Karina Pandya

Are you someone who constantly turns to ChatGPT whenever you have a question, a problem to solve, or just need advice? If yes, trust me — you’re not alone. Over the last few years, ChatGPT and other AI tools have quietly become a part of people’s everyday lives. The biggest reason? They’re always available. They don’t judge, get tired, or lose patience. Unlike people around us who may sometimes criticize, misunderstand, or simply be too busy, AI gives instant responses in a calm and conversational way. That’s why so many people are becoming attached to it — not just for information, but for support, productivity, and even comfort. In many ways, AI is giving ordinary people abilities that once seemed impossible. Tasks that used to take hours can now be done in minutes. Difficult topics can be explained in simple words. Students use AI to study better, professionals use it to write emails and reports, and creators use it to brainstorm ideas when they feel stuck. It has slowly become ...

Publishing a book is a very big deal, especially in this overpopulated, internet-savvy world that we live in today. As writers, we want our books to be read by many people, whether they are hardcover or paperback editions. We want our stories to exist out there in the world. One thing about publishing with a traditional publisher is that writers often have to wait for their manuscripts to be approved by literary agents or publishing houses. Only after acceptance can the process of editing, design, printing, and distribution begin. But self-publishing is different. When you self-publish your own book, you have far more creative control. Not only do you get to see your work transformed into a physical book, but you also gain access to platforms such as Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing, Amazon UK and USA, Flipkart, Notion Press Store, Apple Books, Kobo Books, and Google Play Books. Isn’t that incredible? A book you sat at home and wrote can suddenly become available to readers acros...

When we hear the word author, we often subconsciously imagine the writer to be male. Genres such as science fiction, classic literature, and non-fiction have historically been associated with men, while romance and young adult fiction are frequently attributed to women. Yet, some of the world’s most extraordinary literary works have been written by women — many of whom challenged traditional expectations surrounding marriage, identity, and womanhood. These trailblazing female voices include contemporary storytellers, Booker Prize laureates, poets, and novelists who have shaped both regional and global literature. Among the most celebrated women authors are Jane Austen, Emily Brontë, Ayn Rand, Toni Morrison, and J. K. Rowling. Their writing not only entertained generations of readers, but also reshaped conversations around women’s emotional, intellectual, and creative independence. One of my personal favourites is Danielle Steel, a globally influential bestselling author known for...

Honouring your own needs is not selfish — it is necessary. In many ways, learning to protect your peace, your energy, and your emotional well-being is one of the greatest lessons life teaches us. We often grow up believing that constantly sacrificing ourselves for others is what makes us “good” people, but the truth is far more complicated than that. Prioritising self-care means respecting your own boundaries and acknowledging your limits. There is a significant difference between being cruel and being healthily selfish. Cruelty is often rooted in insecurity, ego, or the desire to control others. Healthy selfishness, on the other hand, comes from self-preservation. It is about recognising that your needs matter too. People often treat selfishness as though it is automatically a negative trait. But not all selfishness is toxic. Sometimes, being “selfish” simply means saying no when something drains you. It means walking away from situations where your boundaries are constantly ig...

Living with epilepsy is strange because most of the time, nobody can actually see it. To everyone else, you look normal. Functional. Fine. And then one day your brain suddenly misfires, your body betrays you, and people around you panic while you’re left trying to piece together what just happened. People think the seizures are the hardest part. Sometimes they are. But honestly, the harder part is living in the uncertainty of it all. Explaining what it is. Not knowing when your own brain might decide to stop cooperating. Explaining epilepsy is exhausting too. The moment you mention it, everyone suddenly becomes an expert. Someone tells you to sleep more. Someone else suggests yoga, turmeric, herbal tea, positive thinking. As if generations of neurologists somehow forgot to try drinking enough water. People mean well, mostly. But after a while, it becomes lonely trying to explain that epilepsy is not just “stress” or “being tired.” It’s a condition you carry every single day, eve...

Rohit George is a Mumbai-based content writer, editor, and stand-up comedian with over six and a half years of experience in digital publishing, editorial writing, and long-form content creation. Currently working as a freelance writer and editor, he creates thoughtful, research-driven content across subjects such as artificial intelligence, sustainability, education, wellness, tourism, remote work culture, psychology, and social behaviour trends. Living with Cerebral Palsy — a neurological condition that affects movement, muscle tone, and balance — Rohit has built a career rooted in resilience, authenticity, and storytelling. His work combines editorial depth with modern digital sensibilities, balancing analytical insight with accessibility and emotional honesty. In this candid conversation with Karina Pandya, he opens up about storytelling, creativity, AI, and finding one’s voice in an increasingly automated world. 1. Walk me through your content creation process — from idea gener...

