can you vish?

Why do we travel? I can think of a few reasons: to catch a glimpse of life beyond the familiarity of our homes, to taste new flavors, to experience landscapes and weather patterns different from our own, to witness natural wonders and man-made marvels, to meet interesting people, and to hear new words. Khamma Ghani is the phrase we decided to hear this time around. The first step in making a travel plan is, of course, choosing the destination. Everything else - the timing, the things to pack, the number of leave days needed, and any legal processes - depends on where we intend to go. Thanks to the constant exposure to travel vloggers, we have a bucket list of destinations we hope to explore someday. The list gets updated every now and then, with current entries ranging from international destinations like Vietnam, Japan, and Italy to domestic ones like Meghalaya and Ladakh. Rajasthan was never at the top of our list. True, it is one of the most heavily promoted destinations on India...

About four years ago, I self-published my first novel, I Want Your Life . Self-publishing was not my initial plan. Like most aspiring writers, I envisioned my book being published under the label of one of the prominent publishing houses in the country, such as Penguin or HarperCollins. However, my editor gave me a reality check and explained that large publishing houses receive several submissions daily, making it highly unlikely for a first-time writer to get noticed. More than the prestige of being published under an established banner, my excitement lay in seeing my story in the form of a book. So, I chose the self-publishing route. After months of back-and-forth with my publishing team - proofreading, editing, revisions, illustrations, book registration, and printing - my book was finally out. It was truly a dream come true. The upside of self-publishing is the sweet certainty of getting published. The downside, however, is that you are responsible for everything, including promot...