only as a means to keep my blog alive, as I found my time increasingly devoted to other writing pursuits. I generally pride myself on being able to write on any subject, but I’ve hit a wall here! I didn’t quite think this #CauseAChatter thing through. Every month, I search for a topic on which I can share a message of help or encouragement, and every month it proves a struggle. Or, I can simply blame it on the second wave of Covid-19. After all, it’s taken over our consciousness completely, minimising all other issues. So, for another month in a row, I’ll just babble a bit. If my feelings and experiences resonate with you, then I’ll feel I’ve helped someone.
Last month, I wrote about my current state of mind – a mental health related rant that perhaps some of you identified with. Next month, the post will have to be environment related, because you know – World Environment Day! Which means this month, I’m stuck with ‘Gender Talks’. This topic is unbelievably hard for me, so I’m going to take a short cut. One of the advantages of being a lifestyle journalist is that I have to write about a lot of people, many of whom are women doing amazing things. So, here’s a quick round-up of awesome women doing super-awesome things, that I’ve written about in the past month. Give them a read, I’m sure their stories will inspire you just as they inspired me:
- USHA UTHUP:
Does this legendary singer with 51 years of experience in the music industry really need an introduction?! I interviewed her about life and work in lockdown for Sunday Guardian here.
- SAMRATA SALWAN DIWAN:
A few years ago, Samrata embarked on a passion project – to record and preserve her maternal grandmother’s life story in the form of a beautiful book. She soon realised no one else was doing this, and so began her bespoke publishing business that records and preserves family stories through Family Fables Co. Interviewed for YourStory here.
- SHIRIN MANN:
Most people who look to Bollywood for sartorial inspiration, will be familiar with the embellished jutti brand NEEDLEDUST. This brand was founded by Shirin Mann, when she couldn’t find the right pair of juttis for her own wedding and had to design them herself! Interviewed for YourStory here.
- PALLAVI ISHPUNIYANI:
This young independent artist is trained in Indian classical music but her real mission is to add fun twists to traditional folk classics, to enhance their appeal for younger audiences. In this feature for BusinessWorld Everything Experiential, I cover her latest release – a quirky version of the Punjabi wedding favourite, ‘Sehreyan Wala’.
- NASREEN KHAN:
A wellness coach on a mission, Nasreen realised the pandemic was wreaking havoc on everyone’s mental health. So, she banded together with her colleagues from the profession to form Listening Hearts, where people can get free counselling or just chat with a mental health professional, at any time of the day. Featured in BusinessWorld Everything Experiential here.
- PRANATI KHANNA:
Pranati Khanna or Peekay, as she is better known, is Hyderabad’s most promising rising star. Her latest upbeat track Much Better has received acclaim far and wide, and been featured on a Times Square Billboard when she made it to one of Spotify’s Women’s Day Editorial Playlists. A feature on her published in New Indian Express here.
- MALINI AGARWAL:
Another famous name, and if you’re a member of her Girl Tribe on Facebook, a familiar one too. Tired of social media’s caustic environment, Malini launched a women-only safe space on Facebook a few years ago, which recently upgraded to its own app with the same name. Featured in New Indian Express here.
- DR. KASTURI NEIL SONALKAR & MEGHA RUPAREL DATANY:
The lockdown gave birth to numerous enterprising home chefs, but how many can teach you to make healthy sourdough starters and bread from scratch? Dr. Kasturi and Megha together form BakeoGurll, conducting online workshops and delivering the freshest and healthiest sourdough breads across Mumbai. Featured in New Indian Express here.
- MYRA AGGARWAL:
Did someone say sustainably-crafted footwear that’s also stylish and affordable? Dial me up! Myra’s eponymous brand My|Ra promises exactly that, in a variety of styles, from flats to stilettos, wedges to sneakers. Featured in The Daily Guardian here.
- RITWIKA GUPTA:
A TV personality that’s also a social media star, Ritwika Gupta answered some pressing questions for those confused about entering the field of entertainment. Interviewed for Sunday Guardian here.
- REBY KUMAR:
This young lady has oodles of style and her comfy, holiday-appropriate clothing line named Guapa, shows it! Featured in the New Indian Express here.
- PALOMA GANGOPADHYAY:
A yoga guru who teaches this ancient practice for holistic wellness and the treatment of severe lifestyle diseases like PCOS. Featured in BusinessWorld Wellbeing World here.
That’s a round-up of the women I wrote about in May. I hope you found something useful, inspiring, endearing, relatable or simply interesting. If you liked this post, let me know in the comments, and I could do one every so often – maybe on a particular topic or divided as per genre? See you folks, here’s hoping and praying for a wonderful and healthy June for everyone!
____________________________________________________________________
This post is part of Blogchatter’s CauseAChatter
_________________________________________________________________
*This is not a sponsored post.
**Copyright in pictures and content belongs to nooranandchawla.com and cannot be republished or repurposed without express permission of the author. As I am a copyright lawyer by profession, infringement of any kind will invite strict legal action.
Such an inspiring read this was !
🙂