Also known as the trial version of modern adulthood, millennials — the generation I proudly belong to — genuinely feel like the best generation by far. We were raised in the chaos of the early internet, where there was zero supervision, one family computer shared between siblings, pop-up ads attacking us every four seconds, and an unshakable confidence that everything we did online was absolutely correct. It was a strange, beautiful time. The internet back then was wildly different from what it is today. If we missed one episode of our favourite TV show, that was it — gone forever unless someone miraculously recorded it on a CD or knew a cousin with cable. There were no streaming platforms, no “watch later” options, and definitely no rewinding emotional scenes to post screenshots online. Today’s Gen Z generation can stream entire seasons overnight, fast-forward boring parts, rewind dramatic moments, and curate their feeds so perfectly that even their breakdowns look cinematic. Aren...

A golden era of power ballads, the 1980s left an unforgettable mark on the world of love songs. Dramatic, slow-building, and overflowing with emotion, these tracks somehow felt instantly familiar the moment they came on the radio. They wore their hearts openly on their sleeves — grand, vulnerable, and unapologetically sincere. Unlike much of today’s emotionally detached music, these songs never pretended not to care. They embraced heartbreak, devotion, loneliness, hope, regret, and longing with complete honesty. Every generation inherits songs that feel strangely personal, even if they belong to another era. Without permission, they become part of our own stories. Whether heard during late-night drives, family gatherings, rainy evenings, or unforgettable movie scenes, these songs attach themselves to versions of ourselves we can never fully let go of. Over time, they stop becoming just songs and instead become memories, emotions, and pieces of identity. When I Want to Know What Love ...

Writing is perhaps the most liberating thing I engage in — whether I’m reviewing movies, plays, or books. Yet one question always lingers in my mind: who truly deserves the credit for a story? Is it the writer of the play, the author of the book, the filmmaker behind the movie, or can any of us claim a part of it as our own? A playwright writes a script, a director transforms it into a film, an audience interprets it through their own experiences, and sometimes a son or daughter inherits the legacy of the creator. A studio may even own the rights to a film adaptation. So, who can really claim ownership of the writing? And what about the critic who dissects every plot and uncovers layers of meaning? A writer may spend years drafting a book, a screenplay, or a play. Logically, the answer appears simple: the work belongs to its creator. However, once a story is released into the world, it no longer belongs to just one individual. A play may have meant something entirely different to its...

Helly Shah is an Indian spoken-word artist who has been making ears perk up and heads turn with her crisp, relatable, and soul-soothing content. Her poetry revolves around modern relationships, friendships, growing up in your twenties, gender expectations, loneliness, nostalgia, and identity. She gained immense popularity through her collaborations with Unerase Poetry and has now become a widely recognised voice in the spoken-word scene. Some of her most loved pieces include Dosti Ki Breakup, What Society Says No to Men, Mujhe Abhi Shaadi Nahi Karni, 25 & Single, and Marriage Material. She has shared the stage with artists such as Priya Malik, Yahya Bootwala, Amandeep Singh, and Nidhi Narwal. Calling herself an “accidental writer,” Helly draws inspiration from books, conversations, and her observations of people and everyday life. She has also performed at events such as YouTube FanFest and NH7 Weekender. Her performances, usually delivered in Hinglish or English, feel natural, ...

One of the most recognisable names in the Indian stand-up circuit today, Azeem Banatwalla has quietly built a reputation as one of India’s smartest and most distinctive comedians. Over the past decade, he has created a space for himself through intelligent observational humour, political satire, and an unmatched ability to turn everyday urban frustration into comedy gold. With two stand-up specials to his name — Out of My System (2017) and Problems (2019), both Amazon Prime Video exclusives — Azeem has performed across the globe, including at prestigious platforms such as the Melbourne International Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He is also an integral part of the comedy collective East India Comedy, whose sketches and videos have collectively crossed over 100 million views on YouTube. But what truly makes Azeem Banatwalla stand out is not just what he jokes about — it is how he approaches comedy itself. We are currently living in a stand-up ecosystem dominated by...

In a world where we all seem so familiar with one another, do we really know each other? Exploring human connection through a moving musical play starring Anupam Kher and Swaroop Sampat, Jaane Pehchaane Anjaane poses a question to us all: how well do we truly know the people we call our own? Through relationships spanning different generations and stages of life, the play explores an unsettling reality that while people may appear familiar on the surface of it all, many carry an unspoken loneliness within them. Navigating companionship, emotional distance, separation, friendship, and silence, the play reminds us that even the closest relationships can sometimes feel strangely distant and perhaps even lonely. What makes the experience even more powerful is the sincerity of the performances. Anupam Kher, returning to the stage after nearly fifteen years, brings warmth, vulnerability, and emotional depth to his character, making every pause and expression feel deeply personal. Swaroop ...

