Sneha - Instagram Blogger, FOOD

A lawyer by qualification, I am passionate about women and children’s rights. Over a decade ago, I was a lifestyle journalist. Life gave me a chance to become certified yoga teacher too. I enjoy writing and creating content about food, wellness, and lifestyle.

How social media helped me.

A former lifestyle journalist, I took a break from work after I had kids. I was sure I wanted to be a stay-at-home mum in the initial years of becoming one. Due to this reason, we moved from London to Bombay in early 2012, after my first child was born. As a young mother there was a lot of multi- tasking to do, sleepless nights, and exhaustion but I yearned to do ‘something’. I decided to go for a law degree and practiced intermittently at the Bombay High court and at the Supreme Court of India.

However, one thing that remained constant in my life was meditation, writing and my eternal love for food. I moved with my family from Bombay to Gurgaon in 2019, due to professional opportunities for my husband. Gurgaon was new to me. Fortunately, I had a lot of friends and family in Delhi who were extremely helpful to have around.

I started an Instagram account with amateur images of whatever I cooked for my family. I would include short notes about my experiences in an intro (an introduction) to my posts. Several friends would comment on the amount I cooked and would sound amazed. I was often asked for recipes and other food related queries. A lot of time was spent replying to WhatsApp messages, sharing recipes and links, and dos and don’ts about cooking. It felt a bit strange to receive several queries and praises about the food I was cooking. In my mind nothing had changed. I had always been cooking and experimenting.

What had changed was the occasional documenting of it on Instagram.

Social Media helped me to inadvertently realise what my passion is. My practice as an advocate took some pauses due to the lockdown. During this time friends started approaching me for writing tasks and doing live cooking demos for websites or on Instagram. I was always happy to, the prepping and research was fun. This also made me realise that while I miss having a defined profession, I enjoy being around my children.

Discovering food related joys within myself and sharing it with my loved ones is something I cherish. This is something I will be thankful for. I always imagined work to be a 9:00 am to 5:00 pm existence, but it does not always have to be. While I do miss getting out for work, social media has made me realize that there is a lot we can do in unconventional ways. Having the flexibility of working from home and being around my kids seems like a doable possibility. An incredible thing about blogging is that you do not have to fit it into fixed hours. Having a rough structure helps. Setting out some time in a day that you devote to writing or whatever else you desire helps a lot.

Several women I interact with feel torn about wanting to stay home with their children or pursue a demanding career, take a break from work, or not take a break. The initial years can be difficult for some while some families manage fine. Whatever the reasons, it remains an individual choice. Personal factors in my opinion do play a role. The idea is to be happy and possibly have the freedom to choose. Motherhood can be a life changing experience, but one need not stop doing what they do. It is always a good idea to work on your passion and discover opportunities for yourself. I am grateful that social media gave me this opportunity.

The journey of going within through my practice of meditation has also been a wonderful experience. It has always put me in touch with reality and has helped me organise my thoughts. In my view it does not matter if there are several people already doing what you want to do, the essence lies in doing and discovering something you are passionate about. Seeking your passion releases you in an unimaginable way, it is a bit like a dog who is unleashed after being leashed all day and has the freedom to play and run around!

Penning my food and cooking experiences has given me great joy and has made me view things from a different perspective. I am in the learning process and growing with food.

Sneha Masani