Be Here Now: Ketki Mahabaleshwarkar
As the end of a challenging year approaches, we ask our tribe to slow down - to take a moment to be here, now. As Gifted, we are highlighting the inspiring people within our community who have been expressing love through all seasons of a challenging 2020. Despite all of its ups and downs, we shine a light onto the people who have helped to make a tough year brighter, kinder and filled with hope. Let’s take some time to slow down, to listen to their stories, and to continue to grow together as Gifted, by Nature.
Name: Ketki Mahabaleshwarkar
Gifted: Classics and English Literature Uni Student / Digital Columnist / Journalist
IG handle / Website: @ktki / ihngenuity
Three words to describe how you’re feeling right now: Introspective; determined; hopeful.
WHO ARE YOU AT THE END OF 2020?
I am someone who has always been outwardly ambitious, and reliant on my academic work to achieve my dreams. However, it took a global pandemic for me to re-consider my approach to self-growth as a form of internal determination. This year has been tough, and in light of abrupt life-changes and a ‘new normal’, I find myself unafraid to prioritize my mental well-being, alongside my other goals. At the end of 2020, I am still myself, perhaps a little jaded (who isn’t, after the year we’ve had), but also more myself than I have ever been before. I have taken the time to ground myself to the present moment, without the pressurizing notion of ‘what comes next?’. I end 2020 on a hopeful note, knowing that my optimism and ‘ambition’ is more conscious and self-aware than it ever has been before.
IN A TIME OF INCREASING ISOLATION AND LONELINESS, WHAT HAS HELPED YOU TO FEEL CONNECT THIS YEAR?
Genuine connection has the power to link people to people, people to places, places with memories, and so forth. Reflecting on the fact that I am connected to things, moments, and places, just as much as I am emotionally connected to people, has been a welcome comfort. When I came back home from university, I felt as though nostalgia gave me connection, and often inspired it. I re-traced my old walk to school, read through old diaries, and read the books I never got round to before. These moments and objects of my past, kind of inspired me to connect to my present and future. I called old friends, inventing new ways to socialize (remember when Zoom quizzes were a thing). My old diaries, with cheesy dreams written in them, pushed me to create a vision board for 2021 and connect with people I was hesitant to reach out to. Reading new books re-ignited my love for literature and reminded me why I was studying a Classics degree. I found myself getting inspired to connect with people, and hobbies, in order to find small happiness in an otherwise desolate year.
CAN YOU SHARE WITH US WHAT CREATIVE PROJECTS HAVE YOU BEEN INSPIRED TO CREATE AND SHARE THIS YEAR?
When I think back to the creative projects I’ve worked on this year, I can’t help but remember one of my favourite quotes:
“When art has changed, it’s because the world was changing.” – Corita Kent
We have seen such unprecedented global change this year, whether it be in the digital, socio-economic, or political sphere. It’s important to realize (and embrace!) that our art, and our creative ‘output’ will change too. With this in mind, I was inspired to lead the editorial project, ‘Modern Heroes’, at Strand Magazine, as a way to celebrate and uplift the heroes in our community - from front-line medical professionals to creatives shielding at home. This digital campaign was also our leading step into moving our print-publication to online issues, in order to adapt with online university teaching. As the Deputy Editor-in-Chief, I’m inspired to keep growing the Strand Magazine creative community (now with almost 300 members) and prove that student publications, and their incredible teams, are still a leading, powerful force on a now-digital campus.
This summer was also the launch of my eponymous column, “Ketki and the City”, exclusive to Par-desi.com; a platform built to uplift and feature South Asian womxn. My column is a colloquial commentary of my life, dealing with the intersection of a 'Gen Z’ identity and diaspora. I write about the complexities of dating and friendship, as well as discussing pertinent issues such as conversational micro-agressions and multi-cultural identity conflict. The opportunity to write about and reflect on socio-cultural issues that affect the South Asian diasporic community is invaluable to me. As my bi-monthly column continues, I hope I can continue to share this space of creative exploration of identity, culture, and the complexities of young adulthood.
DO YOU HAVE A LOCKDOWN LESSON?
The best lockdown lesson I learnt was from my mother, who at the very beginning assured me that “everything that is meant for you, will come when the time is right.” I admit, I laughed it off and told her I didn’t believe in fate, however, several months later, I’m mindful of how true it is.
Her advice, rather than promoting passiveness, was more a message of optimism; one I would remember when I felt discouraged about my “lost” university experience or the uncertainty of my future career. I am mindful that continuing to do things I am truly passionate about, will manifest into new projects (or meeting people) that I love dearly. Without constantly thinking of what I’m missing or what I wish I had if the situation was different, I refocused my energy to daily doses of happiness and pursuing the things I love. Not the things I assumed I had to love in order to progress.
So, my lockdown lesson, in full Hallmark cheesiness, would be to trust your journey (creative, personal, emotional) and have faith in the process. Always remember to be kind to yourself, because sometimes, living through the bad days, is a success story of its own. You are talented, capable, loved, and deserving of all the good things that have happened, and are about to happen to you!
WHAT ARE YOUR LOCKDOWN BLESSINGS?
My lockdown blessings stretch (pun intended) from the existence of Mozzarella cheese to re-watching F.R.I.E.N.D.S with my little brother. I am grateful for the time I am able to spend with my family, laughing, bickering, and going through a literal pandemic, together. I have found a new love for pajamas, yoga mats, and neighborhood walks. I am blessed to be able to talk to my friends daily, and I am constantly inspired by their creativity and perseverance through handling uni and passion-projects. I love them more than words can express. I am grateful for my body, that continues to keep me healthy and happy, despite the constant-criticism I have given it in the last few months. I am grateful for Facetime and video calls, that connect me to my grandparents and family abroad. I’ll always remember this year’s Zoom birthday parties—eating cake in pajamas.
AS 2020 COMES TO AN END, AND WE WELCOME IN A NEW YEAR, CAN YOU SHARE WITH US SOME RECOMMENDATIONS TO COSY UP TO?
Listen to:
La La Land Soundtrack, it manages to hit all the feels. It’ll make you feel ambitious one moment, and melancholy the next. It’s romantic in the best way.
Podcast:
‘In All Honesty’, hosted by Lifecoach and Author Michelle Elman (@scarrednotscared), this podcast is refreshingly honest and intimate as Elman answers follower questions and strives to make personal development accessible.
Watch:
When They See Us
Marriage Story
Confessions of a Shopoholic
Funny Face
Social Dilemma
Parks and Recreation
All series and films that have changed me, inspired me, or comforted me—I hope you like them too!
Read: All the books I put in this further reading list in my article about the Danger of Virtue-Signaling without Intention. I am reading through it, and have purchased the books from Pluto Press, a UK-based “anti-capitalist, internationalist, and politically independent” publisher.
I’ve also loved reading “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller, “The Picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde, and any poetry by Ocean Vuong.
WHAT WORLD ARE YOU MOVING TOWARDS?
I am moving towards a world that is hopefully kinder, to each other, and the environment. If 2020 has taught us anything, it is that there is undoubted strength in unity, and compassion inspired by the understanding of a shared existence. I am moving towards a world that continues to hold itself accountable and amplifies underrepresented voices. I strive to continue to learn, unlearn, and question our societal norms.
