10 Tips to Avoid Toxic People

January 28, 2023 / Chippy Kurian Chacko / Leave a comment

Toxic people can hurt our mental and emotional well-being. A toxic personality is consistently engaging in harmful behaviour towards others. It can include verbal or physical abuse, manipulation, control, lack of empathy, and an inability to take responsibility for their actions. These individuals can be challenging to be around and can harm the well-being of those around them. Therefore, it is essential to identify toxic behaviour and take steps to protect yourself emotionally and physically if you are dealing with a toxic person.

Signs of a toxic person

They consistently make negative or hurtful comments or engage in verbal or physical abuse.
They blame others for their problems or mistakes and do not take responsibility for their actions.
They tend to manipulate or control others.
They have a lack of empathy and do not show concern for the feelings or well-being of others.
They are excessively demanding and require constant attention and validation. It’s important to note that people can exhibit some of these behaviours sometimes, which doesn’t necessarily mean they are toxic. Still, if these behaviours are consistent, it may be a sign that the person is unhealthy, and you may want to take steps to protect yourself emotionally and physically.

10 tips on how to avoid toxic individuals

Recognize the signs:
Toxic people often exhibit manipulation, control, and disrespect patterns. They may also be emotionally unstable and have difficulty taking responsibility for their actions.
Set boundaries:
It’s essential to communicate your needs and establish clear boundaries with toxic individuals. Let them know what behaviour is unacceptable, and stick to your boundaries.
Limit contact:
Limit the time you spend with toxic people and avoid situations where you know they will be present. This can include social events, work environments, or online interactions.
Practice self-care:
Surround yourself with positive and supportive people, and engage in activities that bring you joy and relaxation. Taking care of yourself can help build resilience against the adverse effects of toxic individuals.
Seek professional help:
If you find that a toxic person has a significant negative impact on your life, consider using a therapist or counselor. They can provide tools and strategies for dealing with toxic individuals and support you in maintaining healthy boundaries.
Trust your instincts:
If something feels off or uncomfortable about someone, it probably is. It’s better to err on caution and avoid people who make you feel uneasy.
Don’t try to change them:
Trying to change toxic people wastes time, energy, and emotional well-being. The best course of action is to focus on yourself and your well-being.
Surround yourself with positive people:
Seek out people who are positive, supportive, and healthy. Surrounding yourself with positive individuals will help you preserve a positive outlook and make it easier to deal with negative people if and when they come into your life.
Learn to say no:
One of the most powerful tools to protect yourself from toxic people is the ability to communicate no. Learn to say no to requests or demands you are uncomfortable with, and don’t feel guilty about it.
Seek support:
If you are in a situation where you’re dealing with a toxic person, seek the support of friends and loved ones. Talking to someone can help you process your feelings and get a different perspective.

It is important to remember that you are NOT responsible for the behaviour of toxic people. However, you have the right to protect yourself and your well-being. By recognizing the signs of toxicity, setting boundaries, and seeking support, you can avoid toxic individuals and maintain your emotional and mental well-being.

——

Chippy is a dreamer and optimist. She believes, we become what we hope, aspire, dream to be and knows how to make a dream or two happen. Seventeen years of experience, struggling, winning, failing, succeeding and failing again and making it, she knows what it takes to build a successful project, a business, and what it means by starting from the bottom up. It takes determination, dedication, and direction and that’s why her mission is to ‘step up & inspire.’

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2023 Lets Do It

January 1, 2023January 1, 2023 / Chippy Kurian Chacko / Leave a comment

Do what you like. Live as you please. Be kind to yourself and be mindful. Leave all negativity away, and take criticism with strength. What we can change in ourselves, we can.

Ignore naysayers. Keep close those who want to see you succeed. Let bygones be bygone. Live in harmony and fill life with peace. Don’t adjust for those who never stand by you. Never give in to saying yes to those merely using you for your kindness. Learn to say NO and say it without any guilt. Know this, sometimes, not responding is a response, so know your worth and be clear about what you stand for and where you stand in others’ life first.

Be aware of your self-worth. Once again, be conscious of where you stand among those around you. Steer clear and away from those who judge you and those who never bother to get to know you. People who take time to understand you value them. People who only call you when they need you, help them when in need; however, be clear on where you stand in their life. Always remember, only go where you are invited.

If you love make-up, wear it. If you love to wear lipstick, apply it. If you love to dress up, do it, and if you don’t want to, don’t do it. SAYING NO is hard. How much ever hard it may be, make sure you say you cannot when you cannot. Please don’t say yes to impress or make others feel good about themselves. SAY NO, when it’s a NO. Keep practicing saying NO. Repeat…NO….NO…NO.

Have conviction in one’s worth and abilities. Don’t let someone else’s insecurity ruin your self-confidence. Learn from mistakes. We make judgemental errors, and misunderstandings & misconceptions do happen. But what we do with them makes all the difference. So let’s learn from it. Yes, learn and move forward in life. So, bring it on, and let’s welcome the new year with a bang.

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Kappa Cassava Tapioca

October 22, 2022 / Chippy Kurian Chacko / Leave a comment

Kappa is the only dish that brings joy to my life. Kappa, AKA Tapioca. Some call it Cassava. Full of carbs and Oops, no nutritional value. That is a simple truth; however, if you make Kappa in Malabar style and have it with Spicy Fish Curry, your heart goes sprinting up and down, and you keep coming back for more. Give me Kappa for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I will take it gladly without any qualms. That’s just me.

In Kerala, a tropical coast in the south-west of India Tapioca is a staple food in our cuisine. Once or twice a week, at home we have Tapioca for breakfast. With afternoon tea, we have Tapioca chips and even better at times, boiled Tapioca with shallots and birds-eye chilli chutney with or without Yoghurt. Sometimes for dinner we have mashed Tapioca with meat or fish. It’s just delicious.

The Great Famine of 1876 in India contributed significantly to how Tapioca came to existence in today’s Kerala culture. The then Maharaja of Tranvancore, Vishakham Thirunal Rama Varma, introduced Kappa as a replacement for rice between 1880 -1885. To beat the hunger, people vastly cultivated Tapioca, which helped them through the hard years. Even today, most Kerala farmers and select households still produce Tapioca for sale and for personal daily use.

In fact, Tapioca is native to Brazil. It comes from the native plant, Cassava. It is a starchy plant grown and reaped throughout Brazil, Thailand, and Nigeria. People in North and South America, West Indies, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe all have Cassava in their cuisine.

Let’s find out the different ways people around the world prepare and enjoy Cassava.

Kappa Vevichathu (Kerala, India)

In two ways, people enjoy Kappa in this region. The first way it is prepared is where tapioca skin is removed, chopped into cubes, boiled in water with salt to taste, and set aside. Next, mix the boiled cubes with a ground paste containing grated coconut, green chilies, turmeric powder, cumin seeds, garlic, and shallots, and cook for five minutes. Some like it mashed, and some like it a little chunky. Finish it by heating coconut oil in a pan, splutter mustard seeds and frying curry leaves. In Kerala, this dish is served with Fish Curry or Beef Curry.

The second way it is prepared is where tapioca skin is removed, diced course lengthy, boiled in water with salt to taste, and set aside. Then, people enjoy it alone or with Kanthari mulaku Chutney/BirdsEye Chilli Chutney.

Casabe (Central America, Latin America & The Caribbean)

Casabe is made from a single component, Just Cassava. It contains nothing else, giving it a tough and crunchy consistency. Casabe means flat bread.

To prepare Casabe, fresh Cassava is peeled, grated very finely, pressed to yank all of its liquid, and hung for several hours until it forms a sort of cassava paste, from which later patties are made. The cakes are then flatted and cooked in a large hot pan until the dampness has evaporated and the patty is crunchy. Finally, it is broken up and eaten as crackers, dipped in fantastic.

Saka Saka (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Saka Saka, also called Cassava leaf soup, is a Congolese dish. But, no, it is not a soup but a type of stew made with fish or any meat of choice with Cassava leaves. Time management is critical in the preparation of this dish, which is also called Pondu.

How is it made? In a reasonably medium to a large pot, add onions, your choice of fish or meat, and season with salt. Simmer until tender, and this leaves you with two cups of stock. Separate the fish or meat from the stock and set it aside. Again a large pot, heat the oil and saute onions and crayfish for a few minutes, and then add more fish or meat(not the meat or fish we separated earlier from the stock water), preferably smoked beef or turkey or chicken or fish. Next, add peanut butter, pour in the stock water we set aside earlier, and cook for 10 minutes. To this mix, we add Cassava leaves (in case it’s not available, spinach leaves are substituted) and cook for nearly 30 minutes and at the last phase, add shrimp and cook for another 4 minutes. Saka Saka is served with steaming hot rice.

Fufu (Nigeria)

Simple and satisfying is the only way to describe Fufu, the famous African Swallow food. It is filling and an easy dish prepared in every West African household.

Remove the tapioca skin, chop into cubes and boil till tender. Mix it in a blender to make it a smooth paste. Transfer to a pot and stir energetically until a thick, smooth semi-solid paste. Shape it into balls, wrap it in plastic foils to retain the dampness, and set it aside. Fufu is eaten with your right hand. Pinch a little bit from the ball and have it with flavourful stew or soups. Fufu is not chewed. It’s swallowed, definitely a dish not to miss.

Sago Gula Melaka / Sago Pudding (Indonesia and Malaysia)

This sweet pudding is made by mixing Tapioca pearls with water or milk and adding sugar. Sago Gula Melaka is a Tapioca pudding made by boiling pearl sago in water and then serving it with syrup of palm sugar (known as Gula Melaka) and coconut milk. It is simple and tasty.

No matter where you are in the world, Cassava is loved. Once a poor man’s food, it’s highly sought after and the most fulfilling food. Yes, it’s full of carbs, yet, it’s uncomplicated. One can spice it up based on ones liking, and it can be feasted with full flavours or not. People of all ages love it. Next time you want something different, try a restaurant near you that specialises in African cuisine or order a Sogu Pudding after your meal from your Asian diner. Try Malabari cooking or Kerala Restaurant and enjoy Cassava at its many best. Did you know the black pearls in your favourite Bubble tea… it’s Tapioca? Check it out . They are delicious.

