Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: January the 2^nd 2006. I had a huge number of photographs from shoots all over the world and felt I needed to tell their stories.

Q: What topics do you generally blog about?

A:  Any story that needs a voice, and any element of lived experience that I can give a voice, through my photography or films.

Q: Do you ever get stuck when writing an entry?  What do you do then?

A: No.

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

A: I try to but sometimes I do not if I feel the request intrusive.

Q: How, in general, would you rate the quality of Indian blogs? Share your favourite five blogs.

A: I don’t read too many blogs and don’t have any favourites.

Q: What do you find to be the most gratifying aspect of blogging?

A: Sharing my stories, views and feelings about things is sometimes cathartic, often fulfilling and occasionally gratifying.

Q:  ‘I liked holding the camera up to my face and hiding behind it’ – The wedding images were the product of your experiences of love. Is it important for a photographer to visualise before he shoots?

A: I don’t think so.

Q: Which genre of photography would you rate as your favorite and why?

A: I enjoy documentary, fine art and editorial photography

Q: What is the hardest photo shoot you have done?  Also, can you share with us a photo shoot that was particularly fun or enjoyable?

A: I have never found taking photographs difficult. I enjoy the process too much  as it allows me to watch everything, including myself as I take images.

I enjoyed taking photos in Papua New Guinea and of Aghori sadhus

Q: What is the best part about being a photographer? What would you have done if not photography?

A: It gives me the freedom to express myself, see the results of my work in other peoples lives. Also women love it, and I have loads of free time. If not photography I’d write or make films which I do anyway.

Q: How does it feel to be a part of the esteemed group of TED speakers? You are going to speak on ‘Power of Stories’. Can you elaborate on it for the benefit of our community?

A: Sometimes focusing on what’s heroic, beautiful and dignified regardless of context can magnify these intangibles in a stories audience, in the protagonists of the story itself  and  in the storyteller and that’s the power of storytelling.

Q: You have traveled all over the world. Share with us your top 5 destinations where you enjoyed photography.

A: For me its not the destination but the story that’s important. I have enjoyed shooting stories in many countries but some that I enjoyed more than others maybe are the

• Afghanistan addiction
• The Afghanistan heroin trade
• Some stories in Thailand, some in Papua New Guinea
• One on prisons in the US.

Q: You are a documentary film maker. Not all photographers are also documentary film makers. Photography or Film Making, what do you enjoy the most and why?

A: I enjoy both processes but personally prefer photography as it allows me to work alone.

Q: India has a lot of scope for wildlife documentaries due to its varied flora and fauna. Why don’t we see many Indians with their documentaries in Nat-Geo, Discovery and other channels?

A: I have no idea but its changing fast.

Q: Let’s conclude off with a few favorites.

Color: Off White

Movie: “Thin Red line” and “The Mission”

TV Show: None

Book: Too many but “Night – Elie Wiesel” and books by Karen Armstrong are amongst my favourites

Time of Day: Twilight

Sun Sign: Libra

Thank you Ryan for the interview and taking time from your busy schedule. Hope you had a rolliciking time at TED India. We are sure our readers would get a lot of insights of photography from you.

Connect with: Blog, Flickr

Related posts:

1. Interview with Satish Vijaykumar of BombayLives
2. Interview with Priyanka aka Twilight Fairy
3. Interview with Gul Panag

I never quite understood the point of blogging; it was like an open diary to the world. Why would anyone want to pen their feelings in a portal for the World Wide Web to read? It made no sense. However, as much as I claim that I’m a non-conformist, I finally succumbed and found myself lost in blogging world. The benefits, I soon learnt were phenomenal and most importantly, it allowed myself to speak my mind.

Very quickly I was sucked into constant blogging; whether it was my day, an issue that bothered me or even some nippy trivia that humored me. So off I went happily down the lane to Blogger Avenue getting more and more sucked in.

With social networking taking over the internet, blogging felt like just another trend which would soon fade into oblivion. Wrong. While social networking sites have gained much popularity, it is the blogging world that has become one to beckon with.

Like any other blogger, I too found myself engrossed by the uniqueness behind the concept of blogging.

But the benefits proved to be much larger than merely a portal from which one could pen thoughts. I found myself constantly reading or rather educating myself with greater ideas that were unknown to me.

My personal blog began as an outlet to voice my opinions. Over time I found myself searching for blogs all over the internet simply because I wanted to be inspired. And it wasn’t just literary inspiration I was hungry for but new ideas and ideal which blogging managed to do.

My personal blog began as an outlet to voice my opinions.

For example, I one day managed to stumble over Shobhaa De’s blog which is filled with humorous and more serious material. Compared to what she usually writes, De’s blog was more natural and free flowing. From then on, I was exposed to a new brand and genre of writing. And it didn’t necessarily have to be a celebrity blog; even more interesting were those blogs who didn’t hold a famous last name.

There is no editing, no barriers and certainly no word count involved in blogging.

After a while, it seemed that blogging had gained an immense amount of importance because of the uniqueness it possessed. There is no editing, no barriers and certainly no word count involved in blogging.

I am reminded of an I.T. term I was taught in high school: WYSIWYG. Decoded the acronym stood for: What You See Is What You Get. Simply put blogging is just that; writing it as you see it with no boundaries.

