At the end of each month, I write a Stakeholder Report. The idea is to zoom out, ponder over life and ask myself deeper (and, often difficult) questions. The last report is here.

I missed out on May Report. I took a tiny break from work in Gorakhpur. And when I came back, I spent more time catching up on life. The report then took a back seat. So, this one is an update from the two months gone by.

Each edition has the following:

1. Updates from the previous month
   1. Work
   2. Interesting life experiences
2. Goals for the coming month + what I will do to achieve them
   1. Personal goals
   2. Decoding Draupadi goals
3. A short list of things I need help with

This one is laid out in the same manner.

—

Updates from the previous month

I have met SO many people in the last few days.

If I had to put a number to this, I would say I met over 200 new people in the last 2 months. Averages out to 3 per day. Though, it hasn’t been like that.

I met almost all these people through meet-ups. Some we organised at C4E and DD. Others I just showed up at.

And they were all beautiful events. No bias, but I seem to think so.

First: The C4E’s 2nd Spotlight Session . #CSS02. Which was a women-only open mic night. I think it was a great one because the WhatsApp group from that one is still buzzing. People found friends and safe spaces. Someone told us they’ve been meaning to take to stage for the last 10 years and they finally did with DD’s event. And their mum was there too. Sounds unreal – but it is absolutely true. Here’s something I wrote about it.

Second: Hosted a Tim Ferris meet-up with Chandni in Mumbai. This was an interesting one for a bouquet of reasons. One that the agenda of the meet-up was Tim Ferris and meeting people who also read him. Which didn’t quite add up in my head. Why would people show up to meet other people who read the same things? Without having the thinker in the room. Anyhow! Two that people dropped by all the way from Pune. Yes, two of them. Just for this meet-up. Wow? Three that the power of a thinker and writer to bring people together.

Anyhow, we hung out at Doolally and the beach and finally, at Jamjar. There were a few logistic issues, sure. But we had a sweet evening and made some nice friends!

Third: A mixer by Method Art Gallery in Bandra. I only have one friend this one, to be honest. Because the rule was: You can’t talk about work. To be honest, I was super unimpressed and happy about the whole thing. I thought: If I can’t start with asking you what you do for work, I would never really know you. While I still strongly believe in the so-what-do-you-do kind of things, I do think that it would be brilliant skill to have — to hold a first conversation with a stranger, outside of work. Maybe I need to do this people thing better?

Fourth: #CSS03. A private film-screening. 6 film-makers screened 10-minute short films, followed by a Q&A + a networking session after. This was nerve-wracking for me. Primarily because I don’t think I understand the medium of films well enough. I know the J-cuts from the L-cuts, but I wouldn’t be able to comprehend subtext of the blue curtains and all that. But guess what, I tried. And now I have a few friends who work in films.

People found friends and project partners and gigs and ideas and a community. In fact, I also got my first casting call. Great success, I’d say?

Fifth: #CSS05. On this, we launched versovaishome.com. The idea: To make a community for people in Versova. The execution: A meet-up for all the cool people of Versova. The ice-breaker was a clicking-pictures-bingo. I will link it here when I post about it. A #400061 sticker. Postcards. And starting a welcome community of sorts. The website is WIP. Should be ready by July 3rd. I’ll link it here. Here is one no-context picture:

Sixth: Said yes to a cycling + snacks trip to Sanjay Gandhi National Park with Ankit Vengurlekar for Sunday morning. So many highlights: Seeing little fawns, riding a bike after years now – especially the uphills, dipping my feet in a stream, the people and all of god’s green earth. But the best part was the 20 minutes we spent discussing yoga and spirituality and all of ancient Indian wisdom. I’ve to be honest: I had always dismissed all of it as mumbo-jumbo. And, a lot of people have talked to me about it. But Ankit gave us all valid reasons to start exploring these things. And maybe then make an opinion? The closest second to these 20 mins would be the amazing corn and vada pav!

Seventh: A bunch of C4E tables. Most people I have met here are friends and family. But they’re worth mentioning. We talk work, life and everything in between — chilis and burgers, paans, saree business, how Rento-mojo is super cool, building habits, abundance mindsets, the evolution of ads and music, city sewage systems, “cringe” content, pets, relationships, cakes, legacy brands vs new-age brands, long-term thinking, all that. Everything.

Eighth: Content + Coffee by Shreevar in Mumbai. If I had to explain, I’d say it’s a participative workshop where people of marketing (and-also-not) come together, make friends, talk about the latest in marketing, work on some interesting cases together, network, get coffee of course and have a brilliant time. (Shree, I hope we can still be friends after I’ve butchered the fun + value out of this explanation.)

Top this list with all the people I have talked to online. For multiple projects at DD, and also just-because. All I have to say about this seemingly hyper-social life is that I am glad to be here. And that I have learnt a lot.

Busy Decoding Draupadi.

We’ve been able to try a bunch of big and small things at DD in search of the highly coveted PMF. Till we find the answers to what kind of business DD is going to be, we’re working to build distribution, find those 1000 true fans, cultivate partnerships, all that. Of course, super glad to have Aditi, Saranyaa, Simran and Tia to help us do more. And to kickstart exciting ripples. More DD updates in my next letter.

