Eves'dropping - The joy of making audacious plans

Women benefit from many changes in their life, work and beyond. We share our vulnerabilities and experiences to form support groups for each other. This is extremely personal, each one is an important member of the circle. Listen and inspire each other through experience and love.  Confidence gives us what we want, builds us, protects us, hold it tight like your life depends on it, because it does.

Life Hack: Eves'dropping is going to listen to you with a woman's sensibilities 

 Visit: poojakochar.in

 What is Eves'dropping?

Eves'dropping is an initiative that connects and empowers women entrepreneurs, it took a community to get here. Every start-up has its own struggles and path, but there is lots we can learn from each other. We unite women on their core strength of character and desire to disrupt boundaries. I am creating a space which allows you to experiment and grow your network through strong conversations and interesting workshops.

Our first workshop was hosted this March'2016, 

Eves'dropping is on a multi city tour, we are visiting Hyderabad on 29th April. I am in awe of women who look beyond themselves because my purpose is bigger than me. You can drop an email  at 30ish.blogging@gmail.com to be a part of our May workshop in Mumbai.

  

Catcall is not a compliment

“If you insult me within 5 seconds of calling me beautiful you are violating my space”

Do you remember the first time someone came so close, that it made you sink within. Did you go home angry and want to punch him for touching you in a crowded bus? or on your way back from school?

Life Hack: You expect it to happen but it doesn't stop you from getting angry. We have a burden to protect ourselves all the time

No matter how confident and outgoing a woman is, thinking about her first encounter with street harassment will always get her unsettled. I asked women on twitter to leave a comment about their first uncomfortable touch and it was surprising to see how much anger they held within even after so many years.

During catcalls, the harasser encroaches the personal space of the woman and forces her to be apprehensive about every stranger. There are surprisingly high number of people who do not see the distinction between a compliment and a catcall, this will only get worse if we remain silent about such issues.

Problems without names tend to stay inadequately addressed, street harassment always starts with something verbal, an uncomfortable word or gesture is the beginning of an unpleasant experience. I wish we treated our women and trees with more dignity, after all they do have an equal right to public spaces.
  

CrossFit, Raise The Bar.

Lift like a girl, translates as 'lift like a beast'. First rule of CrossFit is to never have a routine, every WOD (workout of the day) is a blend of strength, endurance and agility training. The first time I stepped into the box (gym) it was sweaty, intense and loud, you will be intimated by how complicated it seems to an outsider. Everybody who joins CrossFit seems to be obsessed with it, I tried it a couple of years back but my body wasn't ready for such a strict regime, so this time when I decided to give it try I was much more prepared to enjoy the soreness. 

Life Hack: Raise the bar for yourself, raise the bar for a stronger you. Hard is not bad, hard is just hard and requires more discipline.

Personally I have never put myself through anything so physically challenging, it is my attempt to increase my threshold for pain.You are, what you repeatedly do when things get hard.

CrossFit is extremely rigorous, it takes time for your body to adjust to the new regime but if you are persistent it will start getting you stubborn about your workout goals. Hard work and the way your body looks is directly proportionate to each other, as women we need to give more importance to mobility, strength and intelligence. 

Beauty is measured in joy and pride, every time I walk out with all that sweat and soreness, I feel beautiful.  I am recognising and accepting my body's gifts and shortcomings, I understand my body much better now.

"I can do that, may be not that fast, may be not that heavy but I can do it.. and I will”.

I train with RudeBox Fitness @BeatNBounce, incase you are interested.

  

Thanks for the troll, I was famous by default

I recently blogged about a story related to child abuse in Mumbai brothels, it is a sincere a story and brings out some harsh realities of our society. I personally went through lot of internal conflict before putting it on the blog, considering it was risky but if my stories don’t make you think what is the point of this tremendous reach. Last week the same story was featured on one of India’s popular youth networks, it was all fine till I started getting personally attacked on my social media channels for being politically involved, being a feminist, having a religious preference, they even disapproved my hairstyle :/

The story has an important lesson which should be shared, hiding from reality does not make it disappear. Sad, how some people refuse to see the bigger picture and continue thinking mediocre. 

