Posts Tagged ‘blog’

Bloggerati of the Fortnight: Kamla Bhatt

Friday, July 1st, 2011

kamla“People and Ideas is what interest me and that is what I talk and write about.” No wonder, our Bloggerati 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 Bloggerati of the Fortnight.

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

Bloggerati of the Fortnight: Sanjay Lakhotia

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

Sanjay LakhotiaSanjay Lakhotia is a management graduate from XLRI with more than 15 years of experience of working in human resources area. He has worked for more than 13 years in consulting where he has helped clients in various issues of HR including HR Strategy, change management, organization restructuring, leadership development and coaching, capability development, performance management, rewards etc.

Sanjay currently undertakes assignments as a free lance consultant helping companies with various aspects of Human Resource interventions including program design, competency development and soft skills training. He is also a top rated HR Blogger with his blog “Simple thoughts” being amongst the best in the country on the subject.

Tackling issues such as leave policy may put him in a spot as most HR departments try hard to justify non-granting of leaves, Sanjay on the other hand is an advocate of simple HR policies starting from leave system in an organization. Not only does he give a simple solution to a complicated problem, but also makes sense of many complicated issues.

He also provides uncanny lessons in HR through real life happenings. His post on Leadership Learning from Dhoni speaks a volume not just about the cricketer but also how clearly Sanjay can draw a parallel between HR theories and real life. It is this quality that has put Sanjay on the list of visiting faculties in many premier institutes. In fact how much he enjoys teaching is evident from his comment

“My suggestion to everyone who wants to learn or become better at his / her subject will be to try teaching a course on that subject. Because I believe from my first experience, that to TEACH is to LEARN.”

Sanjay has for always shown this hunger to learn. He believes that people can get better by making things simple. His own assessments of issues in his blog posts are very simple and that helps his reader to learn better. It is this simplicity that simply makes Sanjay Lakhotia our “Bloggerati of the Fortnight.

Read more about our previous Bloggers of the Fortnight.

Bloggerati of the Fortnight: Amit Agarwal

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

His blog “Digital Inspiration” was awarded the “Best Technology Blog Award” at Indibloggies in 2006 and 2008. He has been involved in advocating freedom of speech and an end to internet censorship in India. He is Amit Agarwal, our Blogger of the Fortnight. Amit writes about computer softwares, consumer gadgets, and web applications that help us become productive. He also pens a weekly personal technology column for The Hindustan Times.

HT calls Amit the “founder of the Indian blogging revolution” while the prestigious The Straits Times of Singapore included him in their list of Asia’s Blog Stars alongside Chinese actress Xu Jinglei and Japanese Ambassador Naoto Amaki. Microsoft awarded him the Most Valuable Professional award for 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

 

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Amit Agarwal adressing students at the blog school

Digital Inspiration, launched in 2004 by Amit, is now among the Top 100 Technology Blogs on the Internet out of an estimated total of 130+ million blogs. The purpose of this site is to help one take maximum advantage of the software tools and web technologies at one’s disposal. Digital Inspiration averages more than 3+ million page views per month.

In 2010, Amit introduced Sleeping Time, an online service that can estimate of the sleeping habits of any Twitter user. It quickly went viral and was mentioned on CNN, The 33 News, Open Magazine and also made it to the front page of the Bangalore Mirror. Amit is also the founder of India Blog School. It is a non-profit first-of-its-kind initiative that aims to spread the blogging culture in India though training and offline interaction.

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Twitter Application developed by Amit Agarwal

Amit is no stranger to recognition, but he is still rooted to doing what he loves doing. Talking to the world about technology and helping people understand the complexity in a simple and beautiful way. That is what makes Amit Agarwal our Bloggerati of the Fortnight.

 

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

Bloggerati of the Fortnight: Janaka Dharmasena

Friday, April 15th, 2011

clip_image002There are blogs that keep you hooked because of the complex ideas that they talk about, and then there are blogs that keep you hooked because of their simplicity in explaining complex subjects. Seven’ by 3′ is one such blog. Janaka Dharmasena, the man behind the blog, is an architect working and teaching in Colombo. His blog is a photographic encyclopedia of the amazing architecture seen in the island nation.

