It seems odd to think of my online life without blogging: Dhara Shah

Dhara Shah

I am known as Sakhi in the blog world. I am a doctor by profession and blogging is a hobby since two years. I write at http://laghukatha0shortstories.wordpress.com, http://craftyvillage.wordpress.com and http://huesandshades.wordpress.com. I recently published a book on collection of my short stories (http://laghukatha.org ). I love colours, paints and brushes as much as I love cooking and hearty chat with friends and reading fiction.

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?

• Ans.: First of all let me thank you for this opportunity to speak to speakbindas readers. I started my blogging journey since December 2007 with a nudge from a colleague. It’s been a fruitful one. Now it seems odd to think of my online life without 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?

• Ans.: I have three blogs; Sakhi’s laghukatha, Sakhi’s crafty village and World through my eyes.

• I write short stories on Sakhi’s laghukatha; stories related to life, love and much more about human relationships; vent out my crafty soul at Sakhi’s crafty village and show my colourful world through the camera’s eyes on “World through my eyes”. I maintain all three on my own and love every minute of it.

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

• Ans.: No readers, no blog. Simple!! I love all my readers, their comments, criticisms, brickbats… all of them. I respond to each and every one of them and have even made a few awesome friends through the blogging.

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

• Ans.: Absolutely no idea. I don’t check it. Doesn’t really matter! But it would definitely matter if I start getting less of comments meaning less of readers.

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?

• Ans.: Blogging is a passion; a medium to interact with a lot of people, make new friends, also showcase my talent.

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

• Ans.: A lot to them and it will not be appropriate for me to mention just a few.

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

• Ans.: Be regular and ALWAYS respond to the comments.

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

• Ans.: Not really but yes, it has become an integral part of my life.

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

• Ans.: When I met one of my best friends from the blogging world for the first time I went speechless from pleasure, I felt extremely happy. But one of my sad moments is also from the blog world when I was taken wrongly by one of the bloggers.

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?

• Ans.: I would like to go to Himalayas for I love snow clad peaks, Switzerland for its natural beauty and Egypt for its pyramids with my family and friends.

Dhara Shah

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

• Ans.: I do watch movies but not regularly. Recently I saw “Decalogue”, a collection of 10 short films presented to me by my best friend. Awesome is the only word for it.

Q: How has blogging helped you other than money?

• Ans.: It has helped showcase my talent and has got me a lot of friends. I couldn’t have asked for more.

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

• Ans.: My sensitive nature… or probably not!

Q: What is your deepest fear?

• Ans.: I would out live my spouse.

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

• Ans.: Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

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

• Ans.: I hardly watch TV. And I like hindi movie gazals, but they are so many that it will be difficult to pick just a few.

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

• Ans.: Thirty four rupees and fifty paise.

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

• Ans.: Khichdi with Buttermilk is what I like the most, but would drool over chocolate truffle cake and pizza all the same. I don’t like non-vegetarian food (though I haven’t tasted it!).

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

• Ans..: It depends how you take it. Too much of anything is bad but technology has made our lives easy and there’s no doubt about it.

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

• Ans..: NEXT??? It’s already a big thing. Now something else will come to replace it. Something new, something better!

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

• Ans..: Be happy and safe always.