Google “Blogging” and the number of definitions are infinite. But ultimately the experience that blogging brings is personal and exclusive to every individual.

Personally, the blogging world opened up a range of new ideas, themes and people. Through a variety of blogs, I have managed to formulate new friendships through blogging in the form of comments which have lead to meaningful discussion and even arguments. Needless to say, they have gone from educational to nasty and even borderline warzone but the groups that have formed from these blogersations, have been incredibly exceptional because of the manner in which they were created. And it wasn’t just mere friendships that were created; associations formed and ideas were shared simultaneously. One could choose to accept, reject or debate these ideas but ignore, you could not.

Google “Blogging” and the number of definitions are infinite. But ultimately the experience that blogging brings is personal and exclusive to every individual. Looking for a way to express yourself or an interesting set of online bloggers who share your passion then blogging is for you. The definition is yours to classify and yours to vary; there is no limit to blogging.

About Roshni Mulchandani: Write, write and write. That’s all I love to do. Blogging of course, makes up a big part of my weekly writing assignments. Now I find myself blogging when for every small or big reason, for no rhyme or reason and for every purpose. And when I’m not blogging myself, I sit in front of my laptop reading random blogs which give me inspire me to blog yet again.

Catch Roshni at Blog, Twitter and BlogAdda

Do write to us at guestblogger (at) blogadda.com,  if you are interested to be a guest blogger. You can also read some earlier guest posts by Ashu Mittal, Kanupriya, Sukhdeep, Andrea, Komal Nishka, Dr C H Asrani, Shiv, Sachin Khosla and Cuckoo

Related posts:

1. Live Blogging – Mumbai Terrorist Attacks
2. Interview with Ritu of Weaving a Web
3. What is Social Media and How can you use it to promote your Blog?

• Who : D
  What : Wrongs and Child Rights
  Tangy: This awesome post by ‘D’ addresses two issues. Firstly, how can one entrust the upbringing of their child to a third person? Secondly, how can you exploit an underprivileged child for your personal benefit?

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• Who : Kamal
  What : Marriage, The History & The Present
  Tangy : What does the term Marriage mean to you? Some define it as an institute. But Kamal thinks its personal. This post is about what Kamal feels about ‘Marriage’. It is a must read post.

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• Who : Charakan
  What : Newspaper columns for sale
  Tangy : Yesterday MNS and other political parties hogged the limelight. Media got a story for the evening. How many of you feel that Media and newspapers sometimes report stories which are paid for? Charakan has this very informative and well researched post on it. You gotta read this.

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• Who : Ashwathy
  What : Matrimonial mish-mashes – Part II
  Tangy : Ashwathy as every woman in India faces the all familiar situation where Parents cheekily try to convey the message that its time for you to get married. Ashwathy has posted this conversation which you all will enjoy reading. Ashwathy, do let us know when your parents finally coax you.

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• Who : Gyanban
  What : Smiles
  Tangy : A smile is a facial expression formed by flexing those muscles most notably near both ends of the mouth. is how it is defined in Wikipedia. Gyanban has posted the various types of smiles one encounters in our day to day life. What kind of smile do you have?

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• Who : Iggy
  What : Ek Auto story
  Tangy : To all those who commute by Auto in India, here is a tutorial for you by Iggy. Iggy tells you the kind of Auto Drivers you would encounter. A must read tutorial indeed.

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• Who : Prerna
  What : Think of Yudhishtir and B+
  Tangy : LOL! Yudhistira and Duryodhan make a comeback again in this Kalyug in Prerna’s world. This is one awesome post where Prerna has conveyed what she feels about all the recent headline grabbing news. Prerna, we would like to know when Krishna comes to your dreams and tells you the solution to the problem.

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• Who : Gurudev Prasad
  What : Mr. Rao
  Tangy : Gurudev has this must read post where the plot revolves around the life of a cab driver Mr Rao. We have many ‘Mr Rao’s’ in our country who are looking for employment and do jobs like these to support the family.

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• Who : Parul Sharma
  What : How to bake a cake and end up with a mess in ten easy steps
  Tangy : We don’t need to say more as the title says it all. Parul has given ten steps to bake a cake and end up with a mess. A very enjoyable read.

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Thanks to Indian Homemaker for continuously tipping us such awesome posts.

Week after week, we have regulars who take the effort to tip us (you can write to us as well) dedicatedly and write some amazing posts. Do support them by reading their posts and commenting!

Our Regulars

1. A trip of a lifetime by Avada
2. If I were a baby again by Shankar
3. If I were a baby again by Vipul Grover
4. If I were a baby again by Shruti

Do not miss the Spicy Saturday Picks, and the Perky Tweets. Do not miss the must read EXCLUSIVE interview of Payal and Priyanka of High Heel Confidential.  Do write to us if you wish to see something different and we will surely work on your feedback. You can contact us using our Contact form or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.  Do not miss our TED dashboard, where you can catch all the live action!

Related posts:

1. BlogAdda’s Tangy Tuesday Picks – Sep. 8, ‘09
2. BlogAdda’s Tangy Tuesday Picks – Sep. 22, ‘09
3. BlogAdda’s Tangy Tuesday Picks – Sep. 15, ‘09

@Infosys
Hans Rosling: The message for India:Dont forget the poor in Uttar Pradesh! #Diversity is India’s primary strength

@RichardAlderson
If you want to talk about issues that are important to the world, it has to be done in the form of art – Mallika Sarabhai

@mhisham
“Art has to be entertaining first, everything else, is secondary” quote by Mallika Sarabhai…….

