Try This At Least Once In Your Life

• BE A SOLO TRAVELER

“As a single woman who loves to travel, solo trips are more of a necessity than an option. Initially, I was a bit worried about globe-trotting alone, but the first time I took off by myself, I found it was extremely liberating. As a solo traveller, you have the freedom to do everything your way. Besides, when you’re by yourself, you actually meet really interesting people who wouldn’t normally open up to you if you were part of a group. That’s how I met a now dear friend of mine from Brazil. We were on a guided tour in Turkey, and bonded really well as we were both alone. Since then, I’ve been
on many solo trips and always look forward to them. I think every girl should experience this at least once in her life...you’ll find that it makes you more confident, sociable, and self-reliant."

- Elsa D' Silva

• STAND UP FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE IN

“I was working in a PR agency two years ago when I decided to take a break and go back to being a student. It was a hard decision, considering I was 32. I received my admission letter and a new job offer (with double the money!) just a few hours apart on the same day. I knew if I took the job it was going to be a great career move. But on the other hand was a dream that I had cherished for such a long time—of studying the arts. I hadn’t really saved a lot for the course, so I was really taking a huge leap of faith. I remember my sister telling me to take the job and study later. But I knew if I didn’t take the risk then, I never would. Starting at ground zero with nothing in hand, I went back to studying...and it was the best decision of my life. Going back to uni taught me (and gave me the courage) to start over, it helped me expand my knowledge, and brought me many wonderful friends and experiences. Great things have happened since then, including my recent online initiative called Cinema Stories, which is what I had always set out to do! Cinema Stories is a new beginning, and every time I have a doubt, I look back at myself two years ago and know I can do it again. I think every girl needs to tap into that inner strength.”

- Lakshmi Balakrishnan

• GO AFTER YOUR DREAM JOB

“I had been working with a publishing house for five years, when I

started feeling like I was stuck in a rut. I’d always wanted to do something on my own, so I decided to go after the one thing I had wanted for a long time—to become a photographer. I asked for a work transfer from Delhi to Dehradun, where work was less hectic. Then I took a three-month sabbatical before eventually resigning. Leaving my job was the toughest part, but I kept the faith. I began taking photographs of friends, and asked for feedback. With the savings I had in my PF account, I bought the best DSLR camera I could afford, and began expanding my work through social media. I took up every assignment that came my way, small or big, and approached universities in my area for work. Slowly, things started looking up. The work flow is now constant, and while I’m still in the process of living my dream job, I wake up every morning feeling that I’ve accomplished something on my own.”

- Jyotsna Tomar

• GO FROM LONG TO SUPER-SHORT HAIR

“If there is one tradition the women in my family have carefully preserved for generations, it is that of having long, dark hair. All through school, no matter how much I craved a ‘cool’ cut, my mother ensured I had nothing but a well -oiled, never-ending braid. My blow-dry bills were frightening, I always felt like I was carrying a huge weight on my head, and sometimes when I tied my hair into a bun, it would topple over to the side under its own weight. Washing my hair was another ordeal: it took me two rounds of shampoo and a lot of cursing to get my giant mass of hair clean. So when I reached college, I knew I had to convince mom to let me get a haircut. It took very long and many tears, but I finally succeeded. I remember literally skipping to the hairdresser’s, references in tow, and got myself a short bob! It was over, the many kilos on my head were gone and I was thrilled. I felt so much lighter and oh-so stylish! The new me brought me compliments and confidence, and I enjoyed all of it.”

- Khushboo Soni

• SAY NO TO THE INTERNET

“For a beauty blogger, who spends half her life online, I was being too ambitious when I said I could easily spend a day away from the Internet. The first few hours were the toughest. I had forgotten life without the World Wide Web. I battled my urge to Google everything! Queen Padmavati’s husband’s name, the distance between Hyderabad and Ooty, the lipsticks I’d recently ordered online, all the comments I imagined I had got for my new blog post...they were all making it really difficult for me to get on with my day at first. But as the day progressed, the sting lessened. My family and I settled down to play a game of Life and Scotland Yard, and even a round of Pictionary late in the evening. In that one day, I’d looked up the dictionary for the first time in ages, had real conversations without Google to settle an argument, and read an actual map. I’d unknowingly recreated the perfect day from my school vacations, so many years ago. I had an inkling I would like a day minus the Internet, I just didn’t expect to freak out and calm down so much in just one day! An Internet detox is just what everyone needs once in a while.”

- Ikya Kesiraju