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A Zola Muse Story

September 9, 2022September 10, 2022 / Chippy Kurian Chacko / 1 Comment

Gina and I, go back a long way. From the very first interaction, I was inspired by her. She is focused, funny, and full of life. She is so dedicated and she was well aware of what she wanted and where she was heading ever since she started her entrepreneurial journey. Since 2014, I have been a proud owner of some of her amazing work. She designs amazing jewellery and every piece of her jewellery tells a unique story.

As Gina competently says, ‘Babe, you are wearing a fragment of history filled with Art and Culture. You are wearing a piece of earth’, and truth be told, it is true. Through Gina, Zola India collaborated with Dhokra and Pattachitra from Orissa, Toda embroidery from Tamilnadu, Wall Mural art and Aranmula mirror from Kerala, Leather puppetry and Lac Turnery from Andhra Pradesh, Bidri from Karnataka, and Bead embroidery from Gujarat. She has worked with over 500 artisans from these states and has driven over 30 Design intervention workshops in rural India.

So imagine my surprise when she called me one day and said, ‘hey Babe, I want you to be my muse.’ Of course, I was thrilled. This will be my first modelling assignment. In the next few weeks, Gina will call me to sort out what to wear, from sarees to dresses, she raided my wardrobe and chose two that she was convinced will work with the Zola jewellery that I own. Gina and Avinash, the most amazing photographer banded and fixed the dates and well, I became a Zola Muse.

On the day of the shoot, I woke up, packed my jewellery, saree, and dress and drove to my favorite Salon, got myself made up(a little bit of makeup and hair, that’s all.), and drove to the location. Avinash joined me and I had an amazing time being a model. As I was walking through the streets, folks passing by kept gazing at me, I felt like a star. Sure, it is a nice feeling. I have to say, it was a nice, sure absolutely excellent feeling.

During the whole time, during each change of cloth, Gina was on the video call, directing me, dressing me up, and mandating how to wear her piece of art. She was fabulous. And after being a Zola fangirl for over eight years, I told Gina, ‘am at a stage where I am in love with myself. The older I get the younger I feel. The mistakes from my past moulded me to be stronger. Life lessons, I value them more than ever. And wearing a piece designed by you makes me beautiful. I feel like a diva. I feel love, appreciation, and excitement.’

And after the shoot, I miss the attention I got for myself. It sure is addictive. I did tell her, I am up for it again. Gina said,‘sure Babe…anytime.’ Do you think it’s too soon to ask her? Maybe I should wait. Right! I sure should. For the last eight years, I have been a fan of Zola, India, and without a doubt, a fan of Gina. She is so full of life and it shows in the designs she assembles.

Today as she is having an amazing sale happening taking this opportunity to support my friend and her efforts. As Serena Williams once said “every woman’s success should be an inspiration to another. We’re strongest when we cheer each other on.” To Gina and Zola.

Story of Zola founder Gina Joseph

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Zola India lets rural & folk artisans represent themselves through wearable art. It is a voice that describes their tales to the planet, encouraging them to discover sustained economic empowerment.

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When I Need

August 7, 2022 / Chippy Kurian Chacko / 2 Comments

It was a beautiful day. A productive week she could say. Quite impressed with how she was handling herself in a new workspace. Being a newbie, she was getting to know everyone at this phase in her life. Like most Fridays, few of them gathered for drinks and dinner after work.

Hardware Lane has some of the best restaurants, and Melbourne is the restaurant capital of the world. Period. The food there is unbelievable. No matter where you eat, you will find something that will take your breath away.

Now, where were we? Back to the dinner with her colleagues. As they were chugging the lager and digging into the delicious platter filled with mouthwatering finger foods, they went from one topic to the next. They all shared their political philosophy, liberal, labor, or the greens to their preference for cupcakes to pastries. One mate said, “faith is everything”. Other, “spiritual awakening is the core”. Another expressed, “nothing matters, neither faith nor spirits.”

She is a non-believer and others challenged her, “who do you reach out to? Who do you call for help when you need solace? Or don’t you think you need to have belief in something? A higher power!”

‘I believe in my friends,’ said she with confidence. There was a murmur on their table. Some were shocked to realize she was an atheist. Others were scoffing at the fact that she thinks ‘friends are everything”. A handful nodded, ‘yes‘. A few had no reaction at all. A friend among the friends asked, “so you assume friends will be there for you always!”.

“Not always. Not all my friends. The ones I want when I need them will be there for me,” she said with conviction. “I will be there for them too. In my life, I could always depend on my friends. They never judge me, those who judge are not in my circle. I believe, I can depend on my dear friends more than my family”.

Friendship. It’s a gift. Finding, keeping, and having a good mate is neither easy nor difficult. It’s a mutual connection. To tell your friend, “you are right about that”,and, also to reach out to and point to them and say, “hey, that was uncalled for”,that’s true companionship. To call when you are happy, to share the embarrassing story from work, to cry your heart out when things don’t go as planned, to call and annoy, to travel with, to drink and be merry and to be yourself with…then there you have some genuine friends.

Most of us have friends. A friend, many friends or hundreds of them. How many of us can say we have a true blue hardcore one who will stand with you and stand by you during your best and the worst? If you have one such friend, cherish them. If you have more than one, you are blessed.

Friendship is easy sailing. It cannot be forced. If there is jealousy or envy amoung friends, it is not worth holding on to that relationship. A good friend wants to see you grow, a true mate will never make you look inadequate and neither talk against you, nor talk behind you.

It is said, friendship is another word for love. A person who can make you laugh and also laugh with you and laugh at your cheesy jokes, who can be truly their authentic self with you without any mask or charades, then keep them close. Never let them go.

To all friends out there…cheers.

Unfinished

July 1, 2022July 1, 2022 / Chippy Kurian Chacko / Leave a comment

Presenting to you, Payal Guin, Wife, Mother, Model, Designer, Self-taught Face-Art & Makeup Artist, Former Mrs. India 1st Runner-Up 2018, Mrs. Fashion Icon 2018, & Director, Delegate Acquisition, Corporate Event Industry, Bengaluru, India.

Born to a family from Bengal, Payal grew up in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. Age five, she designed her first couture from underwear, and a cardigan which unknowingly marked her entry into the world of fashion.

Growing up, she had a pretty good life until she turned eleven. Payal never sensed a more life-altering moment in her life. Diagnosed with Vitiligo, her life took an unexpected turn. She had to grow up faster as she learned the hard fact ‘people are mean and life is not all that easy’.

Payal always thought she was meant to be a homemaker. Nevertheless, throughout her life she pursued her desires and empowered herself. She took up stitching, fashion designing, she taught herself makeup art and face art and kept on exploring her passions. Payal never gave much interest to a career upuntill another life-altering event.

‘Thanks to my Bengali genes,’ Payal Guin says she is an Art Connoisseur. Artist who is amazing at singing, dancing, designing, styling, makeup, face art, and much more. Her passion lead her to be spotted and invited to be part of the 2018 Mrs. India competition. Rest is history. Payal didnot pursue a profession in the fashion world. She preferred to take up a career in Corporate Event Management.

Join us in conversation with Payal Guin. Let’s unveil her life journey from the unknown to world of Corporate Event Management.

A conversation with Chippy & Payal Guin, Director, Delegate Acquisition, Bengaluru, India.
(Edited and compiled by Priya Rajendran.)

Chippy———————–	Welcome to ‘Conversation’ Payal.
Payal	Thank you for having me Chippy.
Chippy	Tell us a little about yourself.
Payal	I am the Director, Delegate Acquisition in the Corporate Event Industry in Bengaluru. Our company hosts events and conferences across the globe.
Chippy	Let’s put that hat away. Apart from work, who is Payal Guin?
Payal	Payal Guin… Oh! I was Payal Sen before marriage. A Bengali born and brought up in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh. I consider myself a proud Jabalpuriyan. I did my entire education, from schooling to my post graduation from Jabalpur. I have always been a Jack of all trades. Thanks to my thirst for learning. I studied fashion designing, then became a self-taught artist, no classes or certified courses to compliment my claim. My earliest tryst with fashion, styling, and makeup began when I was 5 years old. I would love to share a small story about how I was inspired to enter the fashion world and a bit about my childhood.
Chippy	Yes please. I would love to hear it.
Payal	The year I entered the world of fashion, I used underwear, which resembled the tights people wore in the 80s for one of my designs. It had been newly introduced then. There is a background story for this inspiration too. I’m born in 1984 and we wore tights then. At that time, I wanted to create something for myself. So, when I was five years old, literally, I fashioned an outfit from underwear and one of my mother’s cardigans. I did use the sleeves. I cut and stuck to both sides of the undies, proudly wore it and flaunted in it. I was so happy and proud that I had worn an outfit that I had designed on my own! All wasn’t well in school though. Then Life changed for me in sixth standard.
Chippy	What happened?
Payal	Yes, I went through an unforgettable phase during my sixth grade. I was diagnosed with Vitiligo. It’s a skin condition where the skin loses its pigment cell and I started showing white patches on my face and body. I had to take a lot of medications to keep it from spreading and or getting aggravated. The white patches got worse with time. I faced bullying in school because of my skin condition. Thus, my memories associated with school aren’t that great. I was surrounded by people and a town that was quite conservative and constantly made me feel like an outsider. Also, I was at a tender age and felt hurt deeply.
Chippy	You were only 11!
Payal	How I got treated broke my heart to the core. I could not entirely express all these emotions, feelings and hurt to anyone. My parents took me everywhere for different treatments. But nothing seemed to help me. It kept increasing – spread all over my eyelids, cheeks and hands. Soon, I started using makeup – lipstick, and even sketch paints, just to hide them.
Chippy	You were trying to cover it up.
Payal	Initially, I did. During school, yes. Eventually, as I expected, people started thinking I had applied some eyeshadow or lipstick in school for fun. Despite informing them that I used makeup to cover my patches, they continued to poke fun. The most painful thing is when people would not allow me to touch any newborn baby. They feared I would infect the baby and I felt insulted. No matter what, I could never persuade them that it is simply a colour pigmentation and not contagious or transferable. These patches resemble melanin deficiency.
Chippy	I am really sorry this happened to you and you were so young.
Payal	My experiences taught me to be more empathetic towards people. Instead of becoming a weakness, my Vitiligo and white patches turned into my strength. It instilled more confidence in me. I never gave up on myself or never indulged in any self-pity. As a result, now I am extremely confident. At a point I reached a phase where I embraced my patches. I stopped taking medications and I was just happy then on. I never shared my stories with everyone, but I did start sharing my story with those who suffered low self-esteem because of colour-linked prejudices, biases, and discrimination like I have faced. I would encourage them to turn their weakness into strengths and present themselves to the world confidently so that they would not be treated like any “bechaaree” or “obola nari” (someone vulnerable). As I grew up, my skin tone slowly got restored. I think it perhaps was due to the early treatment I got and I assume it restored pigmentation to affected areas of my skin.
Chippy	You mentioned bullying at school.
Payal	I did my schooling from one of the top schools in Madhya Pradesh. Yet bullying continued throughout my schooling. My teachers never bullied me, but they did keep questioning me and pointing out my scars. My seniors often asked me about my scars but once they came to know, they treated me as though I suffered from contagious diseases. I had very few friends back then. Thanks to my skin condition. By the time I reached 10th grade, I kept a distance from studies. I was always a back bencher. I chose to do Commerce after school because I knew I wouldn’t have to study much. But I remained proactive when it came to participation in all extracurricular activities. I made myself available for all events and activities. I pushed myself and made sure I would not get sidelined. Oh! I also fell in love when I was in 9th standard.
Chippy	That’s so sweet.
Payal	Yeah, he is my life partner now! We were in a long-distance relationship for a long time since he was pursuing his education in Nagpur. But whenever he visited Jabalpur, it used to be a memorable visit. Eventually we got married in 2008 and we are now blessed with two lovely daughters.

