Mazeepuran by Rupali

Have been following Rupali for a couple of years and her photography is out of this world.  She shares her tips on different techniques and occasionally blesses us with very meaningful quotes.  She is shy about writing but does some in her own language.

 

Please give a brief personal background and talk about your hobbies/interests?
I started blogging about five years ago. The crude idea was to pen down my thoughts in my mother tongue “marathi”. Marathi is an Indo-Aryan language and is the official language of the state Maharashtra (Mumbai/Bombay is the capital) in India. Although I live in Norway and have travelled a lot.

It was a big step for me to express my thoughts in public as I am not a writer and never had such a dream. Moreover I wanted to do it in my mother tongue, strange but I have never learned it in school as I was born and brought up in another state. It was an experiment and I wanted to try this new journey of “blogging”.

Besides photography and blogging I like to go on long walks/hikes. I also enjoy cooking and dare I say I am improving! I love Hindustani classical music, north Indian style.

 

When, where and why did you start blogging?

I did write about this in my first post but that was in my mother tongue. The whole and sole idea was to share my views on various issues in my mother tongue «marathi». I am sure it must be my husband’s idea just to keep me busy.

Still my mind is full of floating thoughts that freely roam for a while and then settle in some corner on a typical neuron. Just the way Rabindranath has said,

“Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm, but to add colour to my sunset sky.”

I intend to write but before that I want to read a lot more. At present I’m not writing much because shortly after I started participating in various challenges I got more inclined towards photography. It was like a monumental discovery knowing that I had camera skills.

 

What blogging tips or advice would you give someone just starting?
Do what you really like and do it with full heart, blogging or anything else.

Blogging is not a classroom activity. One starts when one wants to share something virtually. It takes time to learn about the blogging sites/apps but after a while one gets used to it. As time goes by one finds their own style. People from different backgrounds have different approaches but that’s what makes the blogging world more interesting. I am referring blogging as a hobby here!

What do you most enjoy about blogging and what have you learnt?
It’s a fun hobby if I can juggle my work time and fun time. Actually I never was a couch potato and always enjoy being in some kind of action. Blogging via photography has helped me to keep records of my travels and of the seasons with my regular walks. I enjoy being in nature noticing the small changes and learning to live in the present moment. I take it as an achievement.

 

Has your blog led to opportunities for you?
If we are talking about opportunities in a commercial way then there is a big no from my side.

Photography and blogging helps to reduce stress in my life and provide a meeting platform. I can get social in a virtual way. I have met many fantastic people here of which some are totally different but some are likeminded people. I learn more about «life» here than I did in school.

 

What methods do you use to expand your readership?
I participate in various challenges and also sometimes visit new blogs with the subjects I am interested in. I do not believe in liking a post without even opening it and hence I participate in a proper way – wise point Rupali, I wish more would be like this!

 

How do you stay disciplined and organised with time management?
Do things when it feels right. No pressure.

It’s all matter of choice. Just sharing a secret (shhhh!). This interview took donno how many months. Can you imagine why? I’d be better to keep my mouth shut than offer advice about discipline.

Which is your favourite post and why?
My favourite/best post is yet to come. To give you a taste of my work I will share some of my photographs.

What has been your most popular post and did you expect it to be the most popular?
Until recently I was not aware of the idea of «the most popular post». I never thought of comparing my own posts and that too based on «number of likes». One day I saw a feature in wordpress’s setting and decided to try it out. Click here to see my most popular post. I never expected it to be my most popular post. I think the score is just a matter of availability. I wish people would read more posts than just liking the very first one.

 

Share something funky about yourself, or something that most don’t know?
I am not able to finish a full adult menu on my own. I even need help to finish one ice-cream. And I am a restless soul 100%