@TEDIndia
R.A. Mashelkar: To innovate, we need to learn how to get “more from less.………………………………………………..

@amnigos
Not just Innovation but compassion & passion are needed to create value for many – R. A. Mashelkar…………………….

@TEDIndia
Tony Hsieh (Zappos CEO): Inspire ur employees by building a culture they want to be a part of.

@leohemanth
Tony Hsieh:-Step back from business and ask yourself, “What is my goal in life?”………………….

@brainpicker
“Farmers alone seem forgotten. But farmers aggregated are a force.” Intuit’s Scott Cook

@bits_pankaj
Scott Cook: Farmers in India often don’t have access to price data — we capture that data & text it to their mobile phones

@MoneyMunot
Amazing!!! Harsha Bhogle was at #TEDIndia just a while back and now commentating at the game! Ind vs Aus!!

@toxicadiva
Haha Harsha Bhogle on Cheerleaders of IPL – “everyone secretly watchd em but everyone claimed not to” LOL

@brainpicker
Cricket is the world’s longest-running soap opera.” – Harsha Bhogle ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

@TEDNews
Pranav Mistry: Imagination is the only limit in merging this technology with real life. .

@FollowSamir
Ryan Lobo: Storytelling is about focusing on what’s dignified and courageous, no matter what the context

@maritacheng
Chris Anderson has such a lovely soul – so humble and giving. @TEDChris Thanks for bringing us TED!

@prkworld
It’s not the country with a bigger army that wins, it’s the country that tells a better story

@robots_dreams
The meaning of your life is what you make of it: RT @followsamir: Lakshmi Pratury: “We should all be billionaires of moments.” #TEDIndia

@followsamir
In a diverse plural democracy like India, you don’t have to agree on everything; you have to have a consensus on how to disagree

@deepakurup
Three people around me have fallen asleep. Funny how 18 minutes can be so long sometimes, and all too short at other times

@Gauravonomics
Three ideas rediscovered at #tedindia: 1) Live many parallel lives 2) Tell stories to inspire 3) Stay open to inspiration.

@dina
Abhay Deol – thinking woman’s eye candy (paraphrased by Shandana). He’s cute. And seems a lil nervous #tedindia

@annekejong
“this is the first time in all my years of driving in india that i’ve had a police escort.” – our driver

@pragzter
Man, the Infosys Campus is a bit much!! This kind of cleanliness is enviable, and yet doesn’t feel like India!!

@dina
if the city gives to the children, in the future, children will give back to the city

@infosys
Pledge that we will take the good from this conference and spread that and plant it around the world – Karmapa

@tedxshekhawati
We develop grand concepts of happiness, but there are little symbols of happiness in the breath we take – Karmapa

Also here are some interesting session coverage posts from the official TED blog:

1. “Within You, Without You,” the final session of TEDIndia
2. Our Very own Shashi Tharoor
3. The power of Stories

We trust you would have enjoyed the tweets as much as we did compiling them for you. TED fellows received a special goodie bag from TED with Nokia E71, 1500$ gift vouchers and so much more, the attendees did as well with some of the world’s best products. More importantly, they received so much gyaan from the speakers and made friends with fellow TEDsters. If you find more tweets interesting, do let us know in the comments and we will add over here.

Related posts:

1. TED Fellows and TED Speakers from TED India
2. TED India Live Coverage
3. Perky Tweets – Jul. 20, ‘09

@lavsmohan
Explorer who was also an entrepreneur? Vasanthandco da gama  …………………………………………………..

@greatbong
Yuvraj’s dismissal is amazing. First he Kim Sharma’s the ball towards the stumps and then Deepika’s it right onto the stumps.

@_aditya_gupta_
Cricinfo “Jadeja looks for one, Dhoni says no, but there is a single here. Who believes Jadeja’s calls nowadays ?”

@ttemowner
Dumb passenger says… Train driver was very fast and was frequently changing lines… ROFL……………………………

@sajutp
I have no problem keeping secrets. It’s the people I tell.………………………………………….………………………………………

@tantanoo
Misfortune is when you are in a lift with a hot girl and you remember you didn’t put on the AXE deo today

@Kedar9
For the last time plz. When Ismail was asked about new-entry Pravesh, he said “Mujhe Pravesh se bohot acche vibrations mile”

@meow000
I have the simplest tastes……. I am always satisfied with the best. #perkytweets ………………………………………………………….

@_eMeNeF_
Everyone is entitled to be Stupid….but some abuse the privilege #perkytweets ………………………………………………………….

@nkitg
Teacher to Sardar: btao india ka jhanda sb se pehle kahan lehraya gya? Sardar boht dair sochny k bad bola: Hawa me….!!! #perkytweets

@gkmaestro
India’s Agriculture isn’t progressing since the Youth of today is busy farming on Farmville in FB .!!! #perkytweets

@Shachii
Sign outside a bakery: Need dough? Knead dough. #perkytweets..………………………………………………………….………………………………

@iyermatter
@lavsmohan The Karnataka Milk Federation’s Nandini milk parlors have the tagline MILK PLUS MORE

@rohanbabu
Can I grow some weed in Farmville and sell it to those guys in Mafiawars?………………………………………………………….