Chippy———————–	Payal, you mentioned that you were a backbencher in school. Why do you say that?
Payal	Yes, I was a backbencher in school. It did not change ahead too. During my college years also, I was the least career conscious. I would often think why should I invest so much in education if I wasn’t going to work in the future. Somewhere, I had also underestimated my potential. So, I decided to get married once I completed my M.Com (Masters in Commerce). After pursuing my Master’s degree, within a gap of six months, I learned basic stitching in 15 days. And once I got married, I started stitching my mother-in-law’s blouses, my blouse, my mother’s dresses, etc. I learned all this on my own. I always thought I was meant to be a homemaker – looking after the house and cooking food for my husband and children. Nothing beyond that. But during these stages of my life too, I didn’t stop exploring my passions. I started taking up stitching work. Since I loved experimenting with fashion trends and styling and was good with “jugaad” (making maximum use of resources at minimum costs), I specialized in designer blouses using good quality materials I purchased at budget-friendly costs.
Chippy	Tell us more about how you got into the stitching business.
Payal	After marriage, I continued stitching but never did it for money. So during 2014 my friends pointed out that I must charge a nominal price. They pointed out the fact that I am putting in so much effort. When I started my stitching business, I was also pregnant with my younger daughter. I used to wake up early in the morning at 5 and start stitching. I stitched nearly two to three blouses a day – mostly designer blouses. My friends encouraged me a lot by giving me more orders.
Chippy	You also moved cities.
Payal	I moved to Bengaluru in 2015 with my husband. He got a job opportunity in Bengaluru. Here also, I continued stitching. In the interim, I started painting as well. I used to gift my paintings to friends, who loved it.
Chippy	There is an artist hidden inside you.
Payal	Apart from stitching and designing, I’m also a makeup enthusiast. Before marriage, I used to do all kinds of makeup, including bridal makeup for all whom I knew. Since it was my passion, I did it for free. I loved trying various hair do and did it for children living in my neighbourhood as well. This came into use during my wedding. I did my own bridal makeup. After we got married, we had a joint reception with my elder brother-in-law who had also got married then. I did my sister-in-law’s makeup as well.
Chippy	“A jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” Designing, stitching, makeup, styling…you are full of surprises…What did you do next?
Payal	This is where things get interesting. There is a group on Social Media called Urban Tribal. The page promotes all kinds of arts and you can promote your talent there. Since I loved singing and dancing too (thanks to my Bengali blood), I started posting my song and dance performances there. I became quite active in that group. My father is a photographer, so I have a passion for that too. I also do a lot of photography and click selfies too.

Chippy———————–	That’s cool. Tell me Payal, how and where did your Mrs India pageant journey begin?
Payal	As I mentioned earlier, I am an Art Connoisseur – singing, dancing, makeup, face art and taking photographs and being clicked as well. So, I got noticed by one of the organizers of the Allure Mrs Asia Pacific India pageant. The pageant was to happen in Delhi and they had begun auditions already. This organizer who was heading the Mumbai zone, Maharashtra, had been following me on my social media pages. She directly approached me if I would be interested in participating. She even mentioned she had already seen my singing and dancing performances and if I agreed to participate, I would be directly shortlisted for the finale. I was super excited! It was a huge deal for me, considering I was going for the finale.
Chippy	That must have been an amazing break for you! Share more about your journey and preparations for the pageant until the finale…
Payal	I had always been taught to make good use of resources with limited money since childhood. A pageant meant a good amount of money to be spent on clothes, makeup, grooming and accessories. I was assigned a mentor during the pageant. During discussions with her, I shared my worry about the same. In turn, she assured me that it is my creativity which will stand out during the pageant. So, it meant that a well-designed dress would stand out no matter what the cost of the material was. Being a fashionista, I was aware of how to do this. I did all street shopping – nothing branded. For the pageant, I had packed a few sets of shoes with me, necessary makeup, and everything else basic. Before starting with the pageant, I had a notion that since it is going to be in Delhi, there will inevitably be a lot of show off. It was only later I learned during my journey that it was grace and confidence, the way you present yourself and the way you interact is what mattered the most for judges. You will be judged from the moment you enter the pageant. Since I’m an extrovert, I had no problem with that aspect. My overall journey was a beautiful experience. Everyone treated me well, right from groomers to choreographers. It was a four-day event and the last day was the finale. It was overwhelming for me since I had never encountered a big audience in my life. Once the pageant was over, I gained a whole lot of confidence to face huge crowd and be able to talk to anyone.
Chippy	I am sure you carry loads of memories with you from the pageant. Any touching incident that you want to share from the pageant?
Payal	There was one incident that I can never forget. During the introduction round, the very thought of it still makes me shake. During this phase, you are expected to talk about yourself, introduce you and all participants have been trained to learn the speech verbatim. I did learn mine too. However when I had to face the audience, I froze. Yes. It happened. I was happy that the judges told me to relax and even allowed me to take my time. It took me some time to relax, and then I got myself together and did a good job. However, I think my nervousness may have gotten reflected and I may have lost points in this round of the competition. This moment still remains fresh in my mind and stays with me. It was an unforgettable moment.
Chippy	What was running through your head during the whole pageant?
Payal	This entire journey and experience was new to me. I was quite scared too. The fact that I had to encounter this world and the one thing that kept me going and I kept assuring myself all the time, ‘I have this opportunity, and I have to give my 100%.’ And I gave that. It was worth every second.
Chippy	This indeed was a challenge for you. You wanted this for yourself.
Payal	True! I really wanted to take full advantage of this challenge and opportunity to prove myself. The rest as you know is history. When they announced the name Payal Guin as the first runner up, I was quite shocked, stunned and truly happy!
Chippy	It’s a big feat. Yeah, I can imagine!
Payal	I earned it. I earned that name. And then post pageant, when I returned home, all my friends encouraged me saying since I won this crown, I shouldn’t let it go to waste. They said, you know, you have potential. Just explore it. I also started getting offers. Something was burning inside me. I really wanted to do so many things, but my focus was to be with my family and both my children. I did take up one assignment I was offered though, after the pageant. But once I did this assignment, I started getting more offers from theaters in South India for short movies etc, but I turned them down.

Chippy———————–	The pageant was over and you weren’t planning to take up any offers that came your way!
Payal	Right. I wasn’t planning to take up anything related to the industry. So instead, I joined a Corporate Event Management firm of Architects and Interior Designers. It was a sales profile, which was completely new to me. But thanks to my grooming during the pageant, I got confidence to take on this new profile. After 15 days of training, I started interacting with leading Architects and Interior Designers across India. Since I had young kids, I informed them that I would be working only for three hours. So, it was a challenge for me too. This work was based on targets and I was told to complete targets – the time to complete it, did not matter. Time management became vital. I was the only one in charge of delegates and the firm hosted all B2B summits. My responsibility was to organize a lot of in-person meetings, inviting Architects, Principal Architects and Principal Interior Designers. I became good at my work by learning and observing people around me, and the way the teams interacted with clients. I became the top seller of the company each time and within six months, I was promoted from a Delegates Relations Officer to Delegates Manager. I worked for two and a half years until the pandemic hit us.
Chippy	That must have been hard for you, right?
Payal	When the pandemic hit, it became difficult for me to work from the office so I quit the job to be with my family. But the positive part is that amidst all this, my clients proactively called me and said I could work with them. It was really an honour.
Chippy	During Pandemic how did you make use of that time.
Payal	For the work I did, it was a challenge to continue. Since work from home can be an obstacle in building a client network. You need to meet people in person to crack sales deals. Once I quit the job, I spotted Face Art videos on social media and started experimenting with them. I fell in love with this art and created my Instagram page for the same. I shared all my Face Art on Urban Tribal again. I started receiving a lot of appreciation on all my posts. Thanks to huge encouragement from members, I started making Instagram reels on Face Art. My inspiration is a famous face artist on social media called Mimi Chow. I also started makeup tutorials on Zoom. My students ranged from 17-76 year olds! Each time, I had to use makeup on my own self for all the demos. That was a big challenge for my skin. Many buy a lot of expensive cosmetics but do not know how to apply it. I received a great response then and a lot of people wanted to learn how to apply makeup. My focus was teaching them to use budget friendly cosmetics and do amazing makeup using a lot of tricks and hacks.
Chippy	During pandemic years, you did take on Face-Art. Is there any chance that you turn Face Art into a profession or perhaps do a collaboration with someone in the fashion industry?
Payal	I had to halt doing Face Art because of my new work schedules and restarting of schools here. But I will definitely do it sometime in the future. Hopefully full time. For Face Art, I had started getting offers for collaborations from professionals, asking me to work for them too. India is still not exposed to Face Art as much as other countries. There are very few artists in India but even they don’t have much exposure here. I think it will catch up soon in India as well. I do want to take it up full time as well. Just waiting to get more time for it so that I can do justice to this art form as well and work towards it.
Chippy	At each stage, you manage to step up. Each time you worked harder to get yourself that space and find a spot for yourself, and made a space for yourself. It matters to us as a person, as an individual, that we have our own personality and identity, and we need to do something for ourselves, to lift ourselves up so that we will feel that we have done something.
Payal	Yes, I had to work extremely hard for everything. I always had a shelled life – as in, I really didn’t get many opportunities to explore myself. Whatever I did, I really had to struggle and grab those opportunities for myself. So, I am happy I could explore myself whenever I got a chance and also started realizing I do have choices despite the constraints I have. My work gave me a sense of identity and independence as an individual.
Chippy	So, when did you begin your current job? You re-started your career, right?
Payal	So, after two years of the pandemic, companies started re-hiring. I applied for work once more and got my current job.