Ranging from structures to films, Janaka talks about how architecture lends a touch of fantasy and in some case authenticity to a setup. This is depicted in his posts about films and the structures seen in these films. One such example is the post about Alfred Hitchcock’s film North By Northwest and The Vandamm House shown in it.

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His insights on the matter of Sustainable Construction and Architecture are very interesting. Topics range from subjects like saving Venice from sinking to how to utilize natural light better through improvised architecture. He also gives a handy insight on how normal buildings can be green and it need not be expensive and planned effort to have a green building.

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Also, his pictures showcase the futuristic projects that the country has invested in and his blogs is helping in inspiring a new generation of Sri Lankan’s to appreciate their country’s beauty and heritage. Not only that, his page is also a place to find a lot of award winning designs and architecture from around the world.

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Although he jokingly admits that he is a not a great writer but it is not just about writing. His blog is more about understanding a very complex discipline of architecture through visual interaction. It is this effort of his that makes, Janaka Dharmasena, our Bloggerati of the Fortnight.

 

Read about our previous “Blogger of the Fortnight.

Bloggerati of the Fortnight: Pushpa Moorjani

Friday, April 1st, 2011

pushpa-moorjani“Every piece of art attracts my attention and I stand glaring, studying every detail seeing the perfection of design and form. I am inspired to replicate one more of my own…..” writes Pushpa Moorjani. Well, her words are inspiring enough for us to sit up and take a notice.

Managing seven blogs and contributing to a quarterly magazine called ‘Beyond Sindh’, she also dedicates her time to the cause of mentally challenged through her work with Swami Brahmanand Pratishthan, centre for mentally challenged in Navi Mumbai.

A lot of Pushpa’s writing come from her personal experience. It is her own pain, joy, sorrow that makes her connect with what is happening around her or what someone else may have experienced. The fact that she relates her experience with others makes her words more effective and more powerful. Her concern for the people of Japan post the Tsunami is narrated like this:

“The fear was instilled in me when an earthquake happened during my school days. The earth shook slightly, all children ran down the stair, shouting, screaming, rushing and pushing past me. I had missed my step and had fallen down on my knees, nobody cared nor saw me curled up on floor, they just ran amok in all directions, few children had walked over me, their shoes piercing through my ribs, the pain was intense at that time, my body ached, but I was too proud to cry.”

Another of her impressive abilities is to post and talk via photos. Her Wordless Wednesdays are a perfect example of how she manages to talk even without writing. This also shows her remarkable photography skills. A simple snap of kids playing carom, a photograph at a traffic signal or a burnt out lamp talks a lot more than a whole article on the same.

Funny, witty and definitely very very bold, Pushpa Moorjani is a blogger who has definitely crafted many pieces of art which can inspire a lot of ideas. It definitely inspired us to make her our “Bloggerati of the Fortnight.”

Read about our previous “Blogger of the Fortnight.

Bloggerati of the Fortnight: Malini Agarwal

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Miss-Malini1Celebrity blogging might have started with the Khans and the  Bachchans of the film industry, but one blog which even these celebrities love to be on is that of MissMalini!!! Suggested as the Indian blog equivalent of Perez Hilton and Pop Sugar, MissMalini is the place to catch up on the most happening events, parties and everything glamorous in India and in Mumbai specifically.

Malini Agarwal, the author of the blog, is a talent pool by herself. She started off her career as a dancer and today she is one of the most popular RJ’s in India. She fondly calls herself Mumbai’s gossip girl. She is also the founder of ‘Friday Club’ which has over 200 members in Mumbai, Bangalore, Hong Kong, Toronto, London, and New York.

In her own words, she tends to write the way she think so it’s mostly a random stream of consciousness… this helps her “keep it real.” But what is the best aspect about her blog is that it features news and information that normal people would never get their hands on but would love to know about.