@rohan107
I want to see triangular series between India, Australia and Sachin Tendulkar. Final will be xciting- Aus and Sachin!

@mohitnanda
I say no to alcohol, it just doesn’t listen. ………………………………………………………………..

@Thej
My Father: Along with Sachin Tendulkar gold also reached 17k yesterday.

………………………………………………………………

Did you enjoy reading the #perkytweets?  Do tip us and make everyone smile. You can also find some amazing tweepls here for you to follow and make friends.
Last week a very interesting hashtag became popular and it had a lot of Indianness in it. The hashtag was #youareanindian and it had all the Indianness in it. We have compiled the best tweets about #youareanindian. Read them and if you think we have missed out something, let us know through commenting.

Here are the #youareanindian tweets

@kedilaya
If you start honking right after the signal turns green, even if there are 10 cars ahead of you

@chetan_bhagat
on jet airplane. One passenger distributing Haldiram sweets to all others, no idea why.

@meghraj_patriot
agar aap dost ki dukaan ke bahar dera jama ke baith te ho toh !………………………………………………………….

@mrityunjonsen
f u r addicted to the indian tv reality shows(copied frm american version) ……………………………

@arindampalit
if you would’nt think of calling a beautiful girl a ‘maal’………………………………………………………………………………

@mithyavadini
if you address all strangers as “Uncle” and “Aunty” ……………………………………………………………………………..

@laharigollakota
If you build temples for cine stars, and give God like status to cricketers ………………………………………………………….

@sumank
if you thought Ayn Rand was a guy. And sidney sheldon, a girl ………………………………………………………….

@twilightfairy
If u goto a chinese/italian restaurant and expect saunf with the bill………………………………………………………….

@sanjana_s
if every reunion u go to, they still play ’summer of 69′ and everybody still sings along!

@nikhilnarayanan
If Hawaii is a chappal brand and not a place. ………………………………………………………….

@chuck_gopal
if you start filtering out ladies by caste before hitting on them so you don’t upset your parents

@kadambariyer
if you buy jeans at Levi’s but fight with the subziwaala and rickshawaala over Rs. 5.

@Soravjain
if you have fake ids on Yahoo Messenger to search a date ………………………………………………………….

@raviscerator
if the first thing you ask a relative/friend coming from abroad, is to bring you “foreign chocolates”

@VJ1987
Mile sur mera tumhara, #youareanindian and you will never be able to get this tune out of your head

@Soravjain
if you can confidently give someone directions to an address you really do not know

@cockybox
if you talk in English after being drunk or coming face to face with a pretty girl

@vaibhavlodha
if you buy a GPS for a weekend from Walmart and return it on Monday after your trip is over.

@milcolm_
if you ride your bike through the Footpath in the heart of the National Capital!

Perky Tweets are being seen at the following places:

• People are using perky tweets as their Gtalk/Yahoo IM status.
• They are also spotted as the status updates at Facebook and LinkedIn.
• Perky Tweets are being circulated via SMS.
• Everyone is using these to smile and make others smile too!

Related posts:

1. Perky Tweets – Nov. 2, ‘09
2. Perky Tweets – Oct. 12, ‘09
3. Perky Tweets – Oct. 5, ‘09

• Who : Mamma Mia
  What : Nightmare in London
  Spicy : London Dreams, the multi starrer musical was released last week. Mamma Mia has a lot of things to say about the movie and the casting. For all those who have seen the movie your views are appreciated . Thank you IHM for the tip

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• Who : Neeraj Shinde
  What : Marathi Manus, Lead or Misled?
  Spicy : This post is a must read for all of us so that none of us get into regionalism. It is important for all of us to realize that we are ‘Indians’ first and then comes our States, where we live. Neeraj has this post with a very strong and relevant message. Neeraj, it’s applaudable for someone to raise and write about it.

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• Who : Prashant Mehta
  What : If I were a baby again
  Spicy : LOL! Imagine that we get into a time machine or drink a potion given by Bhagwan Khusi that takes us back to our childhood days. Prashant has done ejjactly that and the way he has described the chronicle makes it a sure read.

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• Who : Gyanban
  What : 936 words
  Spicy : A perfect start, well defined characters, a plot and a perfect ending makes a perfect story. We have one of those by Gyanban who has written this amazing post. We are sure you’ll enjoy reading them. 

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• Who : Sugar Cube
  What : Fevicol & Jinx
  Spicy : This humorous post by Sugar Cube starts with Fevicol  and ends with a jinx. This is a random but a feel good post. Enjoy reading the post. Also, read some more interesting earlier ones there.

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• Who : Zeenat Syal
  What : Sleepless Nights- Natural Cures
  Spicy : How many of us at some point of life have faced sleepless nights? It may be due to various reasons. Zeenat has posted some natural cures for it. Read it and then start enjoying your sleep.

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• Who : Bala
  What : Wake Up!!
  Spicy : Bala has returned to our weekly picks with an another hard hitting post filled with truths. This time it is about schools and the fees they charge. It is a post against the schooling system in India and we are sure that our readers would have an opinion on this. Do let him know.

