Why Shweta’s Basket? Why not any other name?
The answer to that lies in my childhood. The days when packing the food basket for travel was as exciting as the travel itself; the puris, aloo ki sabji, cucumber sandwiches, boiled eggs, homemade munchies, flasks of lemonades, water bottles and the final thing to go in were a couple of books to read.
The basket not only satiated the stomach and the mind during the journey, it was a symbol of new adventures and joyful moments with friends and family. In other words, it simply meant ‘Happiness’.
This basket too, that I have lovingly packed is a symbol of that ‘Happiness’. It is full of things I love. Food (virtual; till technology can deliver food through pictures), stories, poems, restaurant, movie and book reviews.
Food has been a huge part of my life. My father was a foodie and he passed on that love to me. Home food, street food, restaurant food, breakfasts, lunches or dinners and anything in between, I love it all. What I shared with my father, I now share with my daughter. Good food satisfies your soul. Hence you will find restaurant reviews here that my friends say is as good as eating the food. Perhaps writing about food – my first love – is what set me on this path.
The other thing he passed on to me was love for reading. For as far back as I can recollect, I have been reading or listening to stories. And I absolutely loved regaling my schoolmates with Enid Blyton stories. I must have been good, for my best friend named her first dog ‘Shadow’ from the book ‘Shadow the Sheepdog’ by Enid Blyton some twenty-three years later, after I had narrated it. Slowly Enid was replaced with Carolyn Keene, Sheldon, Archer…
That love for story telling continued when I had my twins. I don’t know who enjoyed it more, them or me. Even now, when they are teenagers, we occasionally enjoy these sessions.
So, apart from food-reviews and story-telling it was my family and friends who encouraged me to try my hand at short stories and poems, particularly my mother. She always used to say, as a woman and especially as a mother, it is paramount that you find your happy place, so that it keeps you anchored and sane. Well, this is my happy place and I hope it becomes yours too.
Writing led to online platforms like ArtoonsInn, Penmancy, Momspresso, Literature Lover’s Association and Women’s Web. It also gave me the chance to be part of several anthologies. And now that I have been doing this for more than a year, it was time to do it professionally. Hence this website.
The best part is the stories and poems are available on many podcast platforms (listed below), so you are not bound to the screen. Listen to them while you drive, jog, do your chores, or even as bedtime stories.
Do let me know what you think. Leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.
Happy reading or listening!
Podcasts –