Have you ever heard of book hopping — the art of wandering from one book to another, letting different stories find you instead of you finding them? Very similar to channel surfing, it’s easy: you simply pick up one book, read a few lines or maybe a few pages, and then move on to another that catches your eye. One moment, you could be reading a self-help book, and the next, you might switch to a romance novel just to transport your mind somewhere else entirely. We have to admit that we live in a fast-paced world obsessed with finishing things quickly. So here you are, book — or rather, books — in hand, acting rebellious with that smirk on your lips. You’re not going to finish the book immediately, and you know it. You’re not even going to stick to one genre. Instead, you’ll read as much as your mind can grasp in the moment before switching to another book, moving back and forth until they are eventually read. Reading doesn’t really need structure; it just needs a curious mind. You h...

Some performances are loud and demand applause, and then there are performances that quietly pull you in — soulful, immersive, and almost magical. That is exactly what happens when Priya Malik and Tanmay Maheshwari perform together. Always accompanying Priya’s live poetry performances, Tanmay’s music feels deeply harmonious with her words. Their collaboration often feels like poetry being sung and music being spoken. Priya’s poetry explores heartbreak, longing, love, old Bollywood nostalgia, and emotional storytelling — themes that blend seamlessly with Tanmay’s soft, melodic compositions. What makes Priya Malik’s performances stand apart is that, instead of creating conventional singles or stage acts, she and Tanmay create emotional live experiences where poetry and music flow effortlessly into one another. I experienced this first hand during Dard-E-Dil – A Trial Show at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, where I witnessed both Priya Malik’s poetry and Tanmay Maheshwari...

Founded by spoken-word poet Simar Singh, UneRase Poetry emerged during a time when spoken-word poetry in India was still niche and largely underground. Inspired by global slam poetry movements yet deeply rooted in Indian emotion and multilingual storytelling, the platform created a space where vulnerability was not seen as weakness, but as an art form. Blending Urdu, Hindi, English, and conversational storytelling, UneRase Poetry gave young audiences a language for emotions they often struggled to express. The collective focused on relatable emotional truths — failed relationships, parental pressure, mental health, self-worth, gender expectations, nostalgia, and urban loneliness. Their performances did not feel like rehearsed stage acts; instead, they resembled deeply personal confessions spoken aloud. Over the years, UneRase Poetry became home to some of the most recognised voices in contemporary Indian spoken word, including Yahya Bootwala, Aranya Johar, and Priya Malik. Each poet...

One of the most emotional and misunderstood conflicts in modern history is the Israel–Palestine conflict. Discussions surrounding it often lead not only to anger, slogans, and misinformation but also reflect deeply unresolved tensions connected to history, politics, identity, and human experience. Every few months, the conflict returns to global headlines. Social media becomes flooded with arguments, emotional videos, political slogans, and simplified narratives. Yet behind these reactions lies a long and complex history that many people around the world are still trying to understand. At the centre of the conflict is a piece of land claimed by both Jewish Israelis and Palestinians. For Jewish Israelis, the story is deeply connected to survival, historical persecution, and the desire for a secure homeland after centuries of antisemitism and the horrors of the Holocaust. For Palestinians, the story is connected to displacement, military occupation, restricted movement, loss of land, ...

In a world overflowing with noise, poet Jasmine Babbar creates moments of silence that make people pause, reflect, and feel deeply. A storyteller, poet, and spoken-word performer, she has steadily etched her mark on the landscape of contemporary Indian poetry. Her work is marked by honesty, emotional depth, and striking vulnerability. Writing primarily in Urdu, Punjabi, Hindi, and English, Jasmine explores themes of love, loss, heartbreak, healing, identity, mental health, and human connection. Her poetry is not merely meant to be read—it is meant to be experienced. Every performance carries an intimacy that leaves audiences deeply moved. What distinguishes Jasmine Babbar is her ability to transform deeply personal experiences into emotions that feel universally relatable. Her poems often explore loneliness, emotional conflict, self-discovery, and the quiet ache that lingers within relationships. Her poetry carries the rhythm of lived experience: “Some wounds don’t ask for healing. ...

Spread across 180 acres in Karjat, Oleander Farms is a luxury farmhouse retreat and resort that offers the perfect escape from the chaos of city life. Combining nature, comfort, and indulgence, the property is packed with premium experiences — from the popular Saltt Restaurant and a vintage car museum to a bowling alley, gaming arcade, kids’ play area, multiple swimming pools, and a sprawling 3,000 sq. ft. fitness centre. The resort’s neutral-toned, spacious, and contemporary rooms are designed for complete relaxation, featuring private lawns, lake-facing views, or scenic balconies. Whether you’re planning a romantic getaway, a family vacation, a destination wedding, or a corporate retreat, Oleander Farms offers a picturesque setting against the lush Karjat hills. Managed by the Ahuja family, the property has evolved from a farm into a luxury hospitality destination, with young entrepreneur Aaliya Ahuja playing a significant role in shaping its modern identity. With expansion plans al...

