Ye waqt ki fitrat hai, mahaul badal dega...

Khushiyon ne jo chhora hai, to dard bhi chal dega

Yo friends!

Welcome to the second-last newsletter of 2023.

In every version of Raw and Real, we speak about:

1 Raw and Real conversation
2 One-Liners
3 Gratitudes

Let’s go!!

1 Raw and Real Conversation

One of the things I am hugely fascinated by, is art.

The artists who sing chorus in a Coke Studio performance.

The less-known artists who sing old songs in live concerts, have lesser followers than most popular singers, yet touch the art.

The artisan sitting in a corner of your local market, selling hand-woven handkerchiefs for a fraction of the cost that you and I buy from H&M.

How your Mom transforms anything in the kitchen into the most delicious and never-eaten-before-dish you could ever ask for.

A cobbler who turns your super expensive yet useless sandal into something you can wear again, for a fraction of the cost of a coffee.

If this is not art, what is?

As we all sit towards the start of the New Year, a lot of us will reflect on the past year. And some of us will set New Year resolutions. I do that too.

But something I wish more people did, is to appreciate the art that surrounds all of us.

It gives the artist the awareness that they matter.
And the fuel to continue further, in a world that only celebrates IPO listings, six pack abs, and the size of your car.

So how do you do that?

Just be there. Give them the money they ask for, without bargaining. You don’t bargain at Zara, do you? Pay the same to an artist at fests or anywhere else you encounter them.

Make art a part of your life. Sign up for that fluid painting class. Or a dance workshop. Or an artist’s eBook (coughs). Or anything that they don’t teach in boardrooms but touches your heart.

And most importantly, make sure whenever you encounter an artist, from your family or friends or anyone else, you appreciate their art and not diminish it. I have friends who sing well, who understand people well, who are wonderful event organisers - they are all walking artists masked under a corporate tie. Make sure to appreciate them, and the world will be a beautiful place.

PS: The subject line of this line is taken from an artist I discovered last week. They share new stanzas of existing old songs, and they are phenomenal. I have been incessantly sharing some of their music with my sister. Like a chat with a friend you didn’t know you needed. Good artists always look so innocent!

On that note, merry Christmas folks. Thank you, for always being the reason for my merry :)

2 One-Liners:

• Purposefully stay away from people who drain your energy.

• Almost every successful person I know reserves the first half of the day for important tasks, and second half for managerial tasks. A life lesson, for all of us.

3 Gratitudes:

(I share them so that you and I could develop a perspective on what all we are blessed with):

1. The ability to walk: Imagine a day without that!

2. The ability to do anything, any art, and not needing anyone’s permission: Imagine you can reach out to the entire world through the internet and yet be normal in front of your family. What a wow!

3. To have the tiny money to think about New Year, where most of our population doesn’t have the resources to think about it. What a privilege!

On that note, wish you a warm Christmas and New Year my friend.

I am headed for my vacations till first week of Jan (of course the newsletter is scheduled so don’t worry), and won’t be publicising this newsletter anywhere on social. If you can, please share this email with some of your friends so we continue having the weekly increase in subscribers :) Would mean the world to me 🤗.

See you then!

Nishtha

(PS: Updates on “The Year of Writing Miraculously” - with one eBook a month and one paperback a year - are still cooking up. Will, of course, release to you all first of all, before anyone else :))