The Blogophiles

It started off as an outlet for their creativity, a space to document their thoughts and passions with no volition for fame or money. Let’s face it; there are a lot of a bloggers out there. The blogosphere is abuzz with travellers, fashionistas, foodies, photographers, movie buffs and occasional hipsters who provide an incredible sense of value to the people around them and in the virtual world. They are a part of the growing tribe of bright, young things who prefer to live outside the stencil, building on their unconventional thoughts, all the while dedicating much time to their blog.

Blogging has finally come of age in India. Serious bloggers are now asked for their take on those topics that they are well-versed with and for which their blog has come to be known for. Dhruvi Shah, the blogger behind Alice Wandering (alicewandering. wordpress.com) says, “I have noticed a shift in importance and seriousness when it comes to bloggers. Blogger meets are organised, bloggers’ opinions are taken into account and they are approached to cover important events. Brands tie up with bloggers and both benefit from the exercise. It’s great. It’s a new, vibrant space and I’m glad bloggers are being taken seriously. Eventually, we all want our voice to be heard and our opinion taken into account, so it’s great that we’re being taken seriously!”

Living the lifestyle
There was a time when Dhruvi worked as a columnist and feature writer with the magazine Filmfare, where she wrote about the styling of film characters, costume designers’ thoughts and directors’ takes, all the while executing and styling for photo shoots. She quit her job to start her blog Alice Wandering in 2010. The dearth of blogs that offered a dual focus on fashion and films prompted her to start one of her own. “I figured that I’d have to write what I wanted to read about,” she says of her preblogging days. “A dear friend lovingly called me Alice. I sort of took on the name as a pseudonym. Since the blog was going to be about my adventures, I decided to call it Alice Wandering,” she reminisces. As the blog gained popularity, everyone started associating it with Alice in Wonderland – a book that she loves and a movie she’s crazy about. Today, it has evolved into a lifestyle blog that covers the entire spectrum from the latest film and food reviews and contests with exciting giveaways to pop culture and fashion inspirations. For Dhruvi, whose blog serves as a creative vent, the desire to experiment and the burst of ideas is the motivation behind her regular blog posts. “I blog about putting together pieces from my closet at times. When I’m inspired, I blog,” she explains. Opportunities came flowing in along in the way. Dhruvi teamed up with a fellow blogger and started ‘The Rabbit Hole’, a venture that organises garage sales for the fashion conscious across Mumbai. She has also been approached to write guest film reviews for widely read websites and newspapers. “The process of blogging has helped me evolve. My sense of style has become more refined; as a writer, my style has changed in that it caters to people who love to engage in conversation with a writer. I’m often told that reading my blog is like talking to me and that’s a huge compliment! Blogging has definitely helped me evolve as a person,” concludes Dhruvi.

The digital nomad
A few years ago when Ruchika Vyas was constantly asked to help plan trips for her friends, she realised that a blog would be an effective way to share travel stories and to offer an objective viewpoint of what to expect when travelling to a certain destination. Traveller Stories (travellerstories.com) was the outcome of just this. A published travel writer by profession and an amateur photographer, Ruchika also happens to be the owner of a chocolaterie for two years. “Blogging is an easy medium for sharing one’s travels with the world. My intention was to share stories and hear others on the way, so as to make travelling an even more enjoyable experience,” she says. For Ruchika, travelling offers a sense of liberation and she hopes to continue helping readers plan their trips and enjoy them to the fullest because she sincerely believes that travelling is a must for all. A photo feature of Sula Vineyards’ Sula Fest, solo travelling tips, travel book recommendations and reviews of destinations as diverse as Kargil, Brussels and The Maldives are just some of the interesting reads. And, if you haven’t made it to the Louvre yet, this blogger has gone all out and posted a virtual museum tour. On the subject of bloggers being taken seriously by the media today, she ecstatically says, “I think it is a good change. I’ve heard of many people acquiring jobs based on their blogs and that is incredible! It’s great to see blogging become such an effective platform for writers as it lets them voice their opinions their way.”

Street style savant
Fashion blogs are plentiful but only a few stand out with their quirky styles. While those that showcase street style are ubiquitous all over the world, for India, street fashion seems to have finally come into its own with Wearabout (wearabout.wordpress.com), a blog that serves as a documentation of sorts, featuring street fashion that catches the fancy of Manou, the blog’s creator. The blog not only covers stylish people walking about town but also those who have no clue that their daily garb can make a fashion statement. Manou clearly has an eye for unmasking the individuality in people – from construction workers to urban fashionistas – in their natural settings. Interestingly, this NIFT student’s post-college days included work as a graphic designer, photographer and copywriter before he took off to Auroville for a two-month teaching stint. For Manou, the inspiration behind Wearabout was the creation of a platform to share photographs that he had taken during his stay in Dharamshala where he volunteered for a few months. Monks, travellers and locals donning colourful textures and patterns found a place on this blog. One can browse through the extensive photo features of people wearing all sorts of scarves or carrying umbrellas in different prints and  hues. Things obviously fell in place, for today, Manou’s blog has a good number of profiles of interesting people that he has met along the way at fashion events. “So far it’s been a simple documentation. But it’s hard to run a blog for long and not get personal with it. So sometimes it may reflect in some posts but it’s rare. It’s always been difficult for me to share my feelings with people I am not close to. But I am coming to terms with it and that might change,” explains Manou. Like every writer, he experiences writer’s block. “I have gone without blogging for 20 days, considering the fact that I myself don’t know how to deal with it. Although sometimes, sitting and working at a coffee shop helps,” he says. When asked for tips on how to create a space like he has done with Wearabout he says, “I use a simple font, a clean layout, a constant size for all photos and try to blog regularly. I got my blog page on Facebook and Twitter too. I’m usually not a very confident person so I don’t push anything. I let things be and take their own course.” Bloggers come under the critical scanner at times and most treat critique as a penny for their thoughts. “I  like critics as long as they have something constructive to say. If there is no logic behind the criticism, then it’s pointless,” concludes Manou. These bloggers call a spade a spade, upsetting a few along the way, but mostly succeed at inspiring people for the best part. This is how movements are started and fans – true fans – are created.

Volume 1 Issue 8