Sometimes, the best way to understand a city is not through its monuments or history books, but through its food. Old restaurants, crowded counters, steel plates, family recipes, and tiny eateries often tell stories that buildings cannot. Three places in Mumbai that I always find myself going back to are Pancham Puriwala, Badshah Cold Drink and K. Rustom & Co.. The story of Pancham Puriwala began in the 1840s when a young man named Pancham Sharma left his village in what is now Uttar Pradesh and walked all the way to Mumbai. The journey took him around 39 days. At that time, trains had not yet started in India. There were only long roads, uncertainty, and hope. When Pancham finally reached Mumbai, he started a small poori stall. That small stall slowly became what we now know as Pancham Puriwala. There is something very poetic about its location. The stall stood near what later became Victoria Terminus, now called Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. The same city that Pancham had once w...

Launching her eponymous label in 2012, Payal Khandwala has always approached clothing in much the same way she approaches art — minimalistic, thoughtful, and simple. It is with this quiet philosophy that she has steadily climbed the ladder of fashion, creating a distinctive space for herself in an industry often driven by excess and noise. “How women feel in clothing is more important, to me, than how they look in it. My aim has been to make clothes that quietly slip into your life and allow you to be weightless,” says Payal — a sentiment that perfectly captures the essence of her label. Her designs are never meant to overpower the wearer, but instead become an extension of her personality, moving with ease, comfort, and confidence. Her prism through which she sees fashion is deeply distinctive. She treats dressmaking almost like shifting paint onto a canvas, orchestrating colour, texture, and layering to create clothing that feels dramatic yet minimal at the same time. Every silhoue...

Biopics are everywhere these days. But Michael (2026) feels so different right from the very first frame. We all have heard of Michael Jackson; most of his fans were fans of his music, but were you aware that behind all that fame and worldwide success, there was a man who was constantly fighting against pressure, loneliness, and a lot of expectations? A nostalgic ride, this movie takes us on an emotional journey right from the first beat of Billie Jean to the final emotional performance. Film director Antoine Fuqua brings the King of Pop to life right in front of you and has you humming and singing right from your seat. His sensational moonwalk has you reliving history and nostalgia from the family band Jackson 5. In this movie, we are taken on a journey where we see glittering jackets, explosive stage lights, and, of course, the unforgettable moonwalk. Rather than opening like a movie, it opens like a concert right in the cinema! With millions of fans across the world, Michael was...

“One day, life becomes a responsibility, and that is the day we truly grow.” Sometimes, it feels as though life is no longer truly life — it becomes a responsibility. We live it less and fulfil it more. Heavy as it sounds, the reality often becomes heavier as life moves forward. As children, life feels free. There are no roles to maintain, no expectations to manage, and very few burdens to carry. But slowly, as we move into adolescence, early adulthood, and eventually midlife, we are forced to confront our responsibilities as human beings. First comes education, then higher education, and perhaps even further studies. After that comes a career, followed by family, relationships, and eventually the people who depend on us. Life gradually transforms into a series of commitments. And somewhere along the way, a quiet question begins to surface: Are we truly living our lives, or are we merely fulfilling responsibilities? “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it...

In a world full of noise, Gulzar’s words feel like a quiet conversation with the soul. Many writers impress you with poetic lines, but then there are a few who reach into your soul without even trying too hard. Gulzar belongs to the latter. Not just an Urdu poet, he is also a lyricist, author, screenwriter, and film director—all in one. A recipient of five National Film Awards, he has also been honoured with India’s highest literary award, the Jnanpith. Gulzar understands the space between feelings—the unsaid, the incomplete, the almost forgotten.  His writing is simple, yet deeply profound, lingering long after you’ve read or heard it. “Tujhse naaraz nahi zindagi, hairaan hoon main…” ( I’m not upset with life… just a little bewildered by it. ) Such a simple line, yet it carries immense depth. There is no anger, no dramatic sorrow—just a quiet confusion about life. Gulzar doesn’t tell you what to feel; he gently reminds you of what you already do. His words reflect human emotions, ...

  Everyone’s talking about the future or the past, but where are they? They don’t even exist.   Time is usually spoken about as a time that we visit, but it actually feels like an illusion. We refer to the past as looking back, or moving forward to refer to the future as if these destinations have been chalked out on our paths. Language has a funny way of giving direction to how we think and feel. But they are not even places that we can visit or even things that we can touch. They are simply constructs of our mind, anticipation or reminiscence.  So, where are we really standing in time? Here and now.    The past, for its collection of all its emotional weight, is all about tracing footsteps. It is nothing but a memory existing – a photograph in the drawer or a sentence on paper. They no longer have any existence in the present universe, yet we refer to them so much. Memories – they feel so vivid long after they were once actively existing. It is only a rec...