Episode 2 — The Writer
Shweta Wagaralkar of Mumbai
Starting a podcast is a good idea because it compels you to grow as a person. As we forge new relationships with people engaged in increasingly complex and important work, we need to make sure that we are able to operate at a mental playing field that is near about the person with whom we want to have an interview with. We are also forced to do a lot of reading. Reading the books, articles, blogs written by our interviewees. It also forces us to speed up the process of making that emotional connection with the person being interviewed.
PS — It is also a great excuse to meet amazing people, everyone is willing to meet you and tell you their story if you tell them that you have a podcast.
These were the realizations that dawned on me as I got into my third hour of conversation with Shweta. I was eager to meet her. Her writings were so captivating that I had gone through all of her articles on my train ride from Navi Mumbai to Borivali Station where we met at a local cafe called, Cafe Coffee Day.
After trying 4 different careers before settling down on writing, she took me through her journey.
“I ran away from engineering college because I did not see myself continuing there. I even attended 1.5 weeks of classes to become an English Literature Grad.”
She eventually got back to her college and finished her engineering with flying colors. Trust me, she gave me a copy of her answer scripts.
Engineer — Almost English Graduate — Teacher— Law Student — IAS Aspirant — Writer
There are people who speak a lot about doing different things until you settle down with what you want to do, and then there are people like Shweta who embody these so called ideals. However, if you listen to us speak you will realize that our conversation is very casual and nonchalant. She does not feel that what she’s doing is something amazing and that grounds her. In her belief, it has just been the pursuit of truth.
“If I had stuck to it, I would have been a lawyer by now. However, it did not satisfy me creatively. So I decided to move on.”
In actuality, it was the victory of her heart.
This project started as a means for me to make people realize that they do not need to fit the societal mold and can do whatever their heart is tugging at. But right now, I feel like I am the biggest beneficiary as I get to meet people as moving as Shweta.
You can listen to the second episode of our podcast here —
Shweta is very active on Medium, she also contributes to 100 Naked Words, a publication of stories with 100 words. Please follow her and check out the awesome stuff she puts out on her profile.
She is also working on a yet-to-be-named book. Here is a glimpse of her amazing writing skills! (not from the book) :)
The wind blows my tresses into my eyes and blocks my vision for a bit. As I brush the wayward strands aside, I can see the laughing face that has been a source of comfort for me. I remember the first time I heard the laughter; it was a phone call which had quickly turned into a mini-argument over which gate number to meet at. I had jokingly called him dyslexic and he had burst out laughing; it was the most genuine and heart warming laughter I had ever heard. The kind of laughter that inadvertently compels you to join-in.
You can read the whole story here —
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