Moms Who Blog : Featuring Deepali Joshi Adhikary
Hello and welcome to Mom Blogger October on the Times of Amma. As regular readers know, the Times Of Amma community is all about inspiring Moms and building them up as they work on being themselves and Mothers. And so, this month is dedicated to featuring Moms who are working on being themselves and mothers, while expressing themselves through their blogs.
Today we meet Deepali Joshi Adhikary who blogs on parenting, relationships, book reviews and social issues Deepali is a freelance writer/blogger/trainer outdoors and a kick-ass mom at home. Her experiences and opinions turn into words on her blog. She has a diverse writing portfolio which spans from light-hearted humor to the issues affecting society, her parenting challenges and reviews of books. She also has keen interest in andragogy as well as pedagogy and loves to work with different age groups. When she is not writing or training or doting on her kid, she likes to read.
What was it that prompted you to become a blogger?
I am a thinker by default. My mind gets stimulated by things happening around and there is a hurricane of thoughts thereafter. I realized that blogging was one avenue where I could responsibly express those thoughts and also learn more by people’s responses. Blogging gave me a platform to tame my thought process and give it a direction. And as I became a part of the wonderful blogging communities, I found more food for thought and churned out more words. It became a perpetual cycle.
Which has been your most memorable post to date and why?
That is like asking a mother, who is your favorite child. I can’t pick one but there have been some which were written passionately. Here are a few
http://www.kolorpencil.com/2016/06/laughter-of-murderer.html
http://www.kolorpencil.com/2016/06/freshly-baked-love-and-laughter.html
http://www.kolorpencil.com/2016/07/confessions-of-mild-hindu.html
What has the most memorable comment on your blog been so far?
Again, it is very difficult to pick one such comment. I have been inspired a lot by the good words that readers leave back in comments. When people disagree with your line of thought, you get a new perspective to your belief. But when people interact with me about books on my book reviews blog, it feels good. It’s nice to share the love for books with like-mined people.
Have you ever started to write a post and then abandoned it? Why?
Yeah, some of them. Sometimes the idea or thought that sound awesome in your head does not look that appealing on paper (or a laptop screen). So instead on going ahead to produce a mediocre output, I prefer to abandon it. There have been times when that idea has come back in a new format and turned out much better than the initial one.
Do you stick to a regular posting schedule or do you post whenever inspiration strikes? Do you have a writing routine?
As much as I would like to have a sincere writing schedule, I am not able to do so owing to the multiples roles I have in life. So I post whenever my post is ready. Some days it is ready within a few hours, on others it demands many reworks and takes days altogether to be ready for publishing. My blog patiently waits for the new post till then.
Do you find it hard to get your voice heard in the crowded blogosphere?
Blogosphere is becoming crowded but most of it is run-of-the-mill mediocre stuff. There is still a lot of scope for the right kind of content. The challenge is to reach out to your audience and keep them engaged. It is difficult and that’s what makes the chase interesting. But if you have your audience hooked, you have a safe place for yourself even in the crowded blogosphere.
Many say that blogging is dead thanks to other micro-blogging avenues like Twitter, Snapchat and others. As the owner of a traditional blog, how would you respond to that?
When people started reading news on their mobile apps, some believed that print version will go out of circulation very fast. That did not happen and does not even seem to happen in the near future. Same is with blogs. I believe blogging, at least in India, is in its early stages but is evolving rapidly. Micro-blogging websites serve a different purpose. They are used extensively for networking but they cannot replace blogging any time soon.
Do you see your blog as a stepping stone to something else? Do you see yourself wearing the tag of 'blogger' five years down the line?
I have already started using the term “blogger” in my profile and people are taking that seriously, so I think I have claimed that badge rightfully. Frankly I never knew where it will lead when I started my blog about 3 years back. And though I am aware that I am moving in a certain direction, I really can’t say where it will take me to. So instead of worrying about the destination, I am enjoying the wonderful journey. I am learning from the experts and exploring various ways in which I can make my blog more interesting.
What tips do you have for other Indian Mom bloggers?
Moms today are smart and educated. But still, being a Mom is a tough task and all of us have had our share of ups and downs. Share your stories. But please don’t preach. (I already get preached at a lot in the real world so spare me in the virtual one). There are n number of mom-blogs and most of them are just re-phrasing the same thing. Please get creative and tell me something I don’t know already (or haven’t read on some other blog). I would thank you immensely for a fresh piece of advice.
You can follow Deepali's blog here :
If you are an Indian Mom who blogs, get in touch with us here or via the Times Of Amma Facebook page, to be listed on the Times Of Amma Indian Mom Blogger Database - 2016.
You can also follow us on Instagram.
