I have always loved to write for as long as I can remember. It helped that people around me were always encouraging — right from my parents to my cousins and my husband.
While other children received toys as gifts, I would be plied with beautiful books that told stories steeped in Indian folklore, of witches and peasants in Russia, swirling mist, and the cobbled streets of London and Paris. My best memories are of spending time reading in our wooden bungalow in Manas Wildlife Sanctuary, taking breaks to watch the glow of fireflies and listen to the incessant music of cicadas.
How It All Started
Summer vacations during the late 80s and early 90s meant traveling around the country — long train journeys that started at the northeastern corner of India, with books as my constant companions to ease away the time. My father insisted I note down the places of interest we visited, and at every monument, he would buy us publications that explained the history of the place.
By the time we returned home, I would have enough material to write a travelogue — and at the persistence of my cousin, they would get published in the children’s section of The Assam Tribune. Perhaps the seed of writing travel stories was sown then, although it took a long, circuitous route to bloom as life took over and I got sucked into the whirlpool of building a professional career.
Writing My First Blog
One winter night in 2012, as a sleep-deprived new mother looking to calm frayed nerves, I decided to write about the things I loved and started a travel and food blog anonymously. I registered my blog with a few blogging platforms and participated in some contests that appealed to me. I won a few small and… well, a few big ones — including an all-expenses-paid international trip. Later, I also started contributing nature stories to JLR Explore, the portal promoted by Jungle Lodges & Resorts, Karnataka.
The Big Milestone
In 2017, I entered the Write India contest held by The Times of India and won the first prize for a prompt given by Ruskin Bond. At the award ceremony held in New Delhi, it was disclosed that the Ruskin Bond prompt had garnered the maximum number of entries in the history of Write India, and to clinch the winning entry was no mean feat. My joy knew no bounds when my story was presented as a play in front of the audience that evening. That, undoubtedly, was one of the key milestones of my life — something I had only dreamt of but never expected to become a reality.
Starting All Over Again
Although my first blog died sometime in 2016 owing to increasing professional commitments, my love for travel and writing never ceased. After a long hiatus, I have decided to prioritize my own interests and take up creative writing again. I will mostly be writing about wildlife and birding experiences across the country, my weekend jaunts around Bengaluru (where I am based), and longer trips to delightful new places around the world that fascinate me.
I intend to use this blogging space as my online travel diary — writing down things largely for myself as I sincerely wonder if people are interested in reading blogs anymore.
In any case, do join me for the ride — and I hope you find something that you might like along the various stops on the way!
Cheers,
Sangeeta
