My FAVORITE FIVE Indian YouTube channels About Home Decor, Organisation and more!

As a home maker, I am always trying to do things in a way that I can get more done in less time as well as efficiently. This is what led me to explore a lot of Indian YouTube channels. I was not disappointed. 

Off late, a lot of female YouTubers have come up with great content for Indian homemakers, both working as well as SAHMs (Stay At Home Moms). These tips and tricks will be useful for any woman, or even men who manage or are interested in managing and decorating their home efficiently.

I will list out a few channels here. Do try these out and tell me if you like them!

1. Simplify Your Space

This channel is managed by a Bangalore based homemaker, who is extremely professional in her videos. 

Home organizing, Time management, Goal achieving, Budgeting are only a few of the topics covered by the channel. 

My personal favorite is their video on Document Organisation and Digital media organisation that are simply fantastic and rarely covered by anyone. Apart from this, they also have some great motivating and inspiring videos. Another very popular video you will find here is Work from home options for moms.

2. Home Hashtag Life by Jaya

A Hyderabad based homemaker who is very creative and has exceptional talent in home decor. 

Look no further than her channel if you are confused about how to decorate which space without spending a fortune and how to organize the smallest of spaces. If you thought that a small home is a hurdle in home organization and beautification, this channel will change your outlook completely. 

I especially like the way they've done up the decor of their new house which is not huge, but done up very beautifully. Don't believe me, go check out Jaya's channel.

3. Slick and Natty

A talented woman in Pune is a treasure trove on recycling and DIYs. 

How to make a denim backpack out of old jeans, a palazzo out of an old saree, convert men's shirts into a dungaree (Whhatttt? Yes!) and all such amazing DIYs are aplenty in this channel. 

She has a collection of product reviews, but not the typical products (e.g. she has review of a washing machine for bachelors or tiny family!), home hacks, lifestyle related videos, skin and hair care videos and so on. 

I never cease to be at awe of her talent! Go dive into the creative space. She also has a Telugu and Hindi channel.

4. Saloni Srivastava

Recipes, Finance, Mutual Funds, productivity and self growth videos make her stand out from the other YouTubers.

If it's relating to money, you will find quite a lot of gyan here. She also occasionally shares learnings from the books she reads. 

Some popular topics that are taking the world by storm, like Minimalism, Essentialism, Side hustle and so on are discussed in her videos. 

Don't get me wrong, her videos are not complicated at all. In fact, she makes all the toughest topics easy to grasp. She is as natural and simple as the girl next door, and you will relate to her quite easily. 

5. Disha Mishra Dubey

If you're interested in more detailed home decor DIYs, this channel is your go-to. 

It has ideas on wall painting, color combinations to use, different traditional art paintings like Pattachitra, Madhubani, Kalamkari, Kalighat, Warli and a number of DIYs. 

Immaculate effort goes in creating some beautiful pieces but one look at the finished piece tells us that all the patience and effort was worth it! 

I personally have learnt to respect and adore the Indian art forms by following this channel, and not give them a passing in awe of western art forms. No, not all the DIYs are difficult and time consuming. In fact, you should give them a try along with your kids and introduce them to these art forms too.

I will end my rat-a-tat here. Other than these, you can also try Garden Up, Her Fab Way and Bowerspace channels on YouTube. 

I hope this list turns out to be useful for you. Let me know in the comments below how you find these channels!

Take care

My Yippee Moment :)

I am in the party mode today. Nope, it's not my birthday, or wedding anniversary, or any other birthday or anniversary for that matter. (Just for the record, I do not celebrate or even remember Valentine's or the first time we saw each other or the first time we spoke to each other and such days).

Did I get an award? Nah, that's far yet. So what happened is...

I met my psychiatrist today for the usual appointment. He said You're doing very well, brilliant progress. I will reduce one of your medicines to half the dose and see how it goes. And that was my yippee moment! I could dance in joy right then (not literally, of course, but in my head I did leap!). I felt this happy last when I scored 92% in my twelfth standard (maybe I am showing off, maybe not).

I almost felt like I've passed a big examination. Just that this is an examination of life itself. It feels great because I have been feeling I am dependent on medicines. But this little achievement makes me believe that it is possible to become independent. The doctor also said But continue being engaged and doing what you're doing, or it may relapse.

So what have I been doing? A lot of things, but the important ones would be walking, listening to music, reading (a lot - almost 4 books or more a month), blogging, pursuing online courses, and preparing for my book.

So yes, I owe a lot to you all, who have read and liked my written word and motivated me to work harder. A heartfelt thank you to you guys! (and girls and men and women, that's kind of obvious)

This is just the stepping stone though. By the time I finish my book, I want to get off medication completely. This is going to be my primary target.

Another question that I get asked often is why write a book on depression? There are too many already!

I would say yes, there are too many, but I am writing a go-to guide. In this, I will share

• my own story
• what exactly is depression
• how do you identify if you are under depression
• what do you do about it, other than consulting the specialists, and
• more reference material in case you want to study things in detail.
• all this will be in an 

1. easy to understand layout and 
2. simple divisions with 
3. concise descriptions.