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• Who : Preeti Shenoy
  What : Pencil Portraits
  Spicy : Preeti Shenoy is known for her amazing blogposts, books and interview . But what we came to know through this post is that she is an amazing artist as well. Moreover, she suggests a method for newbies to learn to draw potraits quickly.

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• Who : Shivya
  What : The creeper
  Spicy : Shivya has this poem about ‘The Creeper’ where she has crafted the life of a creeper in a very poetic way. Read it twice to understand and absorb the message that she wants to impart. A brilliant poem, Shivya. You should be writing often!

We get a few tips everyday (you can write to us as well) dedicatedly from some awesome bloggers who write some amazing posts. They just keep dishing such wonderful posts and we are here to do the best for them.

1. If I were a Baby again by Rahul Sharma

We will continue to serve you the Best Indian Blog Posts and the Best Interviews week after week. Do not forget to check out our Dashboards on Bollywood, Indian Interior Designs, Indian CEO blogs.

If you come across any interesting post or tweet and want to share, you can tip us on Twitter or contact us here and we will credit you for the selected pick. Have an awesome weekend ahead.

Related posts:

1. BlogAdda’s Spicy Saturday Picks – Sep. 5, ‘09
2. BlogAdda’s Spicy Saturday Picks – Aug. 15, ‘09
3. BlogAdda’s Spicy Saturday Picks – Oct. 24, ‘09

Q: When and why did you start blogging?

A: This blog came into being in August of 2007 and when we started blogging, in all seriousness, it was just for fun… a place to discuss fashion and throw opinions/views/verdicts at each other. Once it began to take off, we found that we were in a niche that was still quite unexplored and so we decided to make the blog a go-to place for all things fashion with relevance to the Indian scene.

Q: What topics do you generally blog about?

A: Always fashion. And always that which is current in or relevant to the Indian scene.

Q: Do you ever get stuck when writing an entry?  What do you do then?

A: Many a time. Especially on slow news days. Or on days when it’s just the same celebrities making an appearance event after event (especially when there is a upcoming release to promote) and you pretty much run out of things to say. We sit back, take a breather and just get back to it. It helps that we have each other to lend perspective. And nothing works faster on a writer’s block than a good dry martini.

Q: What promotional techniques work best for you and why?

A: Believe it or not, we’ve never used promotional techniques; word of mouth has been a strong influence in getting us our readership. A big thanks goes to all those who have told that one other person about our site and continue to do so.

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

A: Very. That’s what separates a blog from say conventional media where there is a lag between the content and readers/viewers reaction to it. Here, reactions/comebacks etc. are always instant.

Ideally, we’d love to address each and every comment but considering it is just us two vs many, it becomes near impossible to do. Plus, every free second we get to ourselves, we are always hunting down material for the next post.

Q: How, in general, would you rate the quality of Indian blogs? Share your favourite five blogs.

A: Blogging in India is still in it’s nascent stages but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some great blogs out there. In fact, we have so many favorites, narrowing it down to just five is a toughie! Our favorites include:

• Miss Malini (She makes us want  to meet up with her for a drink)
  Latest Post: Brad Pitt & GQ Bar Night
• Within / Without (Nobody does nostalgia better)
  Latest Post: Coal, mines and beauty
• The Compulsive Confessor (Makes for a fun read)
  Latest Post: Why I am like a woman who has been married for a hundred years EXPLAINED!
• Rang Decor (A visual treat)
  Latest Post: Vermilion House
• An Indian Summer (Another absolute visual treat)
  Latest Post: Umm…couple of tickets to Brazil please..

Q: High Heel Confidential – How did the inspiration for the name come by and do something unique like this?

A: We can’t honestly remember how the name popped up but it totally stuck.

As for the inspiration behind the blog, we just started off with generic fashion related posts until the day we posted about an appearance of Kareena Kapoor’s. Suddenly we saw a peak in visitors and the comments. We realized there were others like us who were looking for a place to discuss and dissect fashion and the fashionable. We picked a corner and decided to call it home.

Q: As you started, High Heel Confidential was writing more about Fashion Accessories. Today, we have companies like Bagsutra who offer luxury handbag rental service. Would love to have your views on this evolution.

A: Luxury bag rentals like Bag Borrow or Steal have been around for a while and it was inevitable that India would catch up. With the influx of global luxury brands, most people have become more label conscious and aspire for a piece of that luxury. While it isn’t possible for a vast majority to drop the hundreds or thousands of dollars on one single bag, renting them makes it a far more attractive and attainable option for many. It’s just one aspect of it though. Over time, people have become more aware of international fashion scene and are beginning to interpret it in a way that’s suitable to their lifestyle.

Q: According to you what defines fashion? What are the fashion parameters by which you judge a dress or a collection?

A: Usually what defines ‘fashion’ is only fleeting, heavily dependent on cyclical and seasonal trends and influences. While it may be the ‘it’ thing that works that season, only innate style stands the test of time. There are no parameters as such… while looking at a collection we go by the freshness, innovativeness, interpretation of a trend or sparking off of one, the innate style sensibility the clothes carry and more than anything else, what appeals to us. Fashion and style being so subjective are hard to justify.

Q: Payal and Priyanka, have you done any formal course on fashion or does this come to your naturally? What are the things one needs to emphasize on, when writing as a fashion critic?

