Week 08/2026
16th to 22nd Feb 2026 (Mon to Sunday)
The week was kind of hectic. Most weekdays were spent at the office. I took two days of leave and went to Vadodara to take care of some family-related work.
On Saturday, I did a session with Sajhe Sapne students — (Sapnewaali) sharing my life journey and career path. They asked very interesting questions about my life choices and how I did what I did. From the session, some possibilities came up:
- One Sapnewaali wants to learn website development
- One Sapnewaali wants to learn portfolio building
- One Sapnewaali wants to do a ‘Child Development’ course from Eklavya Foundation
I also had a call with Rashad (The Circuit Project). We discussed program design, fundraising strategy, and more. We are slowly making progress.
I also had a call with S (a writer helping me write articles about our — Mihir & Nidhi’s — past projects). We are slowly moving forward.
I didn’t mention in earlier weekly note — I bought a sketchbook/journal/notebook from a pop-up stall at Anant University on 22nd September 2025. It cost ₹350 and it is really, really nice. The pages are thick and perfect for my ink pen to glide across. It also works well with watercolour. I use this notebook as my idea book.
I also have one more big notebook I bought from Sky Blue Stationery (23rd Jan 2026), using the ₹1,000 voucher our office gave as a Diwali gift. (I still have 500rs reamining) This big notebook is very helpful when I want to write something uninterruptedly. The large pages give me clarity of thought and creative freedom — I do less scribbling and more writing in this one.
My pocket notebook is over. There’s a new one sitting in my carton, but unpacking and finding it feels like too much work right now. So currently I’m just using the idea book and the big book.
I am still processing the emotions around the children’s literature project. I was planning to publish stories and other things I wrote during my facilitation work with children — but a magazine is something new, and it is a commitment. It felt sudden. Too many collaborations are happening all at once, and alongside that, a lot is going on at home. So it is overwhelming.
I am still contemplating this decision. But I am okay now.
I realised that I wanted to be a writer / editor / creator since childhood. This is full circle. It is a natural extension of my work. But it requires doing a lot of other tasks beyond just writing and thinking creatively — funds, collaborations, communication with different stakeholders, distribution, editing, registering and maintaining an org, and what not. But I think I am ready for this challenge. I just need a little cushioning from the team. B is there. She is reliable. Designer friend N is also very excited about the project. I think we will be able to do it. I just need to trust myself and trust the team.
How is this a natural extension of my work?
A few instances from my childhood:
- I used to go to the public library in Padra, my hometown. In Grade 7 or 8 — I don’t remember exactly — there was a career guidance programme, and the librarian himself came to my house to invite me. (Yes, some people do their jobs very passionately.) I went. The chief guest gave a lecture and at the end asked, “What do you all want to become when you grow up?”
I said — “Journalist.”
-
I don’t remember exactly how that came up, but I always wanted to write. I used to write poems in school. I visited the school library regularly. I also loved music and was part of the prayer choir. Languages were my favourite subjects.
-
I was a regular newspaper reader. I had the contact number of a local journalist from Divya Bhaskar. I also used to visit a local independent newspaper called Vavazodu News and asked their founder about how to become a journalist or column writer. I used to make blank calls to local journalists — total fanboy behaviour.
-
I used to read a magazine called Safari — a science magazine introduced by our science teacher. Inspired by it, I started my own handwritten magazine called Samvad. I think I took the name from an ETV show by Jay Vasavda. I don’t remember exactly what I used to write in it — but I do remember putting talcum powder on the pages to make them smooth and glossy, because other magazines felt like that.
-
When floods came to Padra, I used to roam around on my cycle, daydreaming and acting like a journalist.
-
Sometimes I wanted to write columns. Sometimes poems. Sometimes advertisements.
-
In 11th–12th grade, I made a blog called Prayog Ghar — a WordPress blog that became a popular science communication blog, where I wrote simple articles in Gujarati about science in everyday things. “How does this work?” kind of stuff. Blogging has been a continuous thread since 2013.
-
In 2016, I started an e-magazine called Kelavni.