I understand that people do not have the time to go through pages and pages of reference material, even if it is for gaining knowledge. And depression is something that needs a lot of awareness right now. My aim here is to make an easily understandable and quick to read book that will not take up too much of your brain or time. 

Once again, thank you all for being my audience, it means a lot!

Take care

The Civil Caveman

Ever heard of this term before? No? Well, you would have definitely seen him. You will find him (or her) in big cities or small towns, single or married, living alone or with a roommate, in rooms or homes or PGs or hostels, but you cannot escape him.

This civil caveman is civil because he lives in a civilized society. He wears civic attire, behaves in a civil manner, talks and walks like most normal humans. But what is it that makes him a caveman? Not too difficult to guess, I am sure.

So it was this once that I walked into a civil caveman's house, and thank god, I was miraculously saved from falling on the super smooth floor. No, it was not shampooed or conditioned, but it was the constant rain of talcum powder that made it slippery in spite of being dry. There was more to come.

As I struggled for support, I remember my hands getting all muddy, obviously because the house wasn't dusted in ages. There was layers of dust everywhere as far as eyes could go. BUT there were clean spots, of course! Like the place where the wallet and belt were placed, or the towel was hung, or where drinking water was kept, of course, because they were touched and used everyday.





When my eyes ventured further into what seemed of more of a cave, I saw a pile of dirty clothes. Another line of clothes hung up on a rope. A few socks lying about. A glass here, a spoon there. I could not open the door to the bathroom completely, because I think something was stuck behind the door. I did see everything necessary was available there (necessary for a caveman, that is): soap, tumbler and bucket, strewn about and crying to have a home somewhere in that lonely (lowly?) bathroom. The floor looked like it had not been wiped in a few years and the entire bathroom craved for what the different cleaners claimed in adverts, and I was sharp enough to not dare walk into it.

Then I found a TV! The civil caveman's sole and dear respite from the world! It was right opposite to a mattress that was never folded and whose bed sheet cried for mercy to meet dear detergent and see some sun! The window remained permanently closed, for safety purposes (not lazy purposes, you bet). So the cave was always safe, you see.

The house was stuffy, smelly, dirty... Oops, I meant the "cave" was dark, lonely, dusty, cobwebby, slippery, murky, messy... You know? Bingo! Now you realize, you have definitely seen the civil caveman somewhere! Or cavemen. Or you probably are one. Or probably not...

Take care

Answer the survey and win! - Closed

Please answer the survey here relating to my blog and get a chance to win a prize as well! Remember to mention your Email ID and also share this page and survey with as many people as you can. The winner will be chosen on the basis of completeness and precision of information in answering the survey.

The last day for submission is 20 May 2019.

Hurry up! Click here now.

PS: Congratulations Vicky Jain for getting maximum people answer the survey!
Thanks to everyone who answered and be assured that I will take all your opinions into consideration for future posts.
Thanks again :)

Feminism gone all wrong

Feminism has become the "in thing." Don't get me wrong here, I call myself a feminist too. But there are different meanings as to how it is perceived by different people. What I see in my place is very distorted version of feminism. How?

Women(some I mean) claim that when men can drink, why can't we? When men can smoke, why can't we? When men can sleep around, why can't we? When men can jump in a well... You get the drift?

So I am just a little confused as to what are we aspiring for? Is it stooping low to the maximum extent men can, or reaching for the highs that men can? Or does it mean carrying our own bags and burdens? Or being gentlemanly (gentle womanly? So queer!)? How do we actually define it? Working late hours into the night? Or spending weekends drinking with the girl gang? 

Why are we mixing up individual ideals with gender? If I were to trade giving up on my ideals and being one on one with a man, I would choose to live with my ideals, any given day! Not to say women are any inferior, nope! I think women are generally smarter, more patient, multi taskers, great managers, more efficient & focused and emotionally stronger in the larger context. In fact, men are most attracted to smart women (I am not talking about lewd sexist men, but real, intelligent men!). 

So when we talk about "equality," what we should be aspiring for is all the positives, like being the breadwinner of the family, a hard worker, putting everyone else's need in the family first, think of the family as a whole and not just about your own self, love the kids even if they are all over you after a hard day, making time for your spouse even if you're tired... The list goes on.

Sounds too boring and cliched? Yes, because this is real life and not all is hunky dory. Men and women have their own roles to play and each have their own difficulties. Not that any one role is superior to the other, but gauging ourselves from the vices of the opposite gender is not the right way to go about feminism or equality.

Follow the harder route and do the best of what men can do, and we can easily be shoulder to shoulder with them, not by copying or comparing with their ill behavior. In fact, we already are on par with them.

As far as my thinking goes, we don't need to become men, we are best the way we are, and we need men in our lives just as they need us. So let's give some credit where it is due, and remain the ever delicate, gentle and yet strong, women.

Take care.

New book coming up!

This is  going to be a short update to let my readers know that a book is in tow. I have started working on it and if all goes well, it should be published in 2020. Keeping fingers crossed!

It is about the topic closest to my head and heart right now - and of course, it is non fiction. It is specially for all the women, and their partners/families.

Subscribe to my blog by putting up your email id on the right and submitting it, to stay updated on the book. Do let me know in the comments below what do you think the book is about? Would you be interested in reading it from the hints I have given?

Take care!