Season 7: From January 2021 onwards
The Bliss Catchers™ - Season 7 - September 2021
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Monali Bala
As a child, Monali caught on to musical tunes without having to hear them a second time. Growing up, she learned both dance and music. Her father, however, noticed her exceptional talent in music. He suggested that she study music at college. But Monali chose to study engineering instead. She then established herself in a career in strategic sales with an Indian IT major. But after 15 years of corporate Life, Monali felt she was “spending less time with music”. So, in a “carefully thought-out decision”, she quit her job in 2009 and deep-dived into the world of music. 12 years on, she runs The School of Music. She is also the co-Founder of the acclaimed music band, Tuning Folk. And, importantly, she is a much sought-after performer across various genres – from classical to folk to Sufi to fusion. “Music completes me. But my thirst for music is never quenched. I am constantly seeking it,” says Monali. Stephin Lalan Stephin remembers sketching his cousin’s wedding gown on a flight from Dubai to Kochi – he was a little boy then. After high school, he wanted to study Fashion Design. But his family insisted that he study engineering. Two years into the program, Stephin dropped out. He joined a BPO call centre but quit in less than three months because he felt that “he did not belong there”. He realized that he clearly wanted to follow his passion for fashion and joined Vogue Institute, a fashion school in Bengaluru. The school’s program was designed for experiential learning. And Stephin loved it. That’s how fashion, as a discipline and as a medium, grew on him. Over time, realizing that the “space was immersive”, he launched his, now popular, eponymous label – Stephin Lalan! “Life as a Fashion Designer is never easy. But I am enjoying being who I am. I wouldn’t trade this for being anyone else,” says Stephin. |
The Bliss Catchers™ - Season 7 - July 2021
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Akash Muralidharan
Akash’s early Life was shaped by hanging out in his grandmother’s kitchen. This imbued in him a deep love for food. His architecture degree taught him the power of designing unique people-oriented spaces. Yet, he was clear he did not want a conventional architect-in-a-studio job. His quest led him to a one-year Master’s program at SPD, Milan – a school that inspires creative thinking, experimentation and expression. That year, 2019, in Milan transformed Akash’s Life. He has since set up his food design practice in Chennai – through the lockdowns in 2020. He is constantly exploring how we humans connect with food. And he wants to question, innovate and influence those ways. “What I do every day is new and different. And that makes me very, very happy,” says Akash. Vinay Aravind Vinay quit his last job at a corporate law firm on December 31, 2010. He was clear that he was not happy being a lawyer anymore. Though he was not sure what he wanted to do next, he encouraged himself to try out new people, places and experiences. And that’s how photography found him! One evening, a friend casually explained the workings of a camera’s exposure triangle to him. With his curiosity piqued, Vinay bought an affordable DSLR camera in February 2011. He started off informally capturing candid moments at a friend’s wedding. His pictures were talked about. And soon he landed his first paid gig in May 2011. Now, over 300 weddings later, Vinay says he loves the ‘process’: “Shooting precious, candid, pictures of people always leaves me happy – and content!” |
The Bliss Catchers™ - Season 7 - May 2021
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Sangeetha Ranganath and Prasanna Veeraswamy
Sangeetha and Prasanna met on campus, at BITS, Pilani, in the mid-nineties. By end-1998, they had got married and relocated to Minneapolis, in the US. The urge to beat the cold and the boredom caused by their routines led them to travel every weekend. Every cent they earned went into funding their travel – weekend after weekend, for the next 10 months, across the US. And then they traveled to England and Scotland. That was it. Ever since, the magic and romance that travel offers has held them both in a trance. Over the past 23 years, Sangeetha and Prasanna, together, have traveled to 174 countries recognized by the UN and to an overall number of 200+ countries (including several non-UN-recognized ones); Prasanna has traveled to all 193 UN-recognized countries. The difference in the number of countries they have each traveled to is caused by Sangeetha's dislike for cold weather. They plan to visit those countries together in better seasons and better times! The couple literally live out of two suitcases, they have consciously chosen not to have children and they both keep jobs that allow them to work remotely, even as they travel, travel and keep traveling… What makes them do what they are doing? “Travel enriches us, it keeps the adrenaline pumping,” says Sangeetha. And what about ‘that’ feeling of insecurity – that you don’t have a place, a house and things to call your own? “We find joy in celebrating each moment rather than in owning material objects. That we are together, having fun, that’s what matters,” explains Prasanna. Come, listen to their amazing story, of living every moment of their Life fully and of following their Bliss! |
The Bliss Catchers™ - Season 7 - March 2021
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Harshwardhansinh Zala
One hot afternoon in 2013, when he was barely 10, Harsh was angry that he had to get up from his couch to turn on the fan in the room. He wondered if he could build a remote device to operate a ceiling fan! This spirit to challenge the status quo has influenced Harsh’s Life ever since. It has led him to build eight robots and three drones in seven years! He quit school after 10th grade and now, at 18, he is an Inventor and Tech Entrepreneur. Harsh’s most game-changing invention has been the Eagle A7, a drone that detects and detonates landmines; he launched its MVP version in January 2021. “I simply love solving unsolved problems…I am driven by a Higher Purpose to build a safer world,” says Harsh. Sripad Sridhar In August 2012, Sripad was at a crossroads in Life. He had just quit an international assignment because he was unhappy with the depressing work environment there. And now he was on a bus to attend a job interview. The bus met with a ghastly accident but Sripad escaped miraculously, without even a scratch on him! This led him to pause and reflect: “This is the only Life I have; how do I want to live it?” Growing up, he had always loved exploring wildlife and nature’s wonders. So, he simply allowed himself to be drawn in that direction. Eight years on, Sripad believes he’s living a meaningful, happy, Life as a Wildlife and Documentary Filmmaker. “I use my unique skills to capture the majesty and beauty of the natural world. The joy I get doing this is unparalleled,” he says. |
The Bliss Catchers™ - Season 7 - January 2021
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Poorvaja Kumar
When her 13-year-old Labrador Choco passed on in 2016, Poorvaja discovered a yearning in her – to celebrate his Life, to pay him a tribute for all that he had done for her and her family by “simply being there for them unconditionally”. That’s how and why she launched Humans Of Canines (HOC) to help bridge the bond between people and their pet dogs. Four years on, she’s quit her corporate job and is deliriously happy leading HOC and practising Canine Assisted Therapy. “I am flowing with Life, in the company of dogs…there is no insecurity, there are no worries…if you say this is Bliss, then, yes, this is it,” she exclaims! Varshini Ramakrishnan Growing up, Varshini can’t remember a time when she was not thinking – or doing – art! Being immersed continuously with – and in – her art, she was quiet and often withdrawn; perhaps even unsure of her spiritual talent. When she was doing her Master’s in Milan in 2017, her design for a luxury Italian brand, Moreschi, made headlines and went on sale. This was an awakening moment for Varshini. In 2018, she co-founded the New Folder Design Studio, through which she invests her love for art in helping brands express and communicate better. “Art is my Life. I am simply allowing myself to be led by it,” she says. |