Chippy———————–	What if we could go back in time and meet your 18-year self? What would you tell her?
Payal	will definitely ask her to pursue a good education. Explore her career more and be extremely ambitious when it comes to career. I would ask her to do something really great for herself and for society as well.
Chippy	Is there anybody who inspired and influenced you, also pushed you towards becoming what you are today?
Payal	I would say my husband. I have known him since I was fourteen, he has been my rock. Next without a blink, my mother-in-law. She is my biggest inspiration who stood strongly by me and supported me to participate in the pageant and whatever I am doing now in my career. Next is my mentor during my pageant who groomed me and motivated me a lot. Last but not the least, Urban Tribal whose members helped me and encouraged and pushed me to attain my success. Urban Tribal is an amazing platform wherein I got an opportunity to exhibit my talent. That’s the reason people got to know about me. So, I really owe this group a lot.
Chippy	What lies ahead for Payal?
Payal	Let me put it this way. It all started with me watching a random video of Face Art and I started learning, engaging and doing the same. After posting one video on Face Art, I received a lot of appreciation and fascinating comments on Instagram, and I just went with the flow. So, I really don’t know what the universe has in store for me next. I am just going with the flow. I just accept whatever is coming my way. I never thought I would be entering a beauty pageant. Neither did I think I would be doing Face Art. You don’t know what can push you or interest you.
Chippy	Unfinished. There is more to come and Payal has more to offer. Your story is unfinished. It was an absolute delight talking to you.
Payal	Absolutely. Thank you so much Chippy for spending so much time on my story. Really means a lot.
Chippy	Thank you Payal for taking time to share your story so far. Wish you only the best in life and we will be rooting for you in everything you do.

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Delicate Little You

May 30, 2022 / Chippy Kurian Chacko / 1 Comment

"Delicate little you," you called me. 
My beliefs defined you.
My ignorance let you leech on.

You.... 
Think I am powerless.
Think I am unguarded.
Think I am breakable.
And you dwelled comfortably satisfied.

You.... 
Made my life complicated.
Mooched on to my vulnerability.
Lied to me.
And you used & abused me.

You.... 
I see you clear.
I see your game.
I see your disguise.
I see you now.
And it is you who is frail.

You.... 
Stand on me to survive.
There is no room,
to breathe beside you.
And no more I say.

You.... 
Stay away and afar.
Ego, I cast you out.
And now I call you, 
"delicate little you."

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A Teacher, Historian and Critic

April 28, 2022April 28, 2022 / Chippy Kurian Chacko / 2 Comments

Presenting to you, Dr Ashrafi S. Bhagat M.A., M.Phil, Ph.D.,
Art Historian, Art Critic, and Independent Curator,
Former Head and Associate Professor,
Department of Fine Arts, Stella Maris College,
Chennai, South India.

Ashrafi desires individuals to feel differently about Art, and in her lectures on Art History, she told her students, ‘without Art History, creativity will neither be born nor happen,’ and her research and her life prove it. Ashrafi has written sizeably about Modern and Contemporary Art for years in India.

On invitations from various artists and art galleries, Ashrafi has curated exhibitions, held numerous lectures on Art, authored over 200 exhibition catalogues, essayed issues of Modern and Contemporary Art, and, was published in various publications in India and overseas too.

She is a published author and her books are ‘Madras Modern: Regionalism and Identity’, ‘Framing the Regional Modern’, and, ‘Hariraam Veeraraghavan – A Metaphoric Self in Abstraction.’

Ashrafi was the recipient of the 2016 Brew Magazine’s ‘Women’s Achievers Award.’ This was for her contribution to Art History and Art Criticism. She was the Guest Editor for a special issue of MARG Magazine, Contemporary Art in South India. She was an Art Critic for ‘The Hindu’ from 2001 to 2011.

She is no ordinary woman, Ashrafi is one in a million. Meet the legend in Art History,
Dr Ashrafi S. Bhagat. Discover more on Ashrafi’s life, work, and the path she took to shape a career in Art and Art History.

A conversation with Chippy & Dr Ashrafi S. Bhagat.

Chippy—————	Welcome to The Conversation Dr Ashrafi S. Bhagat. It’s an absolute honour to have you here.
Ashrafi	Well. I am happy to be here.
Chippy	Let me just jump straight. If somebody asks you who’s Ashrafi, how would you describe yourself?
Ashrafi	‘Who is Ashrafi?’ Well, Ashrafi is… I am really stumped by this because I have never ever thought about it. Well, I would consider myself first a teacher, who has been passionately interested in art, art history, and design. I mean, everything to do with art. So, that’s how I would consider myself, a teacher first, because that’s my passion.
Chippy	That’s the fact. What if you take out the professional aspect out of it, how would you see yourself? Who would you say who you are?
Ashrafi	Well, as a person, I am quite a softie though I appear to be a hard nut outside. There is a different world within me. I have love and passion for many things as a person. I had an incredible childhood and it all started there. I am a Bohra Muslim who grew up in a joint family. There were seven of us in the family, four of us girls. I grew up in the 70’s and fortunately, for me, my community was always quite open minded. And especially my father, I would give all the credit to my father who was very keen that all his girls were educated. My mother was a very creative person and my father cared for all of us and thought deeply about our future.Unfortunately, my eldest sister couldn’t do much. Though she had a lot of talent for languages, my grandmother never allowed it. By the time I joined College, my grandmother was no more and my father could take his decision. I was very fortunate in that respect.
Chippy	Your father’s support, which is very crucial in what you are now, you know. Because of that you became what you are today.
Ashrafi	I need to mention this, ‘how important it was that he supported me’. Initially, I joined as an economics student in Ethiraj College. After a week I said, ‘I am not going back. I just don’t like the subject’. At that time I also got to know about Stella Maris College and its Fine Arts Department. I told my father, ‘I want to do fine arts’. So, my father said, ‘you are going to college. You will finish this one year. Next year, you can do what you want’. If at that point in time my father had said, ‘okay, do what you want’. And had I stayed at home for one year doing nothing, my life would not have remained the same and I would not be who and what I am today. The support he gave me, the push he gave me has always helped me to be a better person and I strived for more.
Chippy	Did you have any ambitions or dreams growing up? What did you aspire to become?
Ashrafi	Yes, I did have one dream. I always wanted to be a teacher. Always. It was during grade seven that I realised I wanted to be a teacher. I had some good teachers in school who inspired me. My seventh grade teachers had an impact on me, especially my brilliant Geography Teacher and another Teacher, she was an all-rounder and a strict disciplinarian. I picked up discipline from her. And it was during my one year stint in Ethiraj College doing Economics, that I had History as an allied subject. I had a fantastic History Lecturer and that’s how I developed a love for history. Dedicated, passionate and strong Teachers from my life inspired me to follow that path.

Chippy—————	So did you follow your passion for Fine Arts?
Ashrafi	Of course yes. After I completed my first year in economics, I joined the Fine Arts Department in Stella Maris College for my FIne Arts degree.
Chippy	You were very clear how you want things in your life to be. So, how was your life in Stella Maris as a Fine Arts student?
Ashrafi	It was fascinating and interesting for me. I loved the subjects. The Lecturers were very exceptional and they again inspired me. I was so inspired by them that I joined for Post Graduation and later completed my M. Phil in Fine Arts too. I was actually blessed to have such good Teachers, who really inspired me. So, I was very firm that ‘come what may be, I am going to come back to Stella Maris and will teach here’.
Chippy	So did that happen?
Ashrafi	Yes it did materialise. It was after my post graduation that I decided to teach Art History and be part of this institution. I did approach my Head of the Department with my interest in teaching and she said, ‘we’ll look into it’. So, this gave me some time on my hands and I joined Max Müller to learn German. I realised the fact that I had no flair for languages, none at all. It was during one of the German classes that I got a call to meet the former Head, and the Founder of the Department, Dr. Sr. Edith Tömöry immediately. During this meeting she said, ‘I am revising my first edition of the book, and need someone to help me with research for my book. And I think you are the right person. So will you assist me and help me?’. I said, yes. And that’s how I joined Stella Maris in August 1977 as Sr Edith’s Research Assistant. I helped her with research, did illustrations, and more. In 1978, at the beginning of the next academic year, I was offered a teaching position. And the rest is history.
Chippy	Thus began your career in teaching, A dream come true.
Ashrafi	My first job. Obviously, my first and only job. Oh yes, it was a long time. From 1972 to the day I retired in 2012.
Chippy	Wow. I am speechless. Take me through that time when you first started your job as a Lecturer? How have things progressed in your life? How have you grown over time in your profession?
Ashrafi	Well, it’s a long journey. I started off with a lot of interest in Art. One thing about me was that I was not simply happy reading about a work. I was always interested in knowing what it is which made them create art in such a way? So, initially, my interest began with Indian Art. Soon I found that the books were not very inspiring, that were written on Indian Art. I found that Western Art History had very good books written by scholars and felt the reading was made easy and understandable. It was at this point, around 78-79 that the Time Life series, came out with Great masters. And I got interested in that, and I started collecting books on Art. I collected the entire series, and I started reading from these books. And these books gave me much more additional information than I could have got it from any other source. So, the cultural context of a work of art is what actually made me very interested. And I wanted to know as to how an artist from a particular context, from a particular culture, from obtaining a certain patronage, how did they survive.

