Maintaining this blog can be exhausting at times. However, getting the recognition of having it ranked as one of 50 Platinum blogs for 2012 (the “creme de la creme of the Indian blogosphere”) on Top Indian Blogs, gives me wonderful encouragement to keep at it.
The success of my humble blog still surprises me at times. When I started it around four years ago, I did so with the aim of developing my writing voice, and also providing information for other people in a similar situation as me — whether moving to India or having a cross cultural relationship (sometimes, both!). I hoped that if I was upfront and honest, and wrote from the heart, it would help people. In addition, I wanted to explore issues that affected me, living in India.
I didn’t do much at all to publicise my blog (and still don’t) but somehow it became popular, leaving me very grateful that I’ve achieved my goal with it, and very grateful to everyone who reads it (yes, even you people who are hateful, because it makes me stronger as well as gives me valuable insight into the human psyche).
In addition to the Platinum blog list, do take a look at the full directory of Best Indian Blogs to discover other interesting blogs out there! It’s really exciting to see so many Indians embracing blogging and writing, and expressing themselves through it.
© 2012, Diary of a White Indian Housewife. All rights reserved. Do not copy and reproduce text or images without permission.
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{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
SHABASH!!!!
Congratulations Sharell!!!!
Congrats. You are humble Sharell and you truly deserve to be there on that list.
“yes, even you people who are hateful,”
Yeah..You are welcome!
You lefty hater, you!
Congrats Sharell, This is wonderful news. Keep up the great work
!
“yes, even you people who are hateful”
Very few regular commentators are hateful here Sharell, they just disagree.
Congrats!
You wouldn’t know what goes on behind the scenes, in the moderation queue or my inbox would you? All kinds of nonsense. And I don’t mean from regular commentators. Everyone I know of that writes blogs like mine and/or has cross cultural relationships gets them to varying degrees.
“yes, even you people who are hateful,”
do you mean people who furnish you with statements like
”SIMON(Sharell) GO BACK”
anyways congrats!!
That and much more!
Congratulations, Sharell!
Great work Sharell!
I think your blog has created an awesome community offering people a great outlet to have open and interesting discussions across a number of topics. Even with the crazy haters, they give perspective!
Yeah, gotta love the crazies, just for the absurd craziness!
Other blogs in the list are probably handled by multiple people but here you are handling it alone. So that’s a great work.
How do you feel when BIG B blog is also there in the list. ??
Like I’ve hit the Big league!
But even I read the Big B’s blog. He writes very articulately.
Oh, I do have dear Shiriki to give me a lil help, when the going gets tough!
And may be, he read yours too.
Nooo, I’m sure he doesn’t have time for anyone as unimportant as me!
Hi Sharrel,
The thing I like about your blog is that you that this blog is not a medium for you to vent your personal bitterness. You may have had some bitter experiences but they seldom get reflected in you writings. Very balanced and pragmatic writings. Other blog writers bring their bitter family experiences into their writings and paint the entire country black. It is understandable that the writer cannot separate her family experiences from her social experiences (the blog writers are invariably white females, so we do not get to know what a white male feels about India). Perhaps, either men do not observe much or they do not have any pressure to adhere to the Indian culture like white females in an inter racial marriage. Whichever way you look at it, the blog becomes a forum among the expats to sprew venom on India. I do not say it is good or bad but it is bit overwhelming at times.
Hi ASG, that’s a good point. But to be honest, I really have nothing horrible to say about my family. I’ve been totally blessed in that regard. I can’t think of one bitter experience. But I agree, spewing venom isn’t very constructive.
I should also add that there’s a saying that “people in pain do painful things”. No doubt the bloggers that do spew venom are probably completely overwhelmed themselves, and are not coping too well.
You are blessed with a positive attitude towards life which is so refreshing. I wish you do not give up on India easily, we need more people with an attitude like you. Even if you had bitter personal experiences you are not going to share it with the world because your life is strictly your life. But it still does not explain why their are very few white males writing about their experiences. Either men cope very well to change, have less demands from life, or simply do not have anything to say about India. A part of the problem may be that they do not have access to Indian women, who are the real repository of Indian culture. They are not subjected to staring by Indian men. That kind of helps as they are not treated as exotic things. It will be nice to hear their part of the story.
Oh, don’t worry, I’ll be in India for a long time yet. No plans to leave. I think the issue with white males is that there seems to be relatively less of them married to Indian woman like you said (although I do know of a few) and plus, males aren’t really expressive creatures. They aren’t known for pouring their feelings out in writing. They’d rather go and have a beer.
If a man’s basic needs like food and clothing are met, he really has very little complains from life plus he brush aside minor irritants. I guess men are the same everywhere. With men you get pretty much what you see love, lust or anger. We have grown much from our cave men days.
