I don't know what you did this summer!

A catch-up and some exciting new things

Hey buddy!

Long time, no see? I’ve not been very active in sending out these newsletters and for that I apologise. Life (mostly work) got in the way. I hope most of you are still here and I am landing safely in your inboxes. Sending newsletters is also risky business because if I don’t send them, you mostly forget that I exist (which is ok!) but when I do, you are suddenly reminded of my existence and forced to act upon it- most people just hit unsubscribe (which is also ok, hurtful but I will survive).

So here I am, bracing myself to lose a couple-dozen of you. Farewell thee, travel safely!

What did I get upto since we last chit-chatted? I am still cooking a whole bunch of things- a lot of beets and pumpkin and andhra meals have been belted. A lot of Mani’s and Meghna’s biryani. Been sneaking in my crack and cocaine- Nandini Milk Peda (if you’ve not had this, you’ve not lived, my friend!). Street food culture is really kicking in here in Bengaluru. My entire gym street is an eat street. That’s my view when I am on the treadmill- watching people hurriedly stuff their faces with darjeeling momo, 99 variety dosa, 6 flavour pani puri, and kebabs! People have become so creative with their little carts and trucks, old cars converted into food stations, really loud and brazen branding, some kickass music blasting through- it’s a whole vibe.

If your stomach just squealed, time to get a snack! I also wrapped up a project- Shadruchulu and we had a book launch partaay for close fam and friends. It was lovely! It poured cats, dogs, and chimps that night in Bengaluru but people still turned up to celebrate us and the book. You can get your hands on it here. And if you do read it, please do leave us a review.

And since we are celebrating family, flavours, and life itself- I started a small-teeny -tiny project on the side. I am calling it mixtapes for mum where I am taking songs from my childhood, the absolute bangers I grew up listening to in the mornings before school, watching my mum dance, hop, shimmy and shake to these tunes whilst also whipping up breakfast and lunch and getting dressed- our tiny flat was sheer mayhem and chaos in the mornings. I miss that. I miss parts of my mother that we lost over the years same as she probably misses parts of me that I grew out of. Like eg: I no longer make elaborate handmade cards for her birthday.

Are there rituals and habits of yours/your loved ones that you miss? You can follow along and build your own playlist with me here.

Anyhoo, I am conducting an online workshop- this Saturday, the 31st of may 2025.

I took my first ever self championed physical workshop in bengaluru in April and it was grand! I decided to take everyday non exciting mundane events and nudged people (passionately) to turn them into real fun scripts. We discussed POVs, tools for great storytelling- exaggeration, escalation, juxtaposition, metamorphosis, and breaking the 4th wall. It was a lot of fun. We told stories, we turned them into ideas for comics. Now I am taking the same workshop online. So if you’d like to join, please register before 29th May 2025. I have 6 more slots left. All the details are here.

If you have questions about the workshop or just want to drop in a hello, feel free to respond to this email.

Quickly some reccos. If you’re in the mood to bawl your eyes out and have your gut punched but also hands down the BEST true crime documentary I’ve ever watched which is unlike any I’ve ever watched (and I’ve watched plenty), may I recommend- Dear Zachary (it’s on youtube)

Shows watched and liked- The studio (apple tv), American Manhunt : Osama Bin Laden (netflix) this of course is yet another propaganda style documentary, america is great and glorious bla bla but I thought it was very well made, like a fast paced thriller. Like an Abbas Mustan film. Love on the spectrum (netflix), the new season was just- chef’s kiss!

Books I would recommend from the 12 odd something I’ve read in April and May (May hasn’t been a great reading month). Raising Hare by Chloe Dalton(narrative fiction), Shy Creatures by Clare Chambers, Columbine by Dave Cullen.

AND I went to a dentist for the first time in 36 years of my life. We did some super sonic scaling which was quite painful. The dentist kept calling it “sensitivity” but I am pretty sure it’s called pain in our language. Now I am dealing with blossoming wisdom teeth, first it was right side- painful. And now, left- VERY painful.

Ok, that’s all. By my next newsletter, I’d have two new wisdom teeth and you might not even recognised me anymore.

Love,

Mounica