Chippy—————	That’s fascinating. So how was your growth in the department?
Ashrafi	I had to earn my way. I started as a Lecturer, later became Senior Lecturer, Associate Lecturer and in 1991 I was made an Undergraduate Head and progressed to Postgraduate Head. And finally I became the Head of the Department of Fine Arts and retired as Associate Professor.
Chippy	Being a teacher helps you enhance your knowledge. Reading, researching…
Ashrafi	I carried this reading into my class. And my students found it very interesting. And for me, it was a passion and I used to read and deliver it to the class. And at that time, the students were equally interested.This is how I developed my interest in art, developed my interest in collecting art books, various kinds of art books, and I was slowly building up a library. Then it became inevitable in the mid-80s, I have to go beyond my post-graduation degree if I have to go up the ladder in my profession. And that I was required to do my MPhil. So, I did a part time M. Phil from the University of Madras, and my M. Phil thesis was based on “Changing Concepts in 19th century European Art” and this made me extremely interested in Modern Art. Then 10 years went by, and then it fell on my head that I have to do my Ph.D. Now, Ph.D. was something I was terrified about.
Chippy	Why was that?
Ashrafi	I had no choice but to do my Ph.D. Now, I did not want to do it in the department. I had told myself that I will never do another thesis after my M.A. dissertation, but I did an M. Phil thesis. So, when I was left with no choice because I was heading the department and it was a requirement, which the university had brought in that the head should have a Ph.D. degree.
Chippy	So off to complete Ph.D.
Ashrafi	I didn’t know what subject I would actually work on. Folk-art tradition fascinated me and I told myself, ‘I am sure that there is something in art, where the folk-art tradition is’. I had minimal knowledge about modern art in India as my whole focus was always in the West. I did a research proposal. And I went to University of Baroda for registration. Of course, there was a panel meeting. And was put under such scrutiny that I felt crucified. I was asked so many questions for which I had absolutely no answer.
Chippy	Oh dear!
Ashrafi	Oh dear indeed but then somehow, I was fated to do my Ph.D. in Baroda. Dr. Parul Dave Mukherji. I wanted her to be my guide. Initially, she was a little reluctant, because she said, ‘I have no knowledge’. There were many other guides but I didn’t want to work under any male guide. I was clear about that from day one. So, after much consideration she took me on. I registered myself, I went on two years sabbatical having been awarded the Teacher’s Fellowship by the U.G.C. and started my doctoral studies.
Chippy	Exciting times and excruciating stress. How did these two years fly by? Were there any hurdles and how did you overcome them?
Ashrafi	Oh no! Absolutely painful times. This was a period which I thought I would not survive. I thought I may have to give up my teaching also in the bargain. It was so difficult for me. I can’t tell you how difficult it was because I never understood any theories. I found it very difficult. I said, ‘how do I survive? How do I read?’ Thanks to my guide. She’s the one who opened up many windows for me. I was willing to work to any extent. To my bones, I was ready to work, but I needed guidance. The direction which came from my guide Parul Mukherji was exceptional. She opened up so many possibilities. Once I was level headed, I said to myself, ‘I will not take this stress anymore. Rather I will enjoy the stress’. The moment I changed my attitude to enjoying my stress, you know, it became something different. Of course, I was able to finish my work in two years. My viva was in 2004. And I got my degree.
Chippy	Amazing journey. How did you get into Art Writing?
Ashrafi	In 2001, while I was doing my doctoral studies, Ms. Sharan Appa Rao of Apparao Galleries, approached me and requested to write a catalogue essay for her exhibition. I responded, ‘I am not capable of writing exhibition catalogues’, and for that she said, ‘ for your Ph.D., you can write thousands of words but for my catalogue essay you can’t write some 2000 words’. She’s the one who actually initiated me into writing on Art and on Artists. Then she’s the one who slowly introduced me to ‘The Hindu’, a daily newspaper as an Art Critic.
Chippy	Apart from your teaching job you also diversified into Art Curator and Critic.
Ashrafi	Yes. I became an Art Critic for The Hindu for almost 10 years from 2001 to 2011. And that’s how, you know, my journey began in this arena.When I wrote for The Hindu, I used to get very positive feedback from many of the readers. I was approached for writing catalogues for the artists’ exhibitions. And slowly my career picked up. It’s now 20 years since I’ve been in this field. And for which I would say thanks to my guide, Parul Mukherji. Every time when I tell her thank you, she says, ‘what are you thanking me for? You don’t know how hard you worked to get your degree’. I always said, ‘true but without you, your guidance I couldn’t have done it’. So, that’s how I’ve gone through my journey. It wasn’t a bed of roses at all.It’s going to be 10 years of my retirement and I have been an Art Critic now for twenty years.

Chippy—————	That’s your professional journey. Over three decades of teaching career and now this. You are truly an inspiration. In the meantime you started a family too.
Ashrafi	Yes, I got married. But I was not blessed with children. While keeping my job, I took occasional leave from work and spent time with Shabbir, my husband who at that time was working outside the country. And at one stage, I almost gave up my job. I thought I had the possibilities of working where my husband was stationed. I did get a job there, then they said, ‘you’re not a citizen. So, we cannot give you a job’.Once again, thanks to another man in my life, my husband, who said, ‘you will not give up your job. We’ll see what the future holds for us. But at the moment you just continue with your work’.
Chippy	You were thinking of relocating to be near your husband.
Ashrafi	Relocating. Yeah. But Shabbir said not to sacrifice my career. I continued with my job. Frankly speaking, this gave me a lot of space for myself, to think and to do exactly what I wanted.I had good family support from my husband’s side, who were very supportive of my work. I am truly blessed that way. My mother-in-law who never interfered, my co-sisters who never bothered. Although they were all homemakers, I was the only one who was working. But they were all supportive and understanding. They never judged me, let me be who I am. It was a happy ambience, which also helped me in my teaching because I didn’t have to go through any stress or tensions or anxieties from my home front. So, 100%, I would say I was dedicated to my reading, to my teaching and pursuing my passion. Truly blessed.
Chippy	How did you meet Shabbir?
Ashrafi	Shabbir Bhagat was a good friend of my brother. They were in college together and he used to come home often. I was in school and science subjects, physics, chemistry and maths were all Greek to me. Shabbir was good at science. So, whenever he came home, I used to ask him doubts and he used to clarify, he used to actually teach me. If it hadn’t been for him, I would have never cleared my school as a matter of fact. I just managed to scrape with a third class. But I managed to finish my school.
Chippy	He liked you. Didn’t he ?
Ashrafi	I was not even aware that he was interested in me. He didn’t tell me. He was so afraid that I would say no that he sent the proposal through my brother. My brother brought the proposal and I was quite excited about it. I liked him too. And finally when he proposed to me, I said, ‘yes’, so that’s the story of how we met. We had a long engagement. I met him around 1969 and we got married in 1979. For 10 years, we got to know each other.
Chippy	10 year engagement. Quite unusual for the times.
Ashrafi	Absolutely. That’s why I keep repeating, I am blessed. My family was open to that. Otherwise, you know, the next thing is to get married. So, that’s why I say, my father played such an important role. And my husband was instrumental in pushing me into doing my Masters. I was really happy with the bachelor’s degree. I didn’t want to do my masters because I was scared of the idea of doing a thesis. I dreaded it but I did it. Fortunately, the two men in my life have played an instrumental, significant, and very seminal role in moulding me, in making me as a matter of fact what I am and who I am today.
Chippy	Beautiful story. A lot of love stories don’t have good endings.
Ashrafi	That’s why I always tell myself, I am the blessed one. I am really blessed in every way, every day.

