Ronita Goswami: Blogger and Wanderlust

Ronita Goswami is a writer by profession and by passion. She considers herself to be an introvert, a bookworm, a fitness enthusiast, a perfectionist who likes to have all her ducks in a row. Discipline is important to her. “Recently, more specifically over the last two years, I have been donning the hat of a traveler. I’m picking up a lot of traits from my journeys. Travel has converted me into a minimalist and has made me more aware of different cultures. It has had a huge impact on my personality, my lifestyle, and my creative interests.”

About 3 years ago, she discovered the joy of football (soccer) and has been an Arsenal fan ever since.

Ronita you like soccer (football), traveling, and food. We will get along well. You speak or shout at length in a wild impassioned way and are unpredictable as per erratic rantings. Haha, I love the name of your blog. Talk to me a little about it.

Erratic Rantings came into being in 2018. Before that, I had another blog in my college days where I used to write book reviews. But I hadn’t taken it too seriously back then. And then in 2018, my then fiancé (now husband), Tathagata, talked me into having a proper blog set up. I remember that I had asked him, “What am I going to write about?” He said, “Anything you want.” In fact, he chose the name Erratic Rantings since I didn’t give much thought into the name. That’s how it all began. 

We got married the same year and I wrote the first post on our marriage. In fact, I turned my marriage into a seven-part blog series. It felt good to pen the entire event down. I realized that this blog was like a memory bank where I could relive my experiences any time I wanted. And then I couldn’t stop. There were too many things happening around me that I knew I would want to look back at later in my life. In doing this, I started gathering up a handful of followers who have personally told me that they draw inspiration from my blog and are continuously looking forward to the next post. 

Ronita, walk me through the city you live in, the food, the culture, and some good restaurants?

I’m from, what is popularly known as, the City of Joy – Kolkata. I’ve lived here all my life and somehow have never felt the need to live anywhere else.

Kolkata is located in the eastern part of India. It is a city I hold close to my heart. It’s home and more. The city is famous for its literary inclination, its heart-warming food, and progressive culture. Kolkata’s charm lies in its bylanes, serpentine tram lines, intense ‘adda’ sessions (conversations) over searing hot tea poured into earthen cups, sweets, football, intellectual debates and protests, theatres, libraries, music, poetry, old buildings with a colonial past, sprawling chaos in roadside markets, love for sweets and deep-fried snacks and more.

Kolkata is also a confluence of a variety of cultures. That’s because the city is one of the major business hubs of the country and the cost of living isn’t too high compared to other cities. It’s laidback yet modern. One of the characteristics that are unique to my city is its open-mindedness. It encourages uninhibited and constructive debates instead of silent acceptance. I’m proud to be a product of the liberal landscape of my city.

Being a convergence of multiple cultures, Kolkata is a witness to numerous festivals. But Durga puja outstrips all of them. It’s a grand autumnal festival celebrating the victory of Goddess Durga over evil. It continues for five days officially, but we wait for it all year. In fact, the life of a Bengali revolves around Durga puja. Beautifully decorated marquees are put up to house the idols. The entire city transforms into an exhibition of art and creativity. Residents of the city from all over the world return to their homes and join in on the festivities. In essence, Durga puja is a celebration of togetherness. The end of the festival brings out the worst case of blues among us, Bengalis. That’s when we start the countdown for the next Durga puja.

One of my favorite restaurants in Kolkata is Oudh 1590. Not just for the food but for the décor as well. Oudh 1590 is a recreation of the Nawabi era to provide its customers with a period of the dining experience. Once you step inside the restaurant, you would truly feel like you have been transported to history in a time machine.

Tell me about your favorite place that you visited and why you like it so much?

It has to be Bali. Bali stole my heart from the moment I set foot on the island. 

On the first morning of our stay, we headed to the Git Git waterfall. It was deserted when we reached. The water was gushing down with ferocity, Nature has grown abundantly around it, there were tiny, naturally-formed cave-like structures beside the waterfall and the water was crystal clear. I sat down on one of the large rocks closest to the waterfall and felt the water-laden breeze washing over me. It had started to drizzle. The entire place looked magical. That’s where my mood changed dramatically from head to heart. I felt more awake there than I had all my life.

Bali’s beaches are no doubt beautiful, its people are extremely friendly and the coffee is mind-blowing. Bali taught me humbleness through their uninhibited devotion to their Gods and their gratitude towards what they have been blessed with. I believe if there is any place on Earth where God lives, it’s in Bali.

I see you like Arsenal. Why? You talk that you have a lot in common with them. I want to know the commonality.

Like I said, I was introduced to the world of football and its fanaticism in 2017 by my then fiancé (now husband), Tathagata. He is an ardent Arsenal fan. I knew it the day I met him by the tattoo of the Arsenal crest on his left arm. It started with watching videos of old matches on the phone and then slowly I began to understand the power of ‘The Beautiful Game’. He taught me the different aspects of a football match, the significance of every move or sign in the field, and the true meaning of the sport.

