Current Position and Organisation: Honorary Member at Freedom Team of India;  Executive Director (Honorary) at India Policy Institute; Senior Manager, Better Regulation Unit at Department of Treasury and Finance, Government of Victoria (Australia)

Areas of Expertise: Economic Policy, Project Management

Educational Background: Graduate Diploma from Melbourne Business School; PhD in Economics from University of South Carolina (USC); Double Masters in Economics from USC & Panjab University; Bachelor of Science with honours in Mathematics from Guru Nanak Dev University

There are bloggers who try to do too many things and destroy their blog. Then there are bloggers who are so specific and niche that until they talk about matters you follow closely, you wouldn’t want to return to them. A good blog is one that can balance the need to be refreshing without doing too much. One such blog, Rheality Rings by Rhea Purnita Paine, is a classic example of a blog that reinvents itself with every post without losing its character.

"In 2009, my wife and I decided to go off on an extended trip with no definite end date. We are into our second year and not sure when we would like to stop," says Madhu Nair, co author of the blog 10 Year Itch. Madhu and his wife, Savita Pillai, wanted to try out something they had been dreaming of for a long time, a multiyear trip through India.

So on the occasion of their tenth anniversary, Savita and Madhu quit their jobs, sold everything back in the US, and flew down to India on 14th Oct 2009 with their 4-year-old golden retriever Shayna. They wanted to experience life to the fullest and build memories that would last a lifetime. And their journey has proved to be just that.

“I’m not sure how often I will write in this blog but hope to update it with details of every little step we take towards the trip. And then once it truly happens, I hope to blog daily… hope! hope! hope!” wrote Savita in her first post.

10YearItch is a chronicle of their journey through India as they explore, dream, and (re)discover themselves. Over the years, they have visited 20 states of India. From Tamil Nadu in south to Jammu and Kashmir in north. From Meghalaya and Assam in the east to Gujarat and Rajasthan in the west, Madhu and Savita have been across this huge land.

They have fond memories from as varied locations as world heritage sites such as Taj Mahal, Humayun’s Tomb, Churches from across Goa, Caves in Maharashtra to national parks like Kaziranga, Sunderbans, Gir and Bandhavgarh.

Savita at India Gate, New Delhi

Their journey and the posts on each place they visit is now a ready reckoner for a lot of people who want to plan their visits to these places. In fact, this has helped them spin of a blog based travelers’ support group where they custom design tour itineraries based on travelers’ interests, needs and budgets.

That also means that their recommendation of places where they have stayed makes a great impact to people who take their help for planning their own journey. From guest houses in Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh to National Park stays in camps and resorts, Savita and Madhu have shared their experience with smallest of details including address, contacts and a personal rating on a scale of 1 to 10.

Another awesome feature about this blog is the photo journey that Savita and Madhu take us from time to time. Many would agree that a photo can say a thousand words, and many places can only be seen to experience the beauty of the place. Our travelers have tried capturing such places through the magic of photography. In fact, some of the photos can almost transport you to the location.

Leh

Not many people have the courage to chase their dreams. Fewer still are willing to share their experiences of following their dreams and inviting others to experience it themselves. It takes a real desire to rediscover themselves as well as the land they are travelling that can result in something like the 10YearItch project. For showing this courage and the desire to live the life to fullest, Savita Pillai and Madhu Nair are our Bloggers of the Fortnight.

“People and Ideas is what interest me and that is what I talk and write about.” No wonder, our Blogger of the Fortnight, Kamla Bhatt, herself is such an interesting person. A freelance writer, researcher and podcaster, Kamla is the host and producer of The Kamla Show, an internet radio show where listeners can find stories about the new and emerging India and the global Indian community. She is acclaimed to be India’s first podcaster.

Her show always has the Indian aspect to every global trend coming out of the country. Her podcast subjects have been members of the Indian Diaspora from various countries, including Indian actor Kanwaljit Singh, Shabana Azmi, Indian businessman Azim Premji, Indian movie directors Mira Nair, Shyam Benegal, Govind Nihalani musicians Vijay Iyer and Rudresh Mahanthappa, theatre actress and celebrity chef Madhur Jaffrey, writer Gita Mehta and upcoming music director A R Rehana (sister of A R Rahman), among others.

Kamla started her first show ‘News about India,” followed by “TalkNewsIndia” in 2005. In 2006 she premiered her new show: “The Kamla Bhatt Show: Life, People and Ideas.” In 2008 the name of the show was changed to “The Kamla Show.” The focus of The Kamla Show is to present consistently good conversations that can enrich you. When listening to these conversations the goal is to help you find “the elation that comes of swift contact with the tingling currents of thoughts.”

Kamla has an undergraduate degree in History and Economics from Women’s Christian College, Chennai, India; a Masters in International Relations and Political Economy from Marquette University, Milwaukee, USA and an MPhil in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.

She worked for over a decade in sales in Silicon Valley, while regularly contributing to various Indian publications in the US and in India. Her writings have been published on various platforms across the globe. Today, she shuttles between USA and India, doing what she loves doing, "telling stories about heroes and role models that are relevant to the new and emerging globalized world and getting them heard," and that is why, Kamla Bhatt is a role model herself and our Blogger of the Fortnight.

Click here to read more from our Blogger of the Fortnight series.

When you work as a communications specialist for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, you are bound to be cramped for time for your daily activities, let alone blogging. But that is exactly what Anu Vakkalanka, lady who is of Indian descent, has Dutch roots and is advising the United States very own epicenter does.

While studying for a master’s degree in International Relations at George Washington University, Anu turned her hobby into a profession with her blog Indian Makeup Diva. Today she has become one of the most celebrated makeup advisors on the social media circuit. And, Anu has also been selected amongst 10 most beautiful people in, yes, the Capitol Hill.

Anu is a mixture of professionalism, ardent sports regimen and … girlishness. Her two loves, or true love if you want to say, are nail polish and climbing! In her own words, she loves make-up because it makes the world “a better place, because it’s pretty, and it makes you look pretty in a moment”.

Staying in the western world has not made her grow unaware of what’s happening in her native country, India. A lot of her posts are about the makeup that the leading Indian actresses wear. Also, she has done quite a few round ups of new beauty products that hit the market every now and then.

What is really interesting about her blog post is that quite frequently, she comes up with video posts of her showing people how to get a particular look. One such video blog is a three part series on how to achieve the look that Mallika Arora Khan wore in song for the movie Dabangg.

Quoting her “I’m Indian; I came out of the womb wearing eyeliner,” says Anu. And it is this confidence and her enigmatic charm that makes Anu Vakkalanka, our “Blogger of the Fortnight.”

Click here to read more of our Blogger of the Fortnight series.