Hello there! Thank you for stopping by and welcome to my blog. I am Dipanwita Chakraborty from India.
My blog is an amalgamation of various facets of life, from travel to creative to personal. It’s my attempt to portray the life I see around me through pictures, stories, and narratives, travel being the major source of inspiration. You will find 3 major sections in this blog namely, Shoestrings On The Move (travel), Cocktails Mocktails And Life (creative) and, Humans And Beings (personal).
SHOESTRINGS ON THE MOVE
Traveling has always been first love. The thrill and anxiety of being at a new place and meeting new people is something I enjoy. Each time I set my feet out into an unknown place, I am both excited and anxious in equal measure.
My travels have majorly been instinctive, on whims and sans any set itinerary (exceptions overruled). For me, the best way to settle is to keep moving. I prefer to travel solo and focus on budget travel just to break the notion that travel is an expensive passion. Also, traveling on a budget takes me to places unknown to many and in turn, also makes me connect with the place, its people and culture wholeheartedly. Local experience is very important for me since I am most interested in exploring the local way of life, culture, traditions, and food of a place rather. Immersive and sustainable travel is what I believe in very strongly. My tryst with modesty and frugality during my treks has made the desire of giving back to the society (in whatever capacity I can) more steadfast.
Wherever I go, I try to befriend people and listen to their stories. A simple smile is more than sufficient for people to open up to you. The wish to share stories of people and places triggered the idea of Shoestrings On The Move.
For collaborations and travel assignments, you may get in touch with me at shoestringsonthemove@dipanwita.com or dipanwiita@gmail.com
COCKTAILS MOCKTAILS AND LIFE
Writing for me, happened very early in life when I simply started jotting down my frustration and insecurities after being bullied in school. The emotions on the pages of that journal did not take much time to transform into a habit and later, passion.
Cocktails Mocktails And Life is a section where I describe emotions, both mine and that of lives I encounter day in and day out. Every poetry and story is a slice of suppressed feelings that are rather left to succumb behind closed doors of societal pressure of representing a happy facade notwithstanding situations otherwise.
HUMANS & BEINGS – INTO THE UNFAMILIAR ZONE
Two adages that I firmly go by – “All that glitters is not gold” and “What others think of you is not your concern”. Being a girl, I was often judged by the way I walked, laughed, talked, behaved in public, the friends I hung out with and the clothes I wore. Did I ever care? Never. Mom always taught us- “The more you give in to people’s sneers, the more they shall pull you down. So stay undeterred, stay united and never judge people by their appearances”. Living by this is definitely not a cake walk but I try to do so in full measure.
Just like every coin has two sides, there is always another side to every story, likewise, every human being has two faces. The one which he appears to be around everyone and second is honest-to-goodness. And knowing the other side takes an inordinate amount of faith and trust. Carrying a secret till your grave, being true to someone’s trust and your own promises need a great deal of gall. I have entered this very different state and position lately and have come across many untold stories. They have allowed me to share their stories as long as their anonymity was intact, to which, I have agreed. Humans & Beings is my personal project through which I intend to convey the stories of unsung people who have braved all the odds (emotional, physical as well as societal) and come out as winners in their own little way.
Through this long-term personal project, I try to shed light upon various social stigmas across our society, which are prevalent but we, as the masses at large, often tend to either shut ourselves up with indifference or turn a blind eye since they are still considered taboo. Today, however, people have started speaking for themselves. So all we need to do is – listen, understand, accept and help.
If you wish for me to share your untold story here, you may get in touch with me at theinsidestory@dipanwita.com or dipanwiita@gmail.com.