Kiran's Corner back in the Khaleej Times!!

"Kiran's Corner" was the name Khaleej Times had given to my monthly column that appeared in the Weekend Magazine. A year after I stopped writing for them, I started my blog, but from today I've restarted my column with them- only this time in the main paper! It appears in the "Opinion" section and will be appearing fortnightly or of course be found here under the "KT Corner" tag. Here is today's article for your perusal, that was very aptly written on the joys of blogging- 

Two nights back I met up with a friend at a party, and after chatting for a bit, the topic turned to blogging. Recently, I have taken to blogging daily, and after almost two months of being fervishly dedicated to mine the obvious question came up. “Why do you do it?” she asked, “What exactly is your motivation?”

For those who don’t know what a “blog” is, the Wikipedia definition is this  “A blog (a contraction of the term “web log”) is a type of  website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in reverse-chronological order. “Blog” can also be used as a verb, meaning to maintain or add content to a blog.”

Just as Wikipedia has changed the shape of dictionaries and encyclopedias, blogs are changing the shape of how individuals communicate with the world. While “Facebook” and “Twitter” help people to stay in touch with each other and exchange pictures and/or messages in short bursts, blogs allow them to go one step further. Each blogger in their own little blogging universe essentially becomes an Editor of an online magazine of sorts. In fact, on a blog a person is able to communicate views on a subject or a variety of subjects, without even having to create their own content. While Vogue, the fashion bible of the world, spends hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintaining their relevancy in the fashion industry while financially viable at the same time, a fashion blog would have it a lot simpler. It is not uncommon (neither is it illegal) for the blogs to quote parts of the magazine, or even scan its pages to showcase to its readers. While fashion photographers like Irving Penn and Annie Leibowitz have spent decades perfecting their art and etching their name onto runways of the fashion world, they are quickly being replaced by the likes of Scott Schuman and Garance Dore, who on their blogs, showcase the best in Street-style photography. A style of photography that over the past few years is becoming increasingly relevant in today’s world. Exactly how relevant? The most recent Fashion weeks world over often saw the bloggers take front row seats alongside the likes of Carine Roitfeld and Anna Wintour—The Queen bees of Vogue Paris and Vogue US, respectively.

There are blogs relating to fashion, there are those related to technology, there are those immersed in spirituality, some are religious, others dedicated to worshiping the devil. There are auto-blogs, news blogs, photography blogs, opinion blogs, review blogs or even blogs on other blogs. As many subjects in the world there are to talk about, you can bet there will be those many number of blogs, with that number growing exponentially daily.

Three years back in 2007, a dream of mine came true and I was asked by Khaleej Times to have my own column as a part of their Weekend magazine. I was thrilled! I loved being able to make my “voice” heard and share my writing with the world. Unfortunately, due to a change in format, they decided to not have any columnists in the magazine, and I never realized how much I loved to write, till there was no place to write for at all.

One day, I was doing my daily round up of going through my bookmarked blogs, when I suddenly had an idea. Why not start my own blog? I went online and checked out the different sites that allowed me to be up and running with one in less than five minutes. “What do I call it?” I asked myself. I wanted to keep a name that allowed me to express myself, and yet maintain a certain standard and quality in my posts, just as my column had done. The name became obvious, and Kiran’s Corner, the online version at www.kiranscorner.com, was born.

I absolutely love it and it allows me to be much more creative with the type of content I want to put out, and to answer my friend’s question, That is why I do it. To see comments from readers or see my number of hits increase exponentially daily, gives me the satisfaction that I need and the encouragement to keep writing! Kiran’s Corner in some ways became even more popular in its online format, than it was in it’s printed form. But, of course, when the Editor wrote to me and asked if I’d like to restart my column, there wasn’t even a moment’s hesitation. I thought of the adrenaline that surges through my veins on seeing my name in print right below the caption, and I just couldn’t wait to hand in this—my first submission. It’s so great to be back!

 You can also read it online on the Khaleej Times site here