“Abhay Deol turned up in his yellow jeep and a naughty grin to match! In fact I got him and Dino Morea to pose together for a double eye-candy shot :)”

Capturing the world through her LPC (Little Pink Camera) at page 3 parties and while traveling, her blog is also visual treat with some awesome photographs of exotic locations and celebrities caught having a blast.

“The first thing that strikes you is just how peaceful and scenic it is there… Like walking into a postcard (kid you not, one of the few places I’ve been to that looks exactly like its website photos)
There’s a spotless pool in the middle of four villas”

What more, in true sense of a social blogging, Miss Malini has evolved from being one person writing, to a lot of people contributing towards making this blog a page where every bit of news and information about the glam world is captured. Right across the globe.

And with the true ethos of a blog that talks about the high drama that is played out in the upper echelons of the glamour universe, the page too reflects it through the dramatic writing of Malini Agarwal. A fresh take on every report, makes the blog so much entertaining and fun to be on.

“Tall Dude: Hi, what’s your name? Me: Malini! Tall Dude: No, your last name. Me: *always skeptical about why people ask that question* Agarwal… Tall Dude: Are you Punjabi? Me: No, Marwari! Tall Dude: *high fives me* Me too yaar! Me: *lol* oh cool! Tall Dude: *slightly cheekily* So how come you’re not married? Me: *hold up my ring* I’m engaged! Tall Dude: Oh. *walks away silently*”

It is this light hearted approach towards life and also towards her writing that hooks a reader to the page. In fact, so much so, that if a high profile event was not featured on this page, well, then it was not high profile enough. It is a pleasure for us to announce Malini Agarwal as our “Bloggerati of the Fortnight.

Bloggerati of the Fortnight: Anuradha Shankar

Tuesday, February 15th, 2011

Anuradha STravel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind, which can ignite a creative spark in an individual to share their travel stories with the world. It can also give you an alternative path to venture while you wonder what life has in stored for you. One such traveler is Anuradha Shankar.

With a Masters degree in Physics and enrolled for a PhD, Anuradha was all set to become a scientist. But her life had a different path set for her. An avid traveler, she found her calling in sharing her stories with the world. Today she writes on a whole lot of stuff, but mainly on her journeys. Her writing has also fetched a nomination at the Best of Indian Blogosphere 2010 polls.

Humorous and simple, Anuradha’s writing comes across as refreshing and entertaining. It also shows an energetic buoyancy that a travel blog should have.

““Amma, there’s a frog on the toilet seat!!” That was Samhith, shouting loud enough for all the birds in the region to fly away in alarm. The cause of the ruckus turned out to be a tiny fellow sitting calmly on the toilet bowl, seemingly unaware of all the chaos he was causing.”

She has the uncanny knack of infusing a sense of hope in everything she describes. This not only helps to keep the reader glued but also builds up a positive tone. More importantly, it adds a touch of beauty to the entire setting.

Our journey began on a promising note, as we woke up the first morning in the train, to a sun screened by the mist, and dew covered spider webs all along the track.”

Not the one to miss the irony of the situation, Anuradha is true to her emotions. This is also reflected in her writing, giving the work a much more complete feeling. Also, it works towards compelling the reader to think.

As time passed and the bears disappeared again, the crowd of kids left, the natural calmness of the jungle returned. Just Samhith and another kid remained, clambering over the rocks like the bear cubs, talking nonsense, and providing entertainment for the others while the bears were away

But the best part of Anuradha’s writing is the aplomb with which she writes. Every word that she pens down seems to be well thought and well placed. Just like a perfect sunrise with the right amount of light and darkness giving it its mystic charisma and drawing the readers closer to the words they are reading.

“As the sun set over the rocks, even the kids seemed to calm down, and the bears returned,
coming down as far as the road.”

Like every new journey, Anuradha Shankar takes us on a new voyage with every blog post that she writes. Each post composed of its own magic and hidden treasures waiting to be discovered by the readers. And for this, we crown her our “Bloggerati of the Fortnight.