- Sound bytes on blogcritics.com http://blogcritics.org/scitech/article/girl-woman-uninterrupted-an-interview-with/
- Me Uninterrupted on http://maxmayur.com/2011/02/12/a-ray-from-the-purva/
Interview with Purba Ray
Purba Ray is a blogger from New Delhi, India and she blogs at : http://purba-ray.blogspot.com/
Q: When and why did you start blogging?
It was by sheer accident. I quit teaching last year. Fifteen days into my break, I wrote a note on the joys of being untethered from the rat race and shared it with friends on Facebook. One of them happened to be a well established blogger, Desh Kapoor. Soon I was writing for his forum Drishtikone.com and then Desicritics.org. A few weeks down the line, Desicritics put the spotlight on me - that’s when I realised I needed a link of my own. My blog took shape 4 months back and I have been fairly active since then.
Q: What topics do you generally blog about?
Initially it was mostly about my personal experiences, life and its nuances. But how long can you rely on just your memories? I now write political satires, spoofs on news articles that I find particularly interesting and I love sharing my travel experiences.
Q: Do you ever get stuck when writing an entry? What do you do then?
Oh, all the time. Very rarely do I finish my article in one sitting. If I hit a wall, I leave it and come back later. I rely on spontaneity and try not to follow deadlines.
Q: How important is it for the blogger to interact with their readers? Do you respond to all the comments that you receive?
Show me a blogger who doesn’t value comments. And if someone has taken the pains to go through your posts and left behind his or her impressions, the least you can do is reply. Nothing gives me more pleasure that interacting with my readers. I constantly get inputs from them and take all their suggestions (read criticism) seriously.
Q: "I dream of the impossible"! If it is impossible why do you dream about it?
If the practicalities of life prevent me from following my heart, I can always sink back into a world of my dreams. Believe me, it’s a great stress buster.
Q: How do you maintain the balance 'the responsibilities of a 'home-maker' and a blogger'?
The moment you start thinking of them as responsibilities, they become just that. All my adult life I have managed to juggle my “responsibilities” as a working woman and a home maker sans any major glitch. Over the last few months as a homemaker and a fledgling blogger, I am steering clear of life’s clockwork and trying hard not to strike a perfect balance.
Q: "A-Musing"... The name doesn't explain a lot, tell us is there any particular reason behind this name?
My musings – meant to amuse my readers, hopefully for all the right reasons.
Q: Blogging helped you grow as a person and a writer?
Absolutely! Through blogging I discovered my ability to communicate, reach out and also poke a little fun at myself. It has helped me connect with people beyond the realm of my usual relatives-friends-colleagues circle. My canvas of awareness is much wider. I also take interest in other writers’ works in blogosphere and love soaking in perspectives and points of view so different from mine.
Q: 'Women empowerment' - Since you are a writer and a deep thinker, we want to know your views on this.
I am not yet a writer, and I am certainly not a deep thinker. I have not read Nietze, Sartre or Russell. So, my simple view is this - Empowerment stems from the ability to take one’s own decisions and not letting others dictate your choices. Financial independence alone does not empower you, you also need to believe in yourself and be able to walk out of unpleasant situations
Q: Any negative experiences of blogging or socializing?
I wouldn’t call them negative experiences. But many bloggers are extremely private people and are extremely touchy about certain issues. I learnt it the hard way.
Q: Your five favorite bloggers?
Indrajeet’s Informed Opinions http://indrajit.wordpress.com/
Gyanban Scrambled Egg!! http://www.gyanban.com/
Rofl Indian http://roflindian.wordpress.com/
Le Embrouille Blogueur http://lebblogs.wordpress.com/
Q: The most loved people in your life?
My husband and my daughter who are my pillar of support and my biggest critics. And of course my Mum and Dad for having given me such wonder childhood memories. Gosh, this reads like an Oscar acceptance speech.
Q: Tips to new bloggers/writers.
· Typos and grammatical errors are major put offs. Please get your language right before you proceed to publish your post. Text lingo is a big NO.
“Am here without you baby, n i always dream abt u all the tym”
Is meant for her ears only J
· I find huge blocks of texts without paragraph breaks very intimidating. Can’t make myself read such posts.
· Difficult language does not translate into good English. Keep it simple and sharp.
· Write from your heart, about things you feel strongly about. And please don’t post forwarded jokes with a “thought I would share it with my readers”. Be original.
· Never be afraid to admit you don’t know. I constantly pester my blogger acquaintances for technical tips. I am always on the lookout for helpful widgets. A word of caution though, too many widgets spoil the show.
Q: Anything you would love to share with the readers?
When I started blogging I couldn’t tell a post from a blog. So, when I put together all my articles, I made separate blogs for each one of them (11 of them to be precise). It was only after my first follower, Harsh Vardhan, pointed out, that I realized my faux pas.
There are wonderful people in the blogging world who would readily lend a helping hand to new entrants like me, and who would keep raising the bar for you to stretch further. So, for those of you out there feeling shy about putting out a post, I would say, just do it. Let the world hear what you have to say.