Chippy—————	Moving on. It is a fact. You were instrumental in the growth of the Fine Arts Department at Stella Maris College. In your career spanning 34 years, you have helped shape a department that now is truly remarkable.
Ashrafi	Absolutely. As a matter of fact, we were the only institution and department in an institution affiliated to the university which had a three-year degree. Normally, all fine arts degrees were for four years. One year is the foundation, and then the other three years of specialisation. But that was not the case with Stella Maris. That is when I decided along with my colleagues and with the support of the Principal whose support was very instrumental, In 2008 we changed over from a three year course to four years and renamed it Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) degree with two options in specialisation, Painting or Design. And a BVA degree came into existence within four years. Our first batch passed out in 2012. And it continues to date. I feel very happy that I worked towards establishing a four-year course. When I was a student, we were just 25 in a class. In the mid 80s, it was about 35 and then gradually the strength went to 40, 45, 50 and by the time I retired the strength was almost 60. To undertake a course in Art History, one needs dedication, passion and above all interest. I found that many of the students thought it was a waste of time until I reminded them ‘without art history, your creativity will never be born or happen’. I said, from where will you get your ideas, unless you go back to your past history and see the artists how they have worked? Some of them were sharp enough to realise this and made a career and profession out of this.
Chippy	You are also the person who introduced travel as a way to learn Art.
Ashrafi	The other area I help curate is exploring. I tell my students reading alone is not enough. You have to encounter art. And for that you have to encounter architectural space, art galleries, spaces. Our Founder, Sr Edith always said, ‘travel child, travel. You will learn a lot by travelling’. Sr Edith also made it mandatory for the art students to travel every year to the places of historic and artistic interests. We used to take students to Rajasthan, Khajuraho, and to South India. I have travelled extensively with my students throughout India. And I was fortunate enough that the students gave me an opportunity to travel with them. When I was teaching Western Art History, there were few students who wanted to travel internationally. It all began in 1989. Every time I took Art History lessons starting with Egyptian Art, ‘Ma’m, let’s go to Egypt.’ Greek History, ‘Ma’m, let’s go to Greece.’ ‘Let’s go to Turkey’. But travel never materialised until 2006 when one day I decided, ‘I will take my students to see work of Art.’ I opened up to the whole department and started taking trips with my students. And our first departmental trip was to France and Italy in 2006. Then more and more students got very interested. So, till I retired in 2012, we went across Europe looking at museums and architecture and culture, and nearly saw all the countries and all the museums. So, that one on one encounter and experience with art is breathtaking.
Chippy	You love travelling and have travelled extensively. Share with us your favourite places in India and overseas?
Ashrafi	I think that’s a very difficult question to answer. I found Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh in India very fascinating. I thought I was looking at art completely every way, and everywhere. We travel extensively as a family. We had taken European trips. The Christmas festivities there, especially in Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Prague were amazing. It was like being in a fairy land, happy atmosphere.The cold, of course, was killing but when you see people so happy, radiant, joyous, and then that spirit of Christmas, it was a sight to behold. The Christmas festivities in Europe, I found it really very, very fascinating. And I just loved it. Even today when I have to relive some of these you know, I go back to this Christmas time in Europe.
Chippy	Is there anyone else who inspired you?
Ashrafi	My mother. Without her support, I don’t think anything was possible. It’s her creativity, which all of her children have got. I inherited her creativity. She was an extremely talented woman, who did almost everything except paint and draw but I could draw and I could paint. My mother encouraged me and let me pursue this side of my talent and due to this I was able to get into Fine Arts History. Oh! My mother was a strict disciplinarian. This was another important aspect. Whether we liked it or not, she would make us sit by her and she would be telling stories about her life. I used to tell myself, ‘do I have to hear all this?’ But now I realise how important stories are in our lives and those nuggets of philosophy that she imparted actually came very useful and very handy for me, especially in my teaching career.
Chippy	If you ever get a chance to go back in time and meet your 18-year self, what would you tell young Ashrafi?
Ashrafi	I don’t think I have any regrets about anything. I was happy doing whatever I did, at every stage in my life. And so, at 18, wherever I was, whether the crossroads or a direct road, I seem to have chosen my path and have travelled it the way I wanted it, supported by my destiny, and by the almighty.
Chippy	What advice do you have for a person who’s looking to get into Fine Arts? To break into the industry as an Art Historian or become an Art Critic.
Ashrafi	I would say only one thing. That is only hard work please. It’s 99% hard work, and it’s 1% what do you call inspiration. And that has been my philosophy. I don’t consider myself as a great intellectual but I found that consistent hard work is the only option. This has been my mantra, and I have always conveyed it to my students. Even today, I have the same suggestion, do whatever you have to do but unless you work hard and it is not consistent hard work, nothing will materialise.
Chippy	That’s a good message. I am honoured to have you with us today and truly humbled. It was a true delight talking to you.
Ashrafi	I have never had an opportunity to talk about my life as such, which you gave me an opportunity that in the beginning, you know, like I was frozen. I didn’t know you, as to where it has to begin and what it has to be. So, thank you very much. Yeah, thank you for making me realise what I have done in my life. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ve given it a second thought either. I am really blessed that I always tell myself, every morning I get up, I say thank God for whatever you have given me and made me. So, I mean, without the support, I don’t think I would have been able to achieve what I was able to do.
Chippy	I think it’s been such a beautiful conversation and thank you so much for the time that you’ve given me.

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The Writer

April 22, 2022April 22, 2022 / Chippy Kurian Chacko / Leave a comment

Introducing Lakshmi Sreenath, an Author, a Motivational Speaker, a Nutritionist, a Certified Yoga Trainer, and an Entrepreneur,
Cochin, Kerala, South India.

Growing up in a traditional home, Lakshmi believed in magic and, was entangled in a world of mysticism and mythology Her childhood was filled with tales of Gandharva’s (celestial beings) and Nagadevatha’s (snake Gods). For Lakshmi, writing is natural. She wrote her first poem at the age ten. Scribbling her thoughts and emotions has always made her stronger as a person and kept her at ease. Unaware of her calling, she toiled in the world of atoms and particles, numbers and graphs, for more than a decade. And she felt forever lost in expanse. Nothing fascinated her until she found herself through nature and her writings.

Once Lakshmi started making her own choices in life, she uncovered her potential and thus began her entrepreneurial journey and growth. Her passion for all things natural and handmade led her to launch an artistic bath and beauty essentials firm named Herbal Sutras. Lakshmi’s love and dedication to her writing lead her to author her first book. She is unstoppable now.

Join us in conversation with Lakshmi Sreenath,
Author, ‘The Sparkle-Eyed Photon, The Missile Man and the Mystic Me’ & Founder, Herbal Sutras. Let’s discover her journey into the world of words and entrepreneurship.

A conversation with Chippy & Lakshmi Sreenath.

Chippy———————–	The Sparkle-Eyed Photon, The Missile Man and the Mystic Me. Wow. Lakshmi, What an incredible title for a book, welcome to the conversation.
Lakshmi	Thank you so much. It has been years since I wanted to publish a book, become an author, and I am glad it’s now a reality. I am excited.
Chippy	And first of all, congratulations on your book.Yeah, it’s not easy getting a book out. You know, it takes a lot of effort, it takes years of prep, a lot of affirmations and manifestation.
Lakshmi	Yes and yes, it was very difficult to get it out because first I had to have the conviction that it was possible for me to write. And only maybe a few of the people have just commented in the same way as you have done. It’s a fact, it is difficult to bring out the book. ‘Self Publishing would have been easy for you?’ ‘Oh, you just self-published on Amazon, it’s just nothing. Too easy.’ These are some comments I heard from near and dear. People tag self publishing as an easy way to be an author.The fact is the writing definitely wasn’t easy. Getting out was even more difficult for me but at last it’s out, that’s one thing so now it’s out but then people just start reading it so that’s the second thing.
Chippy	This is your debut book. A combination of poetry and philosophic dialogues with two departed spirits. Did I get that right?
Lakshmi	It’s a mix of fact and fantasy. A cluster of 17 poems with illustrations and story lines. Each poem flows smoothly, with readable stanzas and sonnets, entangled with imaginary conversations with Dr Kalam & Sushant Singh , where they speak about all things under the Sun, which point towards love, betrayal , emotions, relations, social issues, philosophy and mysticism. It’s metaphysical and sometimes, seems to be of not this world.
Chippy	What is our takeaway from this book?
Lakshmi	There are deep underlying messages and analogies of important life events , which the readers will easily relate to. There is history, epic-rewritten, movie adaptations, a mother’s plea, nature’s wrath, the mockery of death & funeral and the zen moment, where my poems give the readers the realisation of who you actually are. There are analogies, smilies and satires that bring a smile on your face. In fact, you may periodically find yourself in my poems.
Chippy	This is incredible. Was there a writer in you always? How did this happen?
Lakshmi	It was during COVID. To be precise, June 2020. I started re-writing my book. The idea originated in 2018. That time it was a 50 page book. And with those 50 pages, I went to my Professor, she said, *‘Lakshmi you will have to polish it.’ She loved my idea and pointed out some issues with my take on it, made suggestions and asked me to work on it.’* So, I brought it back and kept it inside my cupboard and locked it and said to myself, *‘this is not going to happen.’*During June 2020, death of Sushant Singh caused a void and it reprised me to open my cupboard and start jotting down my thoughts again. The book starts on that day. I had writer’s block for a few months and then started writing again in September 2020. Ultimately, my 50 page book expanded to a 200-page book.
Chippy	And it’s self published.
Lakshmi	Even though I have been an avid writer since age ten, I didn’t know the nuances of professional writing, hence I researched how to write professionally. I wanted to learn how to write effectively and interestingly. I learned from Reedsy. I learned there the art of publishing, self-publishing, and even how to write a book. So, I did study, I have notes, how to write similes, how to write sentences, how to make a page interesting. How to make your reader go forward. I have literally learned writing from the internet. Let me be open, all this was possible and still is possible because of Sreenath. He was my support system through out, moral & emotional support and also financial help, he spend for the entire work, he lost sleep to learn with me about publishing a book and he is the reason my book is now out there for everyone to read, I just did the writing part. My son Maddy was understanding and absolutely rooting for me and still does.
Chippy	World has changed, we can learn everything if we set our mind to it. And now you’re a published author.
Lakshmi	Yes, I have a journey in front of me. Yes, I have a journey. A very long one.

