Blogging has given me a satisfaction: Mitr-Friend Bhushavali

Hi all, am known in the blogging world as Mitr-Friend Bhushavali.

Mitr is a Hindi word which means Friend. So that’s about it. As of now I have, 4 or should I say 3 ½ blogs. One of it is managed by myself and a friend of mine, Aziza.

I love to travel esp. to the roads less traveled and unknown arenas and explore the place all by myself. I love photography and both these go hand in hand. As I go searching for the unknown, my cam keeps me company. That’s seen in My Travelogue. Then, I love fashion. And my experiments with it is in Fashion Panache.

My mother tongue is Tamizh. And my creations (well, I don’t call it poetry. I’d prefer to call it Broken Prose!!!) are in Thozhi-Mitr-Friend. Finally some beautiful memories of me and my friend are shared in Savoir-Faire.

Interview

Q: Welcome to Speakbindas. Tell us since when blogging has been a part of your life? Was there any motive or inspiration as a backbone of it?

• First of all, thanks for welcoming me to Speak Bindas. So, how did Blogging come into my life.??? – Blogging started off with Thozhi-Mitr-Friend which is essentially a Tamizh blog with hardly 5% of English. I used to jot down my feelings as Broken Prose (I wouldn’t dare to call it poetry) in bits of papers or last page of notebooks and throw it off. Then my dear brother Vennimalai, inspired me start off blogging to share those writings. So that’s how I entered the world of Blogging.

Q: What is your blog all about? Which topics you cover there? Is that you alone running/maintaining the blog, or have a team?

• So as I’ve already said, I have 4 blogs. 3 of which are managed only by me and the 4^th one with my friend Aziza. My Travelogue is all about my ventures to mostly unexplored regions.
• Fashion Panache is my experiments with Fashion which I’ve just started and has just 4/5 posts still. Thozhi-Mitr-Friend is a Tamizh blog which has my poetry and broken prose in Tamizh. Thozhi is the Tamil term for Friend. It has transliteration in English to help people who understand Tamil but are unable to read the language, to go through my posts. That started with a suggestion of a friend who only understands Tamil.
• Savoir-Faire is the one I and Aziza manage together. Its all about beautiful moments of life. This too is a pretty new blog.

Q.: How important is it for the blogger to interact with their readers? Do you respond to all the comments that you receive?

• It is very important. I do reply to 99% of the comments left by my readers. See, my readers are the ones because of whom my blogs survive and they are the ones who inspire me to keep going. Like, if I do not make a post on My Travelogue for even 1 week, my readers get anxious and start asking “Didn’t explore any new place..???”.

Q: What are the present statistics for your blog, i.e. number of daily visitors, visitors geographical status etc.?

• My Travelogue has around 55-60 visitors per day and 79 followers. And visitors are from all over the world searching for some information about some place that I’ve visited. Hope, their search ended at my blog!!!

Q: Is blogging for you just a passion or a medium for earning too? Does it help you to earn enough cash to quit a 9 to 5 day job?

• No. Blogging is completely my passion and has no financial mix-up with it. Its just a medium to share some things with the world.

Q: Who are your favorite bloggers, whom you read frequently?

About Travelling

• Rajesh
• Neelima
• Ramakrishnan

About Photography

• Jose Mendonca
• Rain
• Sujay
• Arvind

About Thoughts

• Vennimalai

About Tamil

• Dr.Srinivasan

Q: From the secret bucket of your blogging experiences, what tips you would like to share with the fellow bloggers?

• Hmm… Its secret!!! Just joking.
• The posts have to be interactive. Like a person actually talking to you in person. Like a friend. And put in words in a way that the readers relate to what we are talking about.

Q: Do you believe that blogging completes you? If yes, tell us how?

• To some extent. It gives a good feel to know some people are helped by My Travelogue. For eg, so many people searching for Pettavaithalai temple, I guess were helped by my post on that temple. Coz, it’s a specialty temple for women’s health…!!!

Q: What was the happiest and gloomiest moment of your life?

• Aaahh… Difficult question. Happiest are so many. 10^th result. 12^th result, college admission, fun with friends at beach, movies, freaking out with friends, exploring the unexplored… Gloomiest – I seriously don’t know. Coz, gloom is best left forgotten!!!

Q: Say, you are sponsored to travel to 3 world destinations, where you need not to worry about costs for food, hotel or anything. Which destinations would you pick up, and why? Would you like to take someone along with you? If yes, whom?

• Anyone who would enjoy the place as much as I would…

• Salar de Uyuni – the world’s biggest natural mirror.

• Arctic and Antartic poles

Q: Are you into watching movies? If yes, which fills your list of favorite ones?

• Recently not much. Wanted to watch a Tamizh movie called ‘Pazhasi Raaja’ which is a remake of a Malayalam movie. It’s a period movie about Indian Independence.

• Other fav. ones are 11^th hour, The Secret, PS I love you, Roja, Alaipayudhe (Tamil), Jab we met, Taare Zameen Par, Jodha Akbar (Hindi), Class Mates (Malayalam)

Q: How has blogging helped you other than money?

• It hasn’t helped me in money!!! And I don’t expect it to!!!!!
• It has given me a satisfaction of helping to popularize some places.

Q: What would be the one thing you’d change about yourself?

• Nothing. I just like myself!!!

Q: What is your deepest fear?

• Answering so many questions… OK… May be Terrorism…

Q: If you could meet one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

• Laurie Baker – Architect. I just love his eco-friendly and too creative style of making homes.

Mitr Friend Bhushavali

Q: Which is your favorite television show? Favorite songs?

• Television show – Most of the shows in NDTV Good times.
• Songs – Fusion. I just love it when Drums & Sax or Western Harmony accompanies Carnatic Music.

Q: How much money do you have in your purse/wallet right now (including change)?

• A Chinese Yuan, A Singapore Dollar, and INR 255!!!

Q: What is your favorite food? Any particular dislikes?

• I hate cornflakes, bread & jam, bread & butter. There must be some spice in my type of food. Nothing fav in particular.

Q: What’s your take on the technological advancement these days? Does it make people’s life simple or complicated?

• Both.

Q: What do you think of “blogging is the next BIG thing”?

• Very true.

Q: Any special message you would like to share with your blog readers as well with everyone else?

• Thanks a ton for your support so far and please keep supporting, visiting, commenting and following my blogs. Thanks dears…