Welcome to Mandiya Jau, a blog that will be as wholesome and good for your soul as the real M Jau is. You may have some questions. Let's answer them:
Why do we need a blog when we have our WhatsApp group?
WhatsApp limits us to bragging about our cooking experiences, not sharing them. It's great that my Garlic Pull-Apart rolls were a success, but will I remember the recipe and how I did it without sufficient notes? What if you want to try the same rolls three months later? I may have forgotten what recipe I referred to. As Rugs loves to say, we Indians have no sense of recording or archiving. Let's change that!
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| Do you know I foolishly put basil seeds on these pull-aparts instead of black sesame? Basil seeds have no flavour |
Who gets to post here?
Any of us: Apu, me, Rashmi mousi and Raka mousi. Bunny, too, though, obviously she'll act smart for six months before actually getting down to (maybe) writing something.
Who gets to read it?
Well, mostly just us. We are planning to keep the blog private, so it's really a forum for us to share and talk. In journalism, they say: "Know your audience" (at least, they ought to say that). You know your audience so well (having washed their potty-covered bums and all)!
Will I become famous?
Unlikely. Though Premalata aunty is already envisioning Mandiya Jau (she hasn't heard the name of the blog yet) as a published book full of recipes and memories. I'm envisioning gifting a print version to Pupu when she goes to college - the collected wisdom of her mother, aunts and grandmothers - and expecting her to brain me with the edge (Note to self: do not make hardcover copies).
Can I write about anything?
Sure. But we all know it's going to be about cooking, gardening, animals or Do-It-Yourself home remedies and cosmetics, don't we?
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| You'll never miss a kitten update at MJ! |
Will I get salacious family gossip here?
Prasenjit Mandal, get out of here.
I don't have a fancy phone like Raka does. Will my inferior photos be accepted?
Of course! Photos drive blogs, and while we're not looking to build a readership, any article is hugely enhanced by the use of photos. In fact, you can just create photo-only posts, if you like.
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| Raka has unfair advantage. Superb setting, superb flowers and a magical camera phone. Booo |
Is there a style to follow when writing a post?
No, and as if you'd follow it if there was one. Do whatever you like. Listy pieces (Thuka style) on best aapam restaurants in PGT, 10,000-word think pieces on why the bl**3% orchids aren't blooming in Pune, 100 words on what Lil Miss and Bad Boy (a great name for a hip hop group) were up today, a rant on why organic diapers are pretty... shit. Empty canvas, people.
Enjoy,
NN