Chippy———————–	I know you’re going places; you’re going places and you will go. Where did Lakshmi begin?
Lakshmi	I was born, brought up in Cochin. I went to school, did my pre-degree, undergrad and postgrad, all my studies and certificates and everything in Cochin.
Chippy	Let me guess, you majored in literature. Am I right?
Lakshmi	Oh dear. Don’t ask me that. I will cry. Even though I used to scribble and jot down my thoughts, write poems and literature pieces, I was not sure what I wanted to choose for higher studies. The pressure from family was huge and therefore I let my Achan (father) choose for me. I know. I was young and clueless. I did Science, Maths, Chemistry, Physics for Pre-degree, I enrolled for B.Sc. Physics for undergraduate studies, and along with this I also completed the GNIIT Program from National Institute of Information Technology. I was literally flooded with studies and my life was not going anywhere I wanted, I danced to the tunes of others and I let that happen for a long time. Then I decided to attempt to be a Chartered Accountant. (C.A.) In 2001, I did my articleship and in 2004 I got a job offer with a bank, I took it and after one year in the bank, too much cross selling and sales and targets I decided, I’ll do one more try for C.A. before I decide on a different path or anything else. So finally in 2006, I cleared C.A. Intermediate. When I entered into the final year I realised this is not what i want, I felt if I completed my C.A. I will remain a Chartered Accountant throughout my life, and there will be no looking back and that was not the life I had wanted.
Chippy	First, this is a shocker. Second, WOW, you did all this. I cannot imagine doing all this studying. Did you find the missing piece? Why was that you were never content in any field you ended up in?
Lakshmi	Simple. My heart, it was set. Literature. Chippy, I always wanted to be a writer, I wanted to write. I always wanted to do literature. I wanted to pursue arts but I let others dictate and decide my life for me for a long time, for almost a decade or more.
Chippy	When did love for literature begin? Let’s hear the origin story.
Lakshmi	I remember in fifth grade summer break, Achan, my father out of the blue said, *‘why don’t you write something?’* I said, *‘write?’ What should I write about?’* I didn’t know how to write. But my fathers push got me writing. Then one by one I started to fill my books with poems and started scribbling down my feelings and I kept my notebook closer and when a thought pops up in my mind I jot it down. I wrote poems about rain, seasons, feelings, and my dad just gave the key to the door, he opened a door that I didn’t know could be opened. I lived in Fort Kochi. Rain Trees everywhere, and my class overlooked Santa Cruz Church. I lived in the past, and present in Cochin. The old Portuguese and Dutch buildings, the streets and the pathways, the beach, I lived in a space that was apt for a writer. So, you can imagine the feelings I lived with and within. So that was the beginning of my writing journey. In sixth grade, watching the rain, I wrote my first poem and I kept on writing the next poem, and it went on and on.
Chippy	You are a dreamer.
Lakshmi	True. I love to dream. I dream and then I used to write about my dreams. I think I started scribbling everywhere. You know, jotting down small, small snippets of poetry. And then I remember in seventh grade, school said we’re publishing our first school magazine. You’re supposed to send us a poem. And then I wrote a poem about ‘Amma’. (mother)
Chippy	So is that your first published poem.
Lakshmi	Let me tell you Chippy. I gave the poem I wrote to my teacher, and unfortunately the school magazine did not come out and thus I lost my poem. I was a child and I didn’t know that I had to make a copy of my poetry that I wrote. Poem lost forever.
Chippy	Must have been devastating.
Lakshmi	It was a huge lesson I learnt. I learned my lesson and I kept writing and didn’t let this affect me at all. I started joining for essay competitions. I said okay, I loved writing because it made me express more. I used to vent my feelings, emotions. I am a very emotional being. I become angry fast. I became sad very fast as a child. Yes, I used to cry a lot. With a lot going on in my life I wanted to write. So, I bought a 300-page book to make my diary and I started writing the diary every day. Literally, I will journal everything I did from the moment I wake up to the end of the day. I didn’t know how to journal, so I just wrote everything I did. One day Amma asked, ‘who’s Ashwini?’ And those days writing in your pen name was popular and I gave myself a pen name too. End of each day, I signed ‘by ASHWINI’. I don’t use that name now. It was a phase. I was 100% sure my Amma read all my writings.
Chippy	How was the transition from school to college?
Lakshmi	After 10th grade, for the next five years I lived and breathed Cochin College. Cochin college was Cochin college. The campus, the mates, the professors, all were exceptional. I had a great time there. Once during a routine lesson we were asked to write a story by Prof Anitha Menon, our English Language Teacher. Immediately on to pen and paper, I started to write. That time I was influenced by O’Henry a lot and he always had an anticlimax to his story. I wrote a story called ‘Fly Allergy’ and this story got published in the college magazine. So, in that year’s magazine I had a Hindi poem, a Malayalam story, and an English story. Even though my studies took me to a different headspace, my sanity remained as I was able to write and I felt good being recognised as a Writer those days too.

Chippy———————–	Was there a time you lost grip on writing ? Did studies, and Physics take up all your time?
Lakshmi	Physics was hard. I was not able to relate and I had to work harder than everyone else. I was not happy at all. But I still wrote, and there were reservations on writing in depth. I was very…let me correct myself, I’m still a very romantic person. A very hardcore romantic duirng college days. I used to write about small, small crushes and small, small heartbreaks. Because at that point of time, you can’t confess your love to somebody or you’re so reluctant, you can even open your mouth. And I’m afraid to jot down because my mother reads everything, and she will question everything. So, writing down was a very difficult part for me because every diary of mine would be read by Amma. So, writing actually started slowing down because, one, Amma read everything and second, Physics- it was getting a toll on me and because of that I really didn’t have a dream as to what I should become. That’s when Sreenath came into my life. And the best part, and the only reason why I think that I went to Cochin college is because I found my life partner there.
Chippy	Details please.
Lakshmi	For me, I could not do an arranged marriage. I didn’t believe in it. I wanted to know a person, speak to him, understand the guy, you know, at least fall in love here and then get married. And I wanted to have those butterflies and you know how a writer can be. And I’m so hardcore romantic person. I wanted the butterflies. I wanted to feel it. For Sreenath too Physics was Greek. We were buddies always, initially we became friends and from then onwards, we did all the studies together. We were good friends throughout. But ultimately, it’s like marrying the known Devil is better than marrying an unknown angel. So, we decided on mutual agreement that we vibe okay. And let’s get along and make a life together. Ultimately, when I was of the marrying age, my mom started looking for some other alliances. And I was so reluctant because I wanted a love marriage. Fortunately my grandfather was very fond of Sreenath.
Chippy	Love is a dream and a dream that can happen anytime in our life. Right. Have you written poems about Sreenath?
Lakshmi	In my book, there is one, which is called ‘Mine’. The smallest poem in the book. We are poles apart still we are best for each other. He is very practical. I am not practical. But I think that keeps me balanced.
Chippy	You are not a writer alone, you are an entrepreneur too.
Lakshmi	True. Small scale entrepreneur you may call. I have been making homemade oil for my son Maddy since 2014. I found the store bought oils not suitable for my child’s skin and hair. In 2015, I wanted to make a change in my life and so I decided to enrol for a course, Master of Science in Nutrition. While pursuing this, I also completed my Certification in Yoga and I started Tapasya, a Yoga Centre. One day my friend requested an oil for her because she has hair loss issues. So, I told her, I have this formula at home and let me see what I can come up with. I made oil and bottled six in total. After giving my friend, there were few left. So, I asked my yoga students if they wanted the oil I made, they said yes.They insisted that they pay the cost for it. So I priced it at Rs. 200/ 200 ml. So, they used it and the feedback was incredible. One friend said ‘we loved your oil. I really want you to make more. So, again I made a bigger batch. My Yoga students and friends referred me to many others and I was getting more orders and kept on receiving more. It was not intentional at all.
Chippy	So, word of mouth.
Lakshmi	Yeap. I received requests from friends and strangers. ‘Lakshmi I don’t like oil on my hair. Can you make something else for me?’ So, I made a hair toner. And by that time, Ambika Pillai had come up with C serum also. So, I was formulating an identical exact formula. I put in the formula and put-up herbals, herbs and essential oils. So, I had three products by now. Then one day a friend suggested I showcase my products in Kochi Info Park. Sreenath immediately suggested ‘first thing, you need a brand name. You need a logo. You need stickers and you need good bottles and packaging is vital.’ Then I started thinking about it. So, at that point I was learning Yoga Sutra. I named my brand Herbal Sutras.
Chippy	Amazing. How did it take off?
Lakshmi	I went to the first exhibition at Info Park. It was actually a hit, everything sold off. And the first day I actually made about 20-25k return. I was like, oh my god, this is good. This is good money in one day. Like, it’s really good money. And a second exhibition happened. In August 2017, Flea Kochi happened. Flea Kochi is a posh flea market in Cochin. I had a stall at their second edition. Herbal Sutra kept growing. Then a friend asked ‘Lakshmi why don’t you make soaps? Please make soaps at home because my child has eczema.’ I said okay, even my child has eczema. I will, all right. Then I started reading, researching and I started learning aromatherapy and not everything is available, when you do small courses. I started doing herbalism. I started to read Ayurveda. And developed a formula for a soap.I read a lot and so, each product evolved. There was a time when I had 42 products. Sreenath said, ‘42 products. You cannot make it on your own. Not possible.’ So, I scaled it down for 20. And so now I make soaps. I make artistic soaps. I enjoy making soaps, and oil.

Chippy———————–	During Covid you not only managed to write a book but also completed a postgraduate degree in Nutrition.
Lakshmi	Yes, it was a challenging time. Yet, I completed MSc in Dietetics and Food & Service Management in June 2021. I want to bring out a book that can generate awareness on nutrition, for sportspersons, especially in India. The children who are coming into sports are not aware of what they should eat, how they should and when they should eat. So, I did my research thesis when I did my PG. My aim is to create awareness on eating healthy and wise, what do you eat before a match? What to eat after your match? What do you eat before your training? There is no awareness. Bad nutrition actually affects a child’s growth, no matter the training. So, I am thinking of bringing out a book, it’s not a detailed book. It’s more like a manual, a kid can take it and then refer to it before a match or before a training session or during recoveries, so it’s like a small guide. ‘How to eat like a Sports Pro’, that’s how I’ve titled it as of now, because my presentation which I had done for the children has the same name.
Chippy	You are literally, “a jack of all trades is a master of none, but oftentimes better than a master of one.” person. An Author, an herbalist, a nutritionist and an entrepreneur.
Lakshmi	I will be juggling between things. And I will not be restricting myself to a single thing. Because I am an Aquarian so I get bored fast.
Chippy	Any upcoming books?
Lakshmi	Yes, yes and yes. I love to write and I aspire to be known as a Writer more than anything. I have a vision board and I hope to reach my goals soon. My next hopeful project is a series of poems. I am excited about this and cannot wait to share with the world. I have plans for fiction too, a long way to go on it. Another one I wish to do is a book on nutrition. As I said, I just completed my studies and I have a lot of work to do on it.
Chippy	One final question. If you ever get a chance to meet your 18-year-old self, what would you tell her?
Lakshmi	Oh Chippy, please don’t ask such a question, there are so many things I would have wanted to reverse. But as seen in the movie Navarasa’s *Project Agni* using a Time Machine the protagonist altered just one thing from his past and in the present his wife never existed. So, I will not change anything. But I will tell myself, ‘Lakshmi, pluck up courage, please leave Cochin. Go abroad, find a course, study something that you really want to, nutrition or writing, go to Oxford, or Harvard, See the world, and go find yourself, “jaa Simran jaa, jee le apni zindagi”. (‘go girl go, go live your life.’)’. Knowing what I know now, I would have gone places. I would have loved it.
Chippy	Thankyou Lakshmi for this amazing conversation. I wish you all the best for the new book and the upcoming books. You have lots to do and achieve, and I am sure you will always discover a path forward because you have the determination and drive.
Lakshmi	Thankyou and thank you for having me.

