Friday, September 11, 2015

Blogging – My Lifeline

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Since last few days, one thought which was constantly coming to my mind was to write how blogging has liberated me. Yes, you read it right, blogging has liberated me. It has become my lifeline. I still was in the process of structuring my thoughts that I saw this announcement from BlogAdda, where the thoughts are welcomed on how bloggers celebrate blogging  (#CelebrateBlogging). Thanks BlogAdda for igniting the thoughts.

What a powerful metaphor of celebration has been used. Indeed Blogging is a celebration. It has become such an integral part of my life now. But if I have to convey how blogging has liberated me, I must convey its prelude as well.

I absolutely remember, I was going through a very low phase of my life. The last quarter of 2013, I was emotionally vulnerable and physically unwell. Hormonal imbalance kept creating lot of mood swings. Body was taking my emotional troubles’ toll on itself, every 10th day, I was down with fever, cough and cold. Was I falling into depression, yes, I think so. I kept wondering, how to pull me out of these turbulent times. Things were not that bright.

It was 31st December, 2013… a very cold night, the whole world was in midst of New Year celebrations, my body was showing its own ways of responding to emotional vulnerabilities, and I chose to slip inside blanket hoping to catch up sleep. Had complete trust that my sleep would heal me, but to my dismay, I kept on coughing, unable to sleep. Turning sides on my bed, a thought came to my mind: Do I want to welcome New Year on a grumpy note or I should own my situations, and do something to bring a positive change to my life. I chose the second option and that moment changed my life forever.

Being a movie buff, I always used to feel the urge to write my opinions, feelings about a movie. I always used to look at reviewers and critics with great envy and imagine myself giving voice to my feelings about the movies. I had even attempted doing short-term workshop on Media Management so that I could try my hand in Print / Electronic Media. But life took its own course, I chose to be an entrepreneur running my Corporate Training Consultancy. Although very happy with professional decisions, personally a movie reviewer always peeped out to express itself. I used to wonder, how, where and to whom I can convey my thoughts and feelings about a movie. And that is how, this whole concept of starting a movie blog came into my mind.  

Being an absolutely non-technical person, sitting on my bed at midnight, I had to google on how to make / design a blog, read articles, made my blog www.moviereviewsbybinduc.blogspot.in and finally wrote my first movie review – Drishyam (Malayalam movie, which is now remade in Hindi as Ajay Devgan Starrer Drishyam, In Tamil as Kamal Hassan Papanasam etc.). I published my first post on 1st January, 2014, 4 am. I still cherish that moment. I celebrated my new year by starting this blog, and I was on the top of the world. My journey of celebration started…

Little did I know that where my blogging could take me ahead. For me, blogging was just a media of my expression and to combat my own voids of loneliness, pain and to feel satisfied by the very fact that I could use my day in an optimally productive manner.

Today when I write this blog, I have completed almost 20 months of blogging. This has given me lot of space to express myself. I am amazed at the tremendous opportunities available to me as a blogger. There are so many sparkling moments which give me lot of high as a blogger. There are so many reasons to celebrate blogging.

One of the best thing which has happened is blogging has earned me so many good friends, whom I haven’t met in real life but know them so well through their wonderful works. Today, we connect through our blogs, interact on various philosophies of lives, share our interests, achievements, losses etc. Isn’t it a great reason to celebrate?

I started as a movie review blogger, but today, I feel there is no dearth of topics on which I can express myself. It is just that 24 hours at times seem to be less. Every piece of writing, be it on movies, food, book, travel, event, product… when written and gets a ‘like’, ‘comment’, ‘retweet’, it turns out to be a celebration. When my dear friends express that they rely on my opinion, I count it as a big blessing.

Every blogger meet, event turns out to be a celebration in itself. Meeting fellow bloggers, hosts, and celebrities gives immense joy.

I would like to share a few moments of high as a movie review blogger, moments of celebration. The very first connection with the film world started when I wrote review of a movie called ‘W’ and one of its lead actress LezlieTripathy got connected to me. She is a very very dear friend of mine today. This year, got an opportunity to be a Social Media Volunteer for a great film based on relationships – Barefoot to Goa and got connected to its filmmaker Praveen Morchhale. This further got me a great list of wonderful friends. Got to attend IIFA event launch at Delhi and Jagaran Film Festival. Jagaran Film Festival was an experience in itself, watching movies along with filmmakers / cast followed by discussions. IIFA and Jagaran Film Festival was a ‘Selfie-celebration’ for me to meet and click with different film personalities viz. Anil Kapoor, Anant Mahadevan, Pooja Bhatt, Sanjay Mishra, Piyush Mishra, Neeraj Ghaywan (Masaan Fame), Richa Chaddha, Vicky Kaushal, Udit Narayan, Ayushman Khurrana… O, I love each and every photograph with these personalities. Offlate have earned friendship of filmmaker Ra Raajasegar (Jippaa Jimikki) and Tanima Bhattacharya (Saankal)...  Enough for me to celebrate my blogging.

My Selfie Celebration

One of the latest moments which touched me was when my review was quoted in PVR Press release of ‘Gour Hari Dastaan’ in Mumbai Newspapers. And filmmaker Anant Mahadevan tweeted back to me. There are so many moments…





Today, when I write this article, I am experiencing lot of joy. I have been nominated for one of the most prestigious Bloggers’ award (BlogAdda, #WIN15) in the Entertainment category. Winning or losing the award doesn’t matter to me, the nomination itself is making me feel great. Sharing the nomination with fellow bloggers means a lot. I want to just go on and on…

Feel absolutely blessed to get the attention of so many people from different walks of life for my blog – actors, musicians, singers, filmmakers, writers, friends… My blog changed my world positively and the space where I used to be. Blog has fetched me so much of happiness. The word ‘loneliness’ doesn’t feature anymore in my dictionary. I feel so much connected to myself and the world.

So, what do you feel after reading this? Isn’t blogging all about celebration? Indeed it is. For me, blogging is indeed my lifeline.

“I am writing for #WIN15 – BlogAdda’s Blog Awards on how to #CelebrateBlogging! You should too!”




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