An Engaging Blogger

He’s immensely crazy about travels. His love for adventure is evident from his sparkling eyes. His somewhat freakish-looking not-so-well-kept-hair explains his erratic nature and yet there is something which his personality fails to express… his love to share his life’s finest moment with the world through his blog – The Neva Ending Journey @ http://mehaal.blogspot.com/. Our blogger this week, Mehaal Rai, is a guy with uncanny ability to thrill enthusiastic blog-readers. You simply have to read his blogs to know how engaging they truly are.

He spoke to our Blogs Editor this week. Some excerpts:

Tell us something about your background.

I was born and brought up in Udupi a temple town on the west-coast of southern India. It is easily one of the most beautiful places to be. Nice people, amazing scenic places, beaches and student crowd partying 24/7 are some of the several facets of this town. About Education, I do not study much, but I happen to have a lot of degrees – BE from NMAMIT, MTech from MIT and MSc from Netherlands. Do not get me wrong, I never ever study! I am currently living and working in the Netherlands.

What fascinates you?

I Love Singing, hanging out with my friends, going to beaches late in the night, partying, travelling, photography, writing poems about my life and long drives in car with friends. I just started learning hip hop dancing as I used to be horrible in dancing before. It’s time for me to prove people wrong and I am half way there! I used to be good in drawing before but I think not anymore! In short, my interest is to make the perfect use of this [one] life I will remember.

Who introduced you to blogging?

Some of my friends used to blog about music, various activities and that really inspired me to start writing one. That is how I started “The Neva Ending Journey”. In a few months of writing, people began to love it, admire it and now I do it regularly whenever I have some time. There are people with high expectations, so need to make sure every post is good so that people do visit again to read another crazy experience.

What does blogging mean to you today?

Blog for me is a place where I can express my feelings to several people in a go. It’s a place where I can inform my readers from India about fascinating part of the other part of the world. I usually write about the trips we go to and some events we attend. I make it a point to include humor so that people find it interesting. Blogging is something I do for fun and I love it.

How frequently do you blog?

I blog whenever something interesting happens and it does happen regularly in Netherlands! I used to blog every week but now I write once in 2/3 weeks. But I guess I need to write more often. You never know, after this interview, I might end up writing every week! I just wrote one about our trip to Milan!

Do you think Blogging is for here to stay?

Totally agree. The main reason I write a blog is to relive my past. What I mean to say is, when I read my earlier posts about the trips we go, the details of the places we visited, I begin to remember the things I would have already forgotten. When I read the previous posts, I go like “Oh yes, this did happen, we did go there”. I sometimes read my posts which I wrote a year back and it just brings on my own face!

What are the things you like to blog on?

I blog on my life, trips, parties we attend, the weird/good things of other countries/people. We do attend a lot of student parties with a lot of international crowd. Who says Indians do not socialize?!

You write relatively well have you ever been trained in literature?

No, No, Never! For all I know, my English is going from good to worse in Netherlands. I usually speak a lot and I had that fluency but I do not interact with so many people as I would in India as very less people in Netherlands know English. But about blogging, I do not really care as people understand what I write! It is better to make the post simple and fun than put some hi-fi English words and confuse the readers.

How long has it been since the adventure streak dawned upon you?

It’s been one year since started and I regret not starting before. I have always lived each day like it’s the last. What is the point of sitting at home and not doing anything while God created the world to explore?

Do you have a girl friend whom you intent to marry? Does she have to anything with your blog?

This is very difficult question to answer. I’d rather keep the answer to “You never know “!

Your take on Life

A very common motto: One life –  Live it! What is the point of not showing the world who you are? What is the point of doing nothing when there are about a million things to do? What is the point of just reading others blog when you can write one as well. Everyone/everything is interesting; it’s all about how you put it to words. Try it and I am sure you will be featured in this column someday soon!