Ink And Insights

In January 2022, I started my first job as a brand strategist. I vividly remember being asked a case study question in the interview about what I would do for a brand's social media named "Recircle." I had never heard of it before, and upon researching, I discovered it is a Mumbai-based plastic recycling company. Little did I know that I would be managing the brand's social media end-to-end for the next eight months. From learning to make designs on Canva to writing content daily, I was fully immersed in the world of sustainability. Every day, I wrote captions and content focused on plastic recycling and its impact on our planet. This was before the era of ChatGPT, so every single word I wrote (about 100 words each day) was based purely on my knowledge acquisition and community-building efforts, after reading countless articles and Wikipedia pages. It remains my favourite brand to have worked on, thanks to an amazing and proactive team at Recircle and their extr

Coffee and I have had a love-hate affair for about a couple of years now.  Back in school, coffee was my late-night exam buddy, brewed lovingly by Mom. In college, it became my secret weapon for surviving morning lectures and my go-to cure for post-exam headaches. I vividly remember rushing to the cafeteria as soon as an exam was over for a ₹10 Nescafe coffee cutting. It was also a beloved ritual that bonded me with my best friend as we snuck out to cafes, spilling secrets over endless cups of coffee.  From PMS companions to vacation buddies, coffee was my constant in every situation. But about two years ago, coffee and I had a falling out. My body suddenly rebelled, and what once brought comfort now caused chaos. I had to break up with coffee and found solace in tea.  Slowly, tea became my new love, my comfort drink, and I moved on completely. It's like life. People and things you once couldn't live without might start causing chaos. Moving on to something new can bring peace

As someone who prefers reading and watching extremely light content like rom-coms and chick flicks, I was thrilled to discover Amy Lea’s latest addition to her influencer series a couple of months ago. This cute rom-com: Set On You , initially seemed like the perfect choice for my next Kindle binge. It featured a classic enemies-to-lovers setup with plenty of gym banter and steamy encounters between the protagonists, Crystal Chen and Scott. Crystal Chen, a curvy fitness influencer who built her career by shattering gym stereotypes and mostly ignoring the trolls, is the star of the story. The plot revolves around her rivalry with the extremely good-looking Scott as they battle for gym domination and, predictably, fall in love amidst all the banter. For the first 70% of the book, it felt like a typical rom-com—light, entertaining, and perfect for my taste. However, just when I was eagerly anticipating their happy ending, the story took a surprising turn. Crystal decides to make her relat

"Remember that moment in Friends when Rachel pleads, 'Dear God, can I stay in my twenties forever? I dread turning 30.' I've been feeling the same way since 2024 began. The idea of turning 30 in about a month haunts me. Frankly, it never bothered me much earlier; I was too carefree about these things. But I have realized that when the 'T' word hits, it does. Because, boy oh boy, you might feel 25 in your head, but the world will surely remind you of your age at every opportunity they get. In just a year, four of my closest friends got married or engaged, and now this has started feeling like the beginning of being the "30-something" aunt who hasn't gotten married, still lives with her parents, and might have joined a cult or something. Kidding. While the last year in my twenties was full of events, good and bad, life is about to change as we know it. Parents are getting older, job risk-taking capacity has gone down, and the importance of “ghar ka

At 29, the concept of New Year's resolutions can seem as mythical as Santa Claus himself. Nevertheless, there's one promise I consistently make to myself every January: to immerse myself more in the world of writing and reading. This year, I didn't pick up my first book until the first week of March (January and February were officially the trial months for 2024). It was an impulsive buy on Blinkit, yes, the platform where you buy your chakna. I stumbled upon a Murakami book "BIRTHDAY GIRL" for just 99 rupees (what a steal!), so I decided to order it. For those unfamiliar, Haruki Murakami is a renowned Japanese author known for his unique style and genre. I expected the book to be a hefty read, similar to the Kafka one I had previously bought but regrettably lost during my first solo trip to Bangalore in 2016. I never read a page of it (reading while traveling is a myth for me— is it the same for you?). However, to my surprise, after 15 minutes, all I received wa

Leaving winter is my favourite time of the year.   February and March are my favourite months of the year! Despite my birthday falling in July! Yes, that's how much I love the transition from winter to spring. Today's Delhi weather would have called for piping hot momos, a bowl of Maggi, or at least a cup of hot chocolate on my favourite swing on my balcony. However, a bad medical test report can really mess up your mood. To top that, two of my favourite people (read mood cheering and calming agents of my life right now) fell sick (bloody viral). So unwantedly I am stuck in my room craving a comforting hug or just a long conversation with a friend.  At this point, many things in life are not going according to my plan – work, personal relationships and health; everything seems to be off track. But, as someone told me yesterday, “It is a fight against your mind, Aashima!" Indeed, it is.  When I started writing this piece, I just genuinely wanted to pen my feeling