A: No, we have absolutely no formal training in any Fashion related field… all that we know comes only from our own passion for it, our taste for it and having educated ourselves on it over time.

When writing as a fashion critic it’s important to remember two things. One, it isn’t always about you. Just because you like it and think it’s the next best thing, it needn’t translate the same with others. Sometimes, it’s about what works on XYZ irrespective of your own likes and dislikes. XYZ might look great in a dress you hate and you’ve got to be able to make that call.

Two, one must separate the celebrity from the clothes. Just coz your favorite star wears a particular outfit doesn’t automatically elevate the outfit.

Q: What kind of Fashion Style do you see becoming the trend in the coming days? How do you think Bollywood fashion has changed from the 80’s to present and what are your views about the Page 3 style currently?

A: Sequins, exposed zippers, ruffles, exaggerated shoulders and velvet. All big for fall.

Eighties weren’t easy on most of us but fashion being what it is, eighties have made a huge comeback this season, in an updated avatar of course, thank God. We’ve come a long way baby. Most of us anyway!

There is no broad-term Page 3 style but there are those who always get it right, those that never do, those who are stuck in a rut and those who don’t shy away from experimenting. Either way, for us fashion voyeurs looking in from the outside, it all makes for a great visual tableau.

Q: You say a lot of good and bad things about how the bollywood stars dress up. Can you share with us some experiences which happened as a result of a post from your blog?

A: During the course of blogging we’ve established contact with some designers who sportingly engage  in dialogue with us and even encourage us. And then there are some celebrities who aren’t really happy with what we do. You can’t win ‘em all.

Q: How difficult is it to get hold of all these wonderful pictures and then analyze without any disparity? What do you do when you are not doing this?

A: Getting pictures isn’t the difficult part, what’s really is time consuming is putting them in context that’s relevant to the blog. When we aren’t working on the blog, we are still working on the blog! It’s a 24/7 gig.

Q: Who are the designers out there that you admire? Who among the Indian Glitterati is the best and the worst dressed and why?

A: Valentino Garavani, Oscar De La Renta, Hubert Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Coco Chanel, Madame Grès, Halston, Sabyasachi, Manish Arora, Anamika Khanna, Ritu Kumar and Kavita Bhartia.

Everyone has their good and bad days but Twinkle Khanna, Sonam Kapoor, Kalyani Chawla and Priya Kishore seem to have more good days than bad. As for the not-so-well dressed, we think Raveena Tandon and Soha Ali Khan seem to have off days more often and it’s a shame really because these ladies are laden with potential and we’d love to see them get it right one of these days.

Q: Payal and Priyanka, you both are doing an awesome job and also feature on our list of best bollywood blogs. How do you manage to be so regular? Don’t you take vacations?

A: As long as there is wi-fi we’ll take a vacation.

Q: What do you find to be the most gratifying aspect of blogging?

A: When readers leave a comment or write in a mail saying how much they love the blog and how it’s become a part of their daily routine. Can’t get enough of that.

Q: Is High Heel Confidential a full time profession? Do you earn revenue through your blog?

A: We are only now beginning to see some revenue but it still is quite negligible. We are hoping it earns us enough revenue to qualify for a ‘full time profession’ soon.

Q: From High Heel Confidential, can you share with our readers, your favourite five bloopers and five best pictures ?

Having a very good day were:

1. Aishwarya in her first Sabyasachi appearance
2. Singer Katy Perry in a Manish Arora design
3. Kalyani Chawla in Dior
4. Sonam in Anamika Khanna at IIFA
5. Rahul Khanna at GQ Awards

Having a real bad day!

1. Ekta and her favorite pair
2. Priyanka Chopra in Manish Malhotra
3. Rajesh Khanna
4. Sujata Mehta
5. Rakhi Sawant

and many more

Q: What is your advice to someone who wants to start a blog?

A: Have a clear idea of what you want your blog to be. Be committed to it. Be patient. Be regular with updates. And more than anything else, have fun with it.

Q: Let’s conclude off with a few favorites.

Payal’s favorites

Color: Currently, Green!

Movie: This year, so far, District 9 has been a favorite.

TV Show: Addicted to the craziness of The Real Housewives.

Book: Am addicted to vampires this year. The True Blood series is all I’ve been reading this year.

Time of Day: Nap time!

Zodiac Sign: Cancer

Priyanka’s Favorites

Color: At the mo… Fuschia and smokey greys.

Movie: Saw Funny Face again recently and the combination of Hepburn and Givenchy still gives me goose-bumps.

TV Show: Real Housewives. It’s like watching a train wreck and you just can NOT look away.

Book: Currently re-reading (for the millionth time) After Dark by Haruki Murakami.

Time of Day: 3 am. When Jazz sounds smokier and night feels lighter.

Zodiac Sign: Leo.

Thanks a lot Payal and Priyanka for this awesomeness interview and the exclusive picture. We are sure celebs would be paying a visit to see if they have been mentioned. We thank you for continuously bringing good content and for being the best blog on Bollywood Fashion, Style and Trends with the desi centric touch!

Thank you Rati Agarwal for your input on the 9th question.

