About The Blog: The Journey So Far…
Hi
For the longest time I remember, The Bioscoped Life was my personal blog. I created it somewhere in 2008 or 2009 along with 2-3 more blogs. It was not a blog but my digital diary. I would dump all my rants in this one place. I was in college and my life was just too full of drama. Every day I used to think that I am suddenly a part of a Young Adult Comedy series and someone is definitely shooting all of this. Hence came the name- The Bioscoped Life.
When I was 4-5 years old, my parents asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I want to become an artist. I had always known that. But which art-form? Some days I wanted to be an Odissi Dancer and some days I wanted to be a painter. Back then, I was so clear that I am destined to be an artist. But Indian education system got better of me. Once my parents and teachers discovered that I was good at academics, my life was pretty much sorted, at least in their mind-
- Get good marks in Boards
- Choose Science Stream
- Get admission in Medical (it’s good for girls) or Engineering (in case you are scared of blood)
- Get an MBA degree
- Get a job
- Marry
- Have Kids
- Die
I did check quite a few boxes in the checklist and I also managed to fulfill my own plans- I became a self-taught artist, a self-taught writer and a trained classical dancer. But let’s get honest. I am in every sense, A Jack of all trades, master of none. But I had a wonderful journey and I am sure for a person as confused as me, the road ahead would be interesting too. And this time, instead of dumping all my rants on this poor blog, I would like to share this journey with like-minded friends. I would like to hear some crazy stories too. So, after years of playing hide and seek with the blog, carrying it across different platforms from blogger to Wix and now to WordPress, I have finally settled with a domain name and I am ready for commitment.
That’s the story of this blog but it would be incomplete without the introduction of my partner in crime- Shivangi.
About 14 years ago, luckily I got admission in one of the best fashion schools in the country. Everyone who knew me was more amused than shocked. I mean a 95-kg kid who always wears a loose below-knee length kurta with a 2 metre dupatta wants to learn fashion! Reality struck me pretty soon and I was lonely as hell until I saw this pretty girl distributing free smiles to all- deserving or undeserving. Her simplicity and calmness reminded me of home. And so one day, during a bus journey from hostel to college, I just sat beside her without asking and asked the most cliche question- “Will you do fraandshipp with me?”
And we are friends since then. Although it’s 7 years since we last met and we missed each other’s wedding, we still keep in touch like everyday. For a person who sucks at long-distance friendship, this is the strongest I have seen. Not only personally, we have tried to collaborate two times before this with fair amount of success but this time, I think we are in a more stable position to take this partnership forward. And now we also have a smaller version of Shivangi- Miss Vanya who would also enlighten us with her fresh and strong opinions.
We have been bloggers for quite a long time and blogging makes you mindful and aware of your surroundings. And that’s what we’ve tried to cover in this blog. Following are some important divisions/categories how we have divided the blog:
- Mental Health: We all have experienced the ups and downs of mental health at some point of our life. For me it was my diagnosis of depression that pushed me into this zone which is still so under-explored.
- Feminism: A word so important but highly misunderstood. It’s never too late to say that you want to learn more about it.
- Parenting: It’s totally Shivi’s department but my therapist made me realized, it’s the most important one.
- Society: Mostly full of rants about the society we live in but totally worth it.
- Books: All the books we’ve read and hoarded.
- Movies/Music: We have zero idea about film-making or music creation. It’s not at all about reviews but it’s more about how certain movies and songs make us feel about ourselves, others and society. How they influence us and our mood.
- Art: A little dose of narcissism. This section carries paintings by us.
- Literature: Another dose of narcissism. This section contains poems and stories by us.
Ok, I just realized what should have been a bio of the blog has become the story of my life. So, I would be signing off and handing over the keyboard to Shivangi. Take care and stay blessed you guys!
With love,
Arpita
Shivangi taking over…
Hello
Arpita is my friend , the best friend, the BFF, the soulmate, the heart-mate and the mind-pal. She is the one with whom I have shared many truths, many fictions, many insecurities, many moments of confidence, vulnerability, psychology and the philosophy. Although there have been innumerable lapses in between , years have changed into decades, stages of our respective lives have passed like sand clinched in a rather weak fist ,yet it is all effable. We have jointly comprehended that in spite of the geographical distance , time lapse and mental tuning of frequency greatly superimposed by our surroundings we both feel and express similarly. Howsoever when Arpita decided to share her personal blog and wanted me to co-author it , I couldn’t postpone it or outright reject it, since due to increased responsibility of a toddler 24*7 these days I have blankly refused or negated many such plans of her and mine. Nevertheless, I don’t know how well I can match her steps , yet I just hope to do so by believing on the almighty and each others confidence.
God bless everyone.
With love ,
Shivangi
And now it’s little Vanya’s turn…
Hyperactive toddler with a brain and super alert instincts of her own . Likes to sleep 13-14 hrs a day , household chores like sweeping the floor , mopping dusting along with her mom is her favourites. She likes to stand on her little red chair and reach out the kitchen shelf so that she can keep an eye on what is being cooked . She owns her own rolling pin and a pinch of dough everytime her not so interested mom in cooking is dishing out some plain chappatis. She likes feeding her toys with milk bottle or whatever is served to her . Always sleeps with a set of Bhajans sung by her momma in a hoarse voice which matches murmuring of mosquitoes and sometimes rattling of overhead fan. Yet , she also narrates a make belief story before bed which puts lulls me to sleep . A fashionista in making , I possess a set of glares and would like to wear dupatta saree all the time , accessorizing it with oversized bangles covering wrist to the elbow. That’s all folks , enough of info.
Ciao .
About The Authors: Let’s Get Professional
Shivangi Shaily
Education
- Sacred Heart School Class 10th ICSE, JAC Board Class 12 th , Daltonganj, Jharkhand
- Design 2010, NIFT New Delhi
- PGD Intellectual property rights IGNOU 2012
- Master in English IGNOU 2014
Work Experience
- Designer, Regional manager JHARCRAFT 2010-2012
- Assistant professor NIFT Raibareli-2013-14
- Guest lecturer, Design Faculty -NILA and BRDS 2015-16
- Senior Project Associate -NIFT NewDelhi, USTTAD project 2017-18,
- Visiting faculty NIFT Patna , 2019Dec onwards.
- Meanwhile, 2018 May onwards a full time stay at home parent in the service of Miss Vanya .
Arpita Nayak
Education
- St Paul’s Academy, 10thICSE, Patna
- DAV Public School, 12thCBSE, Patna
- FTech 2010, NIFT New Delhi
- MBA (Marketing & Operations) 2014, XIM Bhubaneshwar
Work Experience
- Executive, Buying, Vishal Retail Limited, 2010-2011
- Project Coordinator, SEAM, Technopak Advisors, 2011-2012
- Manager, Royal Bank of Scotland, 2014-2016
- Relationship Manager, ICICI Bank, 2016-2017
- Marketing Manager, The Media Ant, 2018 onwards
The BIOSCOPED Life 