As for the commonality, you have to read my blog post to find out.

What is your ideal romantic date?  How has married life changed your life? Any surprises?

My ideal romantic date would be at the beach at sunset with ‘Imagine’ by John Lennon playing in the background. Both Tathagata and I love the beach. We’ve witnessed countless sunsets at the beach together and it still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. The quiet roaring of the waves is relaxing and that’s when I find myself most calm and at the same time, most lively. I cannot thank my stars enough when I walk along the beach with Tathagata by my side. I feel on top of the world every single time that happens.

We’ve been married for a little over two years now and I have felt a lot of positive changes in myself through this time. A friend told me recently that marriage has brought me out of my shell. It’s true. I am exploring myself a lot more. Like I told you before, I’m donning more than one hat to discover new aspects that I can add to my identity. I’m experimenting more, I’m trying to stretch my boundaries and learning to step out of my comfort zone. I feel more confident and optimistic about life.

I married into a large family. We live with my parents, grandparents and uncle, and my aunt-in-law. Coming from a nuclear family, this was the biggest change in my life. Thankfully, we get along really well. More importantly, living with a large family has taught me some core virtues like patience, resilience, and being less judgmental. Luckily I married into a family that appreciates and practices creativity and art. 

I know you like the beach. What is it about the beach that you like?

It is the sound of the waves that pulls me to the beach. The sea makes me happy. It has a soothing and reassuring effect on my mind. It’s as if the waves tell me that no matter what happens, everything will be alright. I feel like I can draw strength from the ocean. Every time I’m at the beach I make it a point to take off my shoes and feel the sand between my toes. It helps me connect to the sea and relax my mind. It’s always an invigorating experience to sit down at the beach at sunset and just listen to the incessant roaring of the waves. Tathagata tells me, “If you respect the sea, the sea will respect you too.”

You are the modern-day Indian woman. How is that woman different from Woman in the ’80s and the ’60s?

I feel that the status of Indian women has radically changed in the modern-day since the ’80s or ’60s. There have been massive structural and cultural changes that provide equal opportunity to women in education and employment. I’ll give you an example.

My grandmother-in-law, who is now 85 years old, couldn’t complete her school-level education because she had to walk a certain distance to be able to board the school bus. And that wasn’t acceptable at that time. She regrets it to this day. She takes a keen interest in reading and has a brilliant memory. But she feels that no matter how much she reads, it can never compensate for the education she was deprived of and so immensely desired.

On the other hand, my late maternal grandmother who was a statistician by profession was a financially independent woman. Her sister was a headmistress of a reputed school, an ardent traveler, and an excellent swimmer even with a polio-affected leg. So you see, there were opportunities, but only for the extremely lucky ones.

Fast forward to this day, today’s Indian woman has ample opportunities to choose the education she desires, become financially independent, have a voice, and make well-informed decisions about her life. While a certain amount of social norms still govern a lot of Indian women’s lives, we have come a long way from how it used to be about four or five decades ago. But then again, the lesser privileged are still oppressed to the point where they have forgotten that they can have opinions. I think a large part of the cause is the lack of free basic education. But change is occurring every day. The idea is to manage the challenges and make adjustments according to the situation to be able to build a better tomorrow. We are getting there. At least we are trying. That’s what matters.

What does women empowerment mean to you?

Today, we talk a lot about women’s empowerment. But I think there are multiple aspects to it. I feel that the key to women’s empowerment is abolishing discrimination. This is where our society falls short most of the time. People make a lot of hues and cry over women’s empowerment on the surface, but the mentality of people would take a lot more generations to change. Women today, face a lot of adversities in the name of loss of culture. Even today, women are subject to gruesome violence. There are numerous organizations working towards the improvement of women’s status. There’s progress but the mentality needs to change before we can see any large improvement. This is where access to education is necessary. 

Discrimination against women exists in the different stratum of the society – some are visible, some not so much. And quite a lot of times, this discrimination becomes such a force of habit that people don’t recognize it at all. I think one of the most effective ways to empower our women is by teaching our sons about true feminism so that our women do not have to fight for it. We need to teach our sons from a very young age to view women as equals and engage them in abolishing gender stereotypes. Women empowerment is not the fight for women alone, it’s a fight for our men too. To stand as equals with women. Nothing more. Nothing less.

We will do another interview in 5 years. Where would Ronita be and what are your goals and aspirations for the next 5 years?

Hopefully, I would be able to make some developments with my blog, share more experiences, and inspire more people. I am working towards improving my English writing skills since it isn’t my first language. I hope to make progress with my career, try to push myself out of my comfort zone, and acquire more knowledge and skills along the way. Maybe I would be able to add some more beautiful destinations into my travel experiences, get to learn about different cultures, and create better travel videos than my first attempt. 

In the next five years, I see myself growing into a more mature version of myself. I expect to become calmer, more confident, and more in touch with myself. So let’s wait and find out.