Inspiring Instagram

Like my Facebook debut, my Instagram debut was also on a somber note…. a good 8 years after IG was launched. Nothing to boast about the quality of my pictures. An accidental glance at Sreedhar’s IG handle got me interested and now I quite seem to like it.

I like it because of the easy access to so many good quality pictures on so many topics like home and gardening, cooking, art and artist and so on…. I was or should I say, even now I’m not looking at making it a successful profile or something, with thousands of followers….For me, IG is like a magazine, to be picked up when you have nothing to do, browse for a fixed amount of time and exit… So, initially, for a few days ( maybe a few weeks), I just browsed through all the celebrity profiles of all the woods…haha..I mean Holly, Bolly, Tolly…..all the woods! Attended the three most celebrated weddings of Bollywood in recent times Vrishika, Deepveer and of course Shriman aur Shrimati Jonas…haha…

Unlike most, I have never followed any celebrity as such… Somehow all that jazz could not hold my interest for a long time and eventually, I started exploring other profiles just picking pictures from the feeds. I was looking for normal people like you and me and wanted to have a peek into normal lives….And, I must say, this is when I came across some beautiful, outstanding, awesomely creative people. I have learned a lot from all of these new friends. I am amazed by these amazing people brimming with creative talent.

When I started following these new IG profiles, these new friends as I chose to call them, are total strangers. But with each passing day, we learn different facets of their life, their lifestyle, their turmoils and triumphs. Over time, somewhere we develop a sense of comfort and familiarity and they become part of our lives.

When I look back, what had drawn me to these profiles is the unique blend of modernity and traditionalism these handles showcase.

In today’s globalised world, certain ways are considered superior over others, as the local, native ways of life are considered passé and lame. Everyone is desperate to fit into a standard universal mold set by someone else, dumping the time tested indigenous knowledge of culture and customs. These local customs and traditions are not just environmental friendly with minimum carbon footprint but are many a time loaded with spiritual wisdom. And, these age-old traditions also help to retain the exclusivity of a place if protected and propagated. It is a tricky task to strike a perfect balance of being a global citizen but still uphold the Dharmik values and traditions. These are few of my favourites on Instagram who seem to do this effortlessly.

I am amazed by their creativity and their commitment to upholding our traditions and cultural heritage. And they seem to do it so casually and easily yet so effectively. From where I stand today, I will be happy, if I can write a few sensible lines per day! Even more so, why I admire their creative strengths immensely as they transform thoughts into materialistic reality, so beautifully.

I was in two minds about sharing this with you all. With so much tension and talk about social distancing, PPE, masks, and sanitisers happening, I thought it would be good to focus our thoughts and energies on something beautiful.

So, starting tomorrow, I bring to you a series of stories of women that I have enjoyed following on Instagram, happily hoping that some of their creativity rubs on to me as well…