Connect with HHC : BlogAdda, Blog, Twitter

Related posts:

1. Interview with Priyanka aka Twilight Fairy
2. BlogAdda’s Spicy Saturday Picks – Nov. 7, ‘09
3. BlogAdda’s Tangy Tuesday Picks – Nov. 10, ‘09

TED Fellows from India

@prayas2
Prayas is an artist and writer living in Bangalore, India. ……………………………………………………………

@reshanand
Reshma Anand is the founder of Earthy Goods.   ……………………………………………………………………………………..

@tanya25m
A pastry chef by profession, Kishi Arora, spends her day dreaming up ways to tickle, surprise and indulge the taste buds of discerning foodies in Delhi...

@zubaidabai
Zubaida is the Founder of AYZH, a social enterprise providing livelihood enhancing technologies to rural women. 

@Sanjukta
‘A corporate lawyer with a multiple personality syndrome but not disorder yet’ is how Sanjukta describes herself.

@embracewarmer
Jane Chen is the Co-founder of Embrace, a social enterprise designing and deploying a low-cost infant warmer

@satyabratadam
As a child, I had three wishes: to be a submariner, to be a published author and to be a mountaineer.

@gkjohn
Gautham John is the brains behind Pratham Books a non-profit trust that publishes high quality books for children at affordable prices & in multiple Indian languages.

@Rameshcentroid
Ramesh is the CEO of Centroid, an Industrial Design Studio based in Chennai, South India is specializing in the areas of Automotive & Product Design.

@Rajamanohar
Raja is the founder of a Mobile value added services company that innovates speech based applications/services in Indian vernacular languages

@Dina
Read this wonderful interview of Dina to know all about her. …………………………………………………………………………………….

@poojawarier
Pooja’s UnLtd works with start-up social entrepreneurs to help them grow as leaders and create high-impact, sustainable organisations.

@nikhilv
Nikhil is a doctor of journalism, sailor of art and sommelier of music, masquerading as a captain of commerce.

@derherr
Gaurav is the VP of Muckwork, bass guitarist for The Raghu Dixit Project and co-founder of RadioVeRVe

@AmitVarma
Amit Varma is one of the top bloggers and author. He is popularly known for his India Uncut Blog.

@gauravonomics
Gaurav is the CEO of Social Business Strategy company 20:20 Social & co-founder of election monitoring platform Vote Report India. Do read his interview

TED Speakers on Twitter

@Hansro
Hans is the Professor global health and Director of Gapminder Foundation.

@kramdas
Kavita is President and CEO, Global Fund for Women, Mother, Human Rights Advocate

@pranavmistry
Kunal is  a Research Assistant and PhD candidate at the MIT Media Lab. Before joining MIT he worked as a UX Researcher with Microsoft.

@ryanlobo
Ryan is documentary film maker and photographer. I have made films for National Geographic, Discovery channel and other networks.

@Shashitharoor
Author, humanitarian, peacekeeper, columnist, former UN Under-Secretary General, now Minister of State for External Affairs, Govt of India

@Zappos
A web site that offers the absolute best selection in shoes in terms of brands, styles, colors, sizes, and widths.

More  Awesome TED Speakers:

• Charles Anderson, A. Balasubramaniam, Banny Banerjee, Sashwati Banerjee, Harsha Bhogle, Shukla Bose, Ramachandra Budihal, Scott Cook, Abhay Deol, Mukul Deora, Jib Ellison, Eve Ensler, Longinus Fernandes, Anil Gupta, Tony Hsieh, Shekhar Kapur, His Holiness the Karmapa

• Srivatsa Krishna, Sunitha Krishnan, Ryan Lobo, R.A. Mashelkar, Shaffi Mather, Anupam Mishra, Pranav Mistry, Sendhil Mullainathan, Devdutt Pattanaik, Kavita Ramdas, Horst Rechelbacher, Mallika Sarabhai, Kiran Sethi, Ananda Shankar Jayant, Sidi Goma, Anil Srinivasan and Sikkil Gurucharan, Matthew Spacie, Ravilla Thulasiraj, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Shamsul Wares, Romulus Whitaker

Catch all the LIVE action from TED India with latest photos, blogs, tweets and videos

Related posts:

1. TED India Live Coverage
2. The best of TED India captured in tweets!
3. Mozilla Camp Delhi – First Mozilla Unconference in India

This edition in India promises to be amongst the best TED conferences. Chris Anderson, TED curator and host in the press release recently quoted  “I am impressed with the diversity and the incredible stories that the speakers and attendees are bringing to TEDIndia. The response to TED in India has surpassed our expectations.”  Lakshmi Pratury says ‘We will work together to tell India’s story to the world’.

Some of the talks will revolve on:

• Which local innovations are destined for global impact?
• Who are the young thinkers and doers capable of shaping the future?
• Can there be economic advancement without environmental destruction?
• Can a pluralistic democracy survive in the face of rising fundamentalism?
• Can we make money and be good? Really?
• What should we learn – or fear? — from China’s investment in Africa?
• Do we have enough water for everyone?
• How do we keep our youth challenged and our aged healthy?
• How can anti-poverty solutions be brought to scale?
• Is there wisdom to be found in traditional medicine??
• Which other ancient traditions can illuminate modern life?