“Either men cope very well to change, have less demands from life, or simply do not have anything to say about India. A part of the problem may be that they do not have access to Indian women, who are the real repository of Indian culture. They are not subjected to staring by Indian men.”
No reason hold true for this. Because that is not a correct assessment about white men. There are lots of blogs of white men living in India or married to Indian girls. But even if they are expressing their feeling like white women do is because of the difference between a man and woman.
When we say that women are from Venus and men are from Mars. That hold true from every women and every man, white black or brown.
Generally men wouldn’t write about their personal or social relationships rather they would go for a beer and bear it. Generally they would write about travel, politics , history , economics, etc..
Chanakya could you point out these white men blogs? I also haven’t seen any blogs with Indian men in intercultural relationships.
I guess men don’t like blogging, I certainly hate it.
There is one blog of a British man. He is not in relationship with Indian girl but I like to read his blog.
here is the link.
http://twomilliongods.blogspot.in/
Congratulations. You totally deserve it.
Will definitely check out the other blogs on the list as well.
Congratulations Sharell ! The way you have worked over this blog; this event was bound to happen. Keep Blogging and we would continue following it
.
congrats and well done
Congratulations Sharell! Other bloggers may be more intellectual, erudite, better connected but your straight from the heart, honest, good humored approach coupled with a foreigners perspective to Indian things make your blog a weekly “reading must” for me.
p.s. I like the pricing info you include from time to time. For example, the Rp. 8k electricity bill (about $160 or more) which would imagine is a large chunk of a professional wage earner’s income. Hope you will write more about how people make both ends meet.
Thank you! Yeah, I’m a pretty simple person really.
As for the air conditioning, unfortunately, it’s viewed as a “luxury item” that many people simply can’t afford. I’ll definitely keep in mind to mention more about the cost of living.
Congrats!
Congratulations! Your blog is at the top of my bookmarks list, and I always enjoy checking in to see what’s caught your eye. One of the things I like best about your posts is your positive view — it matches my lifeview much better than the bloggers who focus on the negative aspects of living in India as a foreigner, or who use their space to air family grievances. Plus, it’s fun to get a glimpse of Mumbai life, so different in many ways from Delhi life!
Congrats…
Congratulations, Sharell! You deserve it. Way to go!!
I can already see a long list of congratulations. I almost felt I need not add
Anyway, congrats.
Awww, every bit counts! Thanks so much.
CONGRATS Sharell!!!! Truly well deserved.
i posted a comment on your blog a few weeks ago saying how i found your blog inspirational…this awards confirms the fact that i’m not the only one who thinks of it that way…keep up the great work.
Hehe, it seems you have good taste!
Thanks so much for the encouragement. It means a lot.
Congratulations !
Congratulations for your success!
You can’t avoid hateful people as soon as you site is read a lot.
I really like your blog because the articles are long, complete and interesting. And I like your sincerity. You make me dream of India.
I agree with Chanakya, men tend to write about politics, computers or trips but they don’t always really express their feelings as you do.
Congratulations !
Congratulations & Bonza, mate!
Congratulations. The success is due to simplicity in communications, relevance to most readers and presenting thought provoking matters in an interesting and non controversial manner. I look forward to reading your blogs.
Best regards.
Hi Sharell,
Congrats! To be selected in the top 50 is just a fine achievement!
My Yatra Diary…
Hi Sharell
Congratulations! I absolutely love reading your blog. your posts are so fascinating and your love for everything Indian is just so amazing! Although I am Indian and have lived here all my life even I havent encountered half of the things you write about. Reading your posts made me think whether I have failed to observe such things or do I just experience the ‘westernised’ side of India.
Even I am Oriya like your husband and his family but I have never seen a traditional Oriya wedding like yours. I do hope I get to someday!
I look forward to read more of your experiences! I came across your book on Kobo. Cant wait to buy it!
I suggest changing the name to Diary of a sultry indian housewife.
You will be in the Top Ten.
Yeah, because of the horrid sultry weather in Mumbai that makes me sweat non-stop.
Seriously, the horrid sultry HUMID weather here in monsoonal Nepal is making my hair so frizzy I look like a blonde Sai Baba!
I’ve had to start oiling my hair!!!
I soon will make (if I get married to my girlfriend), Diary of Indian White Husband.
I will have a total of 15 members.
Every single one of them will be indian guys propositioning my wife for sex in haphazard English ‘You want to be friends? I give you sexy time!
Not realising they are flooding my E-mail inbox.
Nooo, yours will have to be Diary of a Brown Kiwi Husband.
And it’s not “you want to be friends”… it’s “you want to make frainship”.
‘frainship’? sonds more like a construction project than anything abstract that involves emotional involvement.
Sounds like too much work too.