To inspire is to do one of the most wonderful things in the world. Who would understand this better than Anandita De, who’s own journey from flab to fab has been so inspiring and spectacular. Her blog Risqué is a reflection of her love and dedication towards fitness. We catch up with Anandita who has established herself as one of the most sought-after fitness bloggers in the industry.
Please share with our readers on how you went about creating your blog Risqué and what does it mean to you?
It all started with me creating a personal Instagram page where my workout videos started gaining a lot of traffic and attraction. If I didn’t post once in a while then people would ask me and express their interest and inspiration they felt after watching my workout videos. Another personal story which touched my heart is when my mother’s carpet person from Kashmir asked her about my workout videos. She comes from a very small town in Kashmir and it was nice to see the reach of my blog widen so much. I also got to know through my friend that an A-lister Bollywood superstar’s sister asked about my workout videos. So I could see it reaching a whole wide spectrum, that’s when I decided to startRisque. My sister assured me that it would be a great idea to take it forward and we went about with the inception which took quite some time. Initially, I did feel a little apprehensive but once I broke out of that and started being more natural and spontaneous, I could see my blog blossoming. It is constantly growing and I am very happy with the response.
How does Risqué operate? Could you elaborate on the writings and operations of the blog?
Social media, I believe, is the biggest thing right now. I put up something daily on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram that help me grab eyeballs. I write at least two articles a week. Initially, I used to write every day. Then I realized that if there is too much going on the blog everyday, then your readers get distracted. So, I invest a lot of time on research and go around looking for quirky stories. So the content gets a very approachable and reader-friendly base. To generate that sort of drive and to get that sort of voice to come out, it takes a lot of research. The whole point of a blog is to make it as a reflection of me which people will be able to relate to. It has no demographic barriers and for everyone to enjoy and share. It also has a live chat room where people can reach out to me if they wish.
You primarily talk about fashion and fitness. Could you tell us about your most popular blog post that gained the most readership?
I think it is the one where I talk about dressing up for the curved body. Because, invariably, that is how we are structured as Indians. I wanted to reach out to people who are born with that shape and help them to dress up accordingly, flattering the body type. A great number of people have reached out to me after the blog. I also received fan mail and feel touched to have reached and inspired so many people.
How do you plan to nurture your blog and where do you want it to reach, one fine day?
I think fit-sion which implies fitness meeting fashion is something I have spoken about since the day of the launch. So when people think of the term fit-sion, I want them to think of me and my blog. I also want them to incorporate fit-sion in their lives as it is one of the biggest things right now. An example of this is how people want to look glamorous but also stay comfortable which has led to the growth of the athleisure style.
Could you tell us more about Ana’s escapades?
Ana’s escapades could be anything from street market to high-profile events. It has a certain twist to it, with a bit of humor. Whether I saw a passerby on the street do something funny or somebody wearing something ridiculous at a high-profile event, I write about it in this section. So the motive behind it, is reaching out to people with them having fun reading this content.
Since you have been such a successful blogger and have garnered so many learnings over time please share with us the do’s and don’ts?
I would say be real and be original. It might sound cliché but one must actually follow these things. The whole point of a blog is to be unconventional and speak your mind. Another aspect of this is believing that you will be a better version of yourself. Along with that comes confidence in what you believe in. The combination of these things work really well. Also, people should use social media in the right sense of the word. Sometimes, social media can be deceptive but if you are real then you only gain more love. I would say, if you get trollers then use love as a medium because hatred will never favor you.