-
In 2020, I self-published a children’s book — Kiki and Krisha. Took pre-orders and sold 200 copies, without any investment, without any prior experience. I collaborated with people and made it happen. I am so grateful to Sharvari for the illustrations, and to Bansi, Mitali, Jubin, and Geeta for making it such a beautiful creation. It was basic, not mature — but I did it as an experiment.
-
In 2023, I self-published again — Bilori Kaach , a collection of my essays and poems.
-
Later I did courses in children’s literature writing (Teacher Author), theatre in education, storytelling, nature education, and child development and learning.
-
In my facilitation work with young children, I use stories, songs, puppets, and theatre heavily. I create original stories and songs.
All of these became small, small instances that led me here — to starting a children’s magazine.
I am drawn to the work of Gillo Theatre Company and Tiny Tales. I love Yuvan’s work because he writes — books, blogs, Instagram posts. I love the personalities of designers and illustrators (Allen Shaw is a favourite). I actually started working with children because I wanted to do creative things. I don’t want to put myself in a box. As an experiential learning educator, I can do theatre, write stories, go for nature walks, do science experiments, make toys — everything. Love for everything. Love for wonder, aesthetics, language, creativity, the affective domain, and life itself.
When I work with young adults, I also bring in creative writing, theatre, filmmaking, and research and making projects as my pedagogy.
Daydream:
I am daydreaming my life as an educator–writer–creator. Writing new stories, writing, singing and composing new songs with children, doing nature detective sessions, going to different literature festivals with our little magazine, doing storytelling sessions, writing and directing and acting in theatre for young audiences.
There will be other tasks to run the show — some full-time work, some management and admin. But it will be fun.
I am sure about one thing — I am going to learn how to work in a team. Sometimes that means letting go of your own opinions and ideas to make the final product better, letting the show go on, and giving space to other team members. I know I will learn a lot from this. It feels like a good challenge for me.
I’m sure my teammates also have backstories that brought them to this project. They come with backgrounds in education and design — one is a dentist turned educator turned children’s literature person, and the other is an architect turned illustrator.
I want to stay grounded. I don’t want to get carried away with the ego of “we are starting something.” I want to be a small contributor to this thing. I’m okay if it gets shut down after a few issues.
This project is a natural extension of what Nidhi and I want to do at Khojbeen Mandali. We started Khojbeen Mandali as our own little space in experiential learning facilitation — working with young children through nature, theatre, and project-based learning, and similarly with young adults.
We have developed two programs so far: Nature Detective and Local Khoji. Through Khojbeen, we mostly want to:
- Direct facilitation with children and young adults through workshops or tailored long-term programs
- Document our work and share best practices as curriculum design and program design services and consultancy
- Publication of children’s literature
- Theatre performances for young audiences
This magazine, focused on 3 to 10 year olds, is an extension of what we want to do at Khojbeen. It’s part of an ecosystem of things for young children. For example, some children come to our nature journaling workshop and then take a Hoopahoop - Magazine subscription. Those same children come to see our theatre performances. Everything is connected.
Sometimes I strongly feel that I want to work only with young children — the 3 to 10 age group. I have a lot to offer here, and my inner child truly comes alive in this space. I also have something to offer young adults, drawn from my own recent journey and transition in adulthood — but it mostly relates to self-directed learning, portfolio building, career navigation, and creative real-life projects.
Both age groups excite me, but I struggle to shift my mindset when I move between them. Going forward, I’m thinking of doing direct work with and for young children, while for young adults I’ll help organisations design programs and curriculum. I’ll take it step by step and see what feels right. For now, this is where I stand: I work directly with young children, write for them, and offer consultation to organisations and initiatives working with young adults.
Recently published blog posts :
Insta posts :
Overall, things are okay. Nidhi and I are both struggling to balance work and home responsibilities together. Slowly we are learning — supporting each other without letting frustration creep in.
This week, we were again caught by the traffic police for accidentally driving on the wrong side. We really need to sort out our driving licences as soon as possible. The incident left us feeling quite low on Sunday night. But this time, we are determined to actually follow through on it.