Life Hack: Trolling by definition, is someone who creates conflict by posting messages that are controversial and personal, they usually attack in groups to upset your sanity.

It was iconic because Anushka Sharma (Virat Kohli), Honey Singh (Bipolar and Alcoholism) and Pooja Kochar (no reason) were trolled on the same day. It is amazing how people miss the point and take off on their own tangent. As an individual I refuse to respond to trolls, but as a brand 30ish stands for authentic story telling, my fight is to keep blogging real and, "this makes your social trolling irrelevant to me". I refuse to feed the troll, and encourage negativity.

  

Shakti - Dear Women, I apologise

As a woman, “I apologise for calling you beautiful before brave” the images actively manifest female embodiment and strength.You are beautiful not like the magazines, but because of the way you think, the way focus, the way you love and stand strong. Shakti is a visual narrative showcasing women being strong in their daily lives.

Life Hack: True Shakti is disruptive.

I have been working since 6 months on project ‘Shakti’, collecting stories of women that epitomise strength in their daily lives. Every photograph holds a story of her background and struggle. It has been very overwhelming for me as a photographer, every time a woman shared  her vulnerability and fears, Shakti grew stronger. I will be continuing to work on this series, and capture stories of women across the globe because some emotions are universal and beyond barriers. There’s no rational reason for me to explore such stories, but I feel very connected with women who need a voice. 

This story has been featured by #Homegrown as a tribute to women on International Women's Day

True Shakti is disruptive

  

Mumbai Fire Brigade: Do you have the fire within?

The stage burst into flames during the “Make In India” flagship event. There were around 25000 people including artists, horses along with top political leaders and film stars in the line of fire. No casualties but a massive loss of reputation for our government. When everyone was running out and being escorted to safer enclosures, the only team that ran inside to face the flames was the ‘Mumbai Fire Brigade’. Fire fighters go through hours of training and rigorous drills to anticipate danger but their real gut is visible when you watch them lead a rescue operation.

Life Hack: When fire ruins a house the most precious things lost are memories. 
Beware, be aware.

This blog is officially endorsed by the Mumbai Chief Fire Officer Prabhat Rahangdale, the Vlog collaboration has been shot at the Mumbai Fire Brigade head quarters in Byculla. 

Safe rescue of trapped people is the first task assigned to the fire fighters, this is extremely risky and life threatening. They stand for courage and sacrifice, 30ish wanted to bring out their story and understand what goes on inside the mind of a fire fighter. We as citizens take fire safety for granted, its time we get more alert.

This video is a part of Mohit Rao’s series on mind reading, in collaboration with 30ish #WhoseMindNext

Great leadership flows from the top, Mr. Rahangdale is a man with a vision and a very progressive outlook towards public service. He has initiated the fire volunteer training with a goal to train 6000 citizens by mid 2016 ensuring that each fire station will have 200 volunteers raring to go. You can also enrol for this initiative, all the details are available on the official site of the Mumbai Fire Brigade.

Special Thanks to Mumbai Fire Department for keeping us safe

  

Rangilo Rajasthan

Every city in Rajasthan holds a colour within Jaipur is pink, Udaipur is white, Jodhpur is blue and Jhalawar is purple. Rangilo Rajasthan captures the vibe of a hidden jewel, Nawalgarh. There is so much drama in rustic backdrops and timeless art. 

Life Hack: Every wall has 2 stories, a story they tell and a story they hide

I am fascinated by arches, doors, floors and wall paintings. Rajasthani architecture is a blend of Hindu and Mughal cultures, this photoblog is a visual narrative of my travelogue.  I am taking a risk by introducing a hidden shade of Rajasthani heritage through their frescos. They are gorgeous and full of life, you just need to have a “bawli”(crazy) imagination. 

Welcome to Rangilo Rajasthan - Watch Photoblog