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CathMeri Days

March 25, 2022March 25, 2022 / Chippy Kurian Chacko / 4 Comments

Meet the two dancing sisters and You Tubers from Kerala, South India. Catherine and Merin, with 2.94K subscribers they are dancing their way into our hearts with their youtube channel 'CathMeri Days.'  Let's find out more.

Hello! I am Cathrine, I am studying in 10th grade. I enjoy cooking, listening to music, and watching movies. My passion is dancing and I love planning, preparing, choreographing and creating dance steps to any music I love. I also do create youtube videos with my sister during my free time.

I am Merin. I am 10 years old and studying in 5th grade. I love cooking, dancing and playing guitar. I have a Youtube Channel called CathMeri Days. My sister and I create and upload dance videos. I love to dance to the trending songs and share our videos on our Youtube Channel.

Dance. When and how did you fall in love with dance?

Cathrine
When I was small, (I am still..)I danced to my favorite songs at my home. Seeing this talent my mother enrolled me into a dance institute, which was a stepping stone in my dancing passion. My teacher set me on the right path, making every dance move perfect and making me fall in love with dance. Growing up I got a lot of stage performances to perform various types of dance forms. Practicing for a while then putting up makeup and wearing beautiful costumes to perform a dance form was absolutely a joy for me!

Merin
Well, When I was 4 to 5 Years old I have participated in a dance competition in my school. I started studying dance when I was in 2nd grade. I love to watch some videos of dance so that I could learn new steps and make our performance better on our Youtube Channel.

What's your favorite dance form and why?

Cathrine
I love every dance form but particularly my favorite is Bharatanatyam because when I perform Bharatanatyam I have certain confidence rising out of my soul, also I feel more comfortable in performing in this style.

Merin
My Favorite form of dance is classical and a bit of western.
It’s nice and easy to dance to.

Who is your favourite dancer and why?

Cathrine
The first dancer I look up to is Manju Warrier Ma’m. I always admire the grace and beauty with which she performs each step. She inspires me with her gorgeous expressions and her dedication to her dance.

Merin
I don’t know many dancers. But I do love Shobhana Ma’m. I love the way she teaches the steps and the movements, (I see her online videos). Also how gracefully she performs.

If you were granted three wishes, what would you ask for?

Cathrine
To have a happy and fulfilling life would be my first wish, followed by a successful and rewarding career, and finally making my parents happy and proud.

Merin
To have a good life and a job. Make my family proud and have the best youtube channel.

What is your dream? What do you want to be in 10 years?

Cathrine
My dream is to have a successful life with a good job. I would like to grow my YouTube channel too. In 10 years, I would probably have reached heights by making my dreams come true in both education and dance. Also by exploring my favorite places and as well as ticking my bucket list.

Merin
My Dream is to be a Chef, Baker, or Engineer. Not yet decided but I will be one of them! Definitely.

Have you ever felt worried? And if yes, what are you worried about?

Cathrine
Yes, of course! I have worried about the war in Ukraine and I do empathize with the people of Ukraine, I do feel their pain, leaving behind their home, loved ones, everything they know, and heading towards the unknown, I cannot imagine. I do feel stressed thinking about their loss and the chaos they have to go through.

Merin
Yes, I have worried about the pandemic. Well, to be truthful, I first enjoyed the days of the pandemic but after 3 to 4 months I started feeling bored. It was such bland, and boring months.

What prompted you to start CathMeri Days, your youtube channel? And how are you enjoying being on Social Media?

Cathrine
Even though a lot of times I have searched on youtube for songs, dance videos or DIY, etc I never really knew that normal people like us also can post videos on youtube. Getting the drive to start a youtube channel is when everyone during the lockdown period started to make one, as I was always passionate about creating a youtube channel. I was also going with the same flow, so I decided to make this channel with my sister and got the name of our youtube channel “CathMeri Days”.

But like every other human being we were shy in facing the camera and getting into the public domain. To get over this, our biggest supporter and constant motivator was my mother. She always encouraged us to make a youtube channel and to date, she is the backbone of our youtube existence. The next person is my father, he has backed us with all technical contributions, which is the major part of social media. He gives inspiring ideas and motivation for my sister and me to do our work well. I am grateful for having such supportive parents for making this dream of ours a reality.

All of us do enjoy spending time on social media, but for us, it’s uplifting, it’s a family affair, and we enjoy that a lot! We get so much appreciation, heart-touching comments, and feedback. Overall ‘CathMeri Days’ makes our day better!

Merin
My Mother and sister shared the idea of starting a Youtube channel when I was in 2nd grade. But we didn’t know how to start or how to upload videos on our youtube channel. Now, we are a team. Yes, I love to be on social media to do reels and videos. It’s fun.

You must get lots of good feedback and a few negative vibes. Do you get people who criticize you? If yes, how do you manage negative comments?

Cathrine
Yes, we do get people who criticize us. “When there is good, there is also bad ”. Similarly, we have people who love our videos and we have people who dislike our videos too. First, when I used to get negative comments, I used to feel sad, but at the very next second it motivates me to do better next time, this makes us improve and do better. Now. I believe, getting negative vibes and comments is motivation in disguise.

Merin
We get some bad comments and a lot of good comments. Why should we consider bad comments if we have lots and lots of good comments!

Finally, How did covid affect you personally? After 2 years schools have opened partially, you walked with your school bags to school. What was the feeling of seeing your friends, teacher? How does it feel to be back in school?

Cathrine
When I saw my teachers and friends after 2 long years, the feeling was indescribable. As we were locked up in our houses, just seeing the family members all the time reduced my capability of social interaction. Whereas getting back to school is the best thing that I can have today for myself.

Merin
Yes, I was very glum looking at the computer straight for 3 to 4 hours. My God! It was very disheartening. And after 2 years I met my classmates and teachers again and I am so happy, glad to see them all.

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Art of How To

Step Up and Inspire

Author: Chippy Kurian Chacko

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Kappa Cassava Tapioca

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Kappa Vevichathu (Kerala, India)

Casabe (Central America, Latin America & The Caribbean)

Saka Saka (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Fufu (Nigeria)

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Presenting to you, Payal Guin, Wife, Mother, Model, Designer, Self-taught Face-Art & Makeup Artist, Former Mrs. India 1st Runner-Up 2018, Mrs. Fashion Icon 2018, & Director, Delegate Acquisition, Corporate Event Industry, Bengaluru, India.

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Delicate Little You

A Teacher, Historian and Critic

Presenting to you, Dr Ashrafi S. Bhagat M.A., M.Phil, Ph.D.,
Art Historian, Art Critic, and Independent Curator,
Former Head and Associate Professor,
Department of Fine Arts, Stella Maris College,
Chennai, South India.

She is no ordinary woman, Ashrafi is one in a million. Meet the legend in Art History,
Dr Ashrafi S. Bhagat. Discover more on Ashrafi’s life, work, and the path she took to shape a career in Art and Art History.

The Writer

Introducing Lakshmi Sreenath, an Author, a Motivational Speaker, a Nutritionist, a Certified Yoga Trainer, and an Entrepreneur,
Cochin, Kerala, South India.

Join us in conversation with Lakshmi Sreenath,
Author, ‘The Sparkle-Eyed Photon, The Missile Man and the Mystic Me’ & Founder, Herbal Sutras. Let’s discover her journey into the world of words and entrepreneurship.

CathMeri Days

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Let’s find out the different ways people around the world prepare and enjoy Cassava.

Kappa Vevichathu (Kerala, India)

Casabe (Central America, Latin America & The Caribbean)

Saka Saka (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Fufu (Nigeria)

Sago Gula Melaka / Sago Pudding (Indonesia and Malaysia)

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Presenting to you, Payal Guin, Wife, Mother, Model, Designer, Self-taught Face-Art & Makeup Artist, Former Mrs. India 1st Runner-Up 2018, Mrs. Fashion Icon 2018, & Director, Delegate Acquisition, Corporate Event Industry, Bengaluru, India.

Join us in conversation with Payal Guin. Let’s unveil her life journey from the unknown to world of Corporate Event Management.

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Presenting to you, Dr Ashrafi S. Bhagat M.A., M.Phil, Ph.D., Art Historian, Art Critic, and Independent Curator, Former Head and Associate Professor, Department of Fine Arts, Stella Maris College, Chennai, South India.

She is no ordinary woman, Ashrafi is one in a million. Meet the legend in Art History,Dr Ashrafi S. Bhagat. Discover more on Ashrafi’s life, work, and the path she took to shape a career in Art and Art History.

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Introducing Lakshmi Sreenath, an Author, a Motivational Speaker, a Nutritionist, a Certified Yoga Trainer, and an Entrepreneur, Cochin, Kerala, South India.

Join us in conversation with Lakshmi Sreenath, Author, ‘The Sparkle-Eyed Photon, The Missile Man and the Mystic Me’ & Founder, Herbal Sutras. Let’s discover her journey into the world of words and entrepreneurship.

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Presenting to you, Dr Ashrafi S. Bhagat M.A., M.Phil, Ph.D.,
Art Historian, Art Critic, and Independent Curator,
Former Head and Associate Professor,
Department of Fine Arts, Stella Maris College,
Chennai, South India.

She is no ordinary woman, Ashrafi is one in a million. Meet the legend in Art History,
Dr Ashrafi S. Bhagat. Discover more on Ashrafi’s life, work, and the path she took to shape a career in Art and Art History.

Introducing Lakshmi Sreenath, an Author, a Motivational Speaker, a Nutritionist, a Certified Yoga Trainer, and an Entrepreneur,
Cochin, Kerala, South India.

Join us in conversation with Lakshmi Sreenath,
Author, ‘The Sparkle-Eyed Photon, The Missile Man and the Mystic Me’ & Founder, Herbal Sutras. Let’s discover her journey into the world of words and entrepreneurship.