Catch all the action LIVE on the dashboard we’ve specially created for TED India at http://TEDIndia.blogadda.com

The TEDIndia experience will include:

• A fast-paced, highly curated three-day stage program featuring TED’s famous 18-minute talks, plus music, comedy, dance, short talks, video interludes and other surprises
• TED University, the hugely popular pre-conference session where attendees share their areas of expertise, from “How to negotiate a term sheet” to “How to break a board with your bare hands.”
• Optional pre-conference activities, including carefully curated TED-exclusive tours of local historical sites and visits with regional NGOs
• Gorgeous, immersive evening events at historic sites around Mysore
• Art exhibits, tech demos, and other immersive on-site experiences
• Intense conversation breaks, where attendees and speakers delve into the ideas introduced on stage
• Our unique Simulcast room, where you can watch the entire conference in a more informal setting
• The famous TED Gift Bag, free to all attendees and filled with complimentary goodies
• Online tools for connecting with other attendees, before and after the conference
• Browse TEDTalks in the special Theme “A Taste of TEDIndia”

There are around 44 speakers that will be presenting the famous 18-minute TED talks. All the sessions look pretty interesting – some of the speakers to watch out for would include Usha Uthup, Tony Hsieh, Scott Cook, Pranav Mistry, Charles Anderson, Sunitha Krishnan, Ramachandra Budihal, Shekhar Kapur, C.K. Prahalad and Shashi Tharoor. Check out the complete list of speakers here.

Indiatimes is going to present the LIVE webcasting for the whole of Day 1 and the last session of Day 3. Tune in tomorrow at the Indiatimes coverage.

To make it more easier for you, we have something special for you. You must be wishing to see all the tweets, photos, videos and much more on a single page, Isn’t it? Yes, we can understand and we would like to fulfill your wish with a Dashboard for TED India. This Dashboard will have all the live tweets, photos and videos as and when they happen. Don’t forget to bookmark the dashboard now and make sure you keep it open to be the first one to be informed. Get ready to for the TED experience.

Related posts:

1. Blog World Expo Live Coverage
2. The best of TED India captured in tweets!
3. TED Fellows and TED Speakers from TED India

• Who : Indy
  What : Daughter of mine
  Tangy: What a post to start with. Indy has this awesome post about her daughter and what she feels for her. The way Indy has written and described the feelings in this post makes it a everyday read.

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• Who : Ranjani
  What : Doctor couple does wonders for tribals at Sittilingi
  Tangy : Nowadays, the doctor’s profession has become money minded. Exceptions are always there in all cases and Regi and Lalitha are one of them. Ranjani has this post talking about the Doctor couple and their initiative. A must read.

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• Who : Abhishek Joshi
  What : Losing my religion!
  Tangy : Abhishek starts his post with this disclaimer ‘The following post may ripple through your religious sentiments…so be it!’. We don’t wanna reveal the suspense but all we can say is that  you may think twice about many things after reading this post. Do let Abhishek know your views.

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• Who : Stephen
  What : Once upon a time in Infosys
  Tangy : This post by Stephen is published by him on behalf of his friend. If you have been to Infosys campus, you can relate to it very easily. If you haven’t, reading this post almost takes you there. BTW, TED India is being held at the Mysore Campus of Infosys.

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• Who : Abhinav
  What : Just a thought
  Tangy : Abhinav has this thought provoking post and asks a very relevant question in present times. Times are changing and so are the values. Read this post to find out and let us know what would you have done in similar circumstances.

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• Who : Saritha
  What : Break the silence
  Tangy : October was the Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Saritha has this post to raise the awareness for the cause. We need to support and spread awareness about for causes like this this. Do read the post and spread the word.

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• Who : Gypsy Queen
  What : Goodbye
  Tangy : This post has made it our list because of the way she has paced and conceptualized the post. You expect something when you start reading and end up knowing something else. A must read post by Gypsy Queen!

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• Who : Chrony
  What : Talk openly about sex
  Tangy : Chrony starts the post by saying ‘If not for Sex, we would not be on earth in the first place. I would not be typing this post and you would not be reading it either’.  This line will give you a fair idea about what the post is all about. A serious read.

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• Who : Goofy Mumma
  What : Can We Hear The Sobs Of Tiny Voices?
  Tangy : Posts like these will make one realize that Domestic Violence is still rampant in our society. October was the domestic violence awareness month and Goofy Mumma has this post which you shouldn’t miss reading. Thanks a lot Solilo and Monika for bringing this post into our notice.

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• Who : Kanupriya
  What : Farmville Success – An evaluation
  Tangy : Every second user of Facebook is playing the game ‘Farmville’. Kanupriya has tried to analyze as to why the game was a success and the factors behind that. Do let her know your inputs.

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Week after week, we have regulars who take the effort to tip us (you can write to us as well) dedicatedly and write some amazing posts. Do support them by reading their posts and commenting!

1. The Unsung Duet! by Pawan
2. eS eM eSSSS by Shruti

Do not miss the Spicy Saturday Picks, and the Perky Tweets. Also read the part 2 of the awesome interview of Ashok Banker.  Do write to us if you wish to see something different and we will surely work on your feedback. You can contact us using our Contact form or follow us on Twitter and Facebook.  Do not miss our TED dashboard, where you can catch all the live action!

Related posts:

1. BlogAdda’s Tangy Tuesday Picks – Oct. 27, ‘09
2. BlogAdda’s Tangy Tuesday Picks – Jul. 07, ‘09
3. BlogAdda’s Tangy Tuesday Picks – Jul. 14, ‘09