Two days in Delhi.

I was in Delhi for two days. This was after my one-week Gorakhpur trip. And I loved it so much.

First, because I was in Gorakhpur for way too long. And it’s a tiny city. And my life is pretty small there. I don’t like it. Life in Delhi or Mumbai or anywhere else has a bigger canvas. And I can be an anonymous kid with a laptop in any random Starbucks by herself. Thinking of big things. While the samosa chaat + kebab parathas back home are unbeatable, in I terribly missed my big cities. So, it was nice to be back. I remember coming back home at 10 PM and thinking how different both these cities are for me.

Second, because every person I met got a gift for me. Books and flowers and puddings and crochet flowers and chocolates and more. And it made me really happy. I wrote about it before but it’s worth repeating. Maybe I should do that too. Get tiny little (or big) things for every person I meet. Let me figure this out!

I posted my first YouTube video (and then archived it!)

I’ve grown up on a heavy diet of Michelle Phan and Lilly Singh. And for most of my teenage years, dreamt of doing the YouTuber thing myself. For a thousand silly reasons, I never really got to it.

Until last month. Here is my first (now-archived) video I posted. But I want to do this. No real rhyme or reason why. But I don’t want to be uncomfortable and awkward about something, so maybe just that.

But it was a tiny, little, super-personal win. And that!

I have a new home. Yay!

I’ve moved out of my place with my folks in Powai to somewhere in Andheri West with Chandni. I call this place The Clubhouse. Yes, Mickey Mouse.

I did my first adult grocery shopping for it. And other tiny things like rearranging furniture in the middle of the night and putting it back, figuring out what to eat on a daily basis, finding a laundry routine, doing all my own lifestyle-things, getting flowers I like, all that.

It’s been nice + sweet. Plus, I want to use this space to build a good-habit lifestyle. Simples things like a regular sleep cycle, more exercise, eating better, doing more work + less procrastinating, saving myself some traffic time and writing instead, those kind of things.

Exhibit A: I have exercised + meditated (183 minutes :p) more regularly here than I have done before.

Exhibit B: I made a separate phone to put all my social media on so that I can avoid mindless scrolling. Just because I have a Sin-Phone (I like that name), I do not use social media as much. This one has nothing to do with a new home but environment <> habits.

What’s been super helpful is a simple tracker that @saurabh made for me. Ask me nicely and I’d show you 🙂

I finished my second semester (nearly!)

Of course this is a milestone moment for me. Had a long, mildly stressful exam week. Found a deep-buried love for matcha-espresso. In fact, I got my first PR package from a matcha company just today. You’d see a reel soon.

I do think I take my exams super seriously. I remember asking SG if that was too silly of me and whether I should just let them slide. And he told me to discharge my duties sincerely. So that.

I turned 22 (and I haven’t been feeling it!)

In fact, I still have to double-think every time I tell someone how old I am. I’d always thought being 22 meant a lot less moving pieces in life and lot more locked in life choices. I would burst out at the naivety of that today. Good thing is: I do not have answers for a lot of things in life. And I am okay with. I trust myself + the process enough to show up every day and wait for the dots to make sense. Action/information? That!

About love.

My honest submission to you would be that I don’t think much of love. Not in the romantic sense at least. In fact, I think I have eliminated the thought out — till at least 40 years of age. Or till it just happens to me. Whichever comes first.

I often say a lover is an accessory. Truth is, I don’t know. I don’t think I am made for it. Or that it’s something I would every truly have. I am also completely okay with that. And I am also completely aware of how most of you would say my mind would change with age and time. Okay with that too.

However, I found myself thinking and reading a lot about love and marriage and companionship and how it all ties back to religion, communities, the need for feeling completely seen. All that. While I don’t have the most coherent opinions or much life experience to publicly + confidently comment, I would definitely encourage you to read Alain de Botton and Bell Hooks. I did — and I found it new and interesting. Mostly because we don’t talk enough about love as a life thing. But just breakups and crushes and brunch-gossip and drunken sleepovers.

Goals for the coming month + what I will do to achieve them

AK Goals:

1. I will make The Last Straw into a fully functioning project. The simplest step to take is spend two hours every morning working on it. 2 hours, 30 days.
2. I will do 25+ days of my healthy habits. These are: Meditate, workout, eat healthy, sleep and wake up at the right time. The best way to do this is to just do it and be a little more strict with myself. Just that.
3. I will write a LinkedIn post every day. 500 words. No GPT. 10 AM.
4. I will write fan mails/cold DMs to 5 new people every day. This will be the last thing I do before I keep my phone out of my room every night. (Habit stacking is a brilliant thing, btw.)
5. I will update my notes regularly. While I am totally aware of its merits, I am often lazy. The simplest way is to keep a tab open at all times and do it mindfully. And review first thing in the morning, for the previous day.

DD Goals:

1. Do a great job with the Pune event. This is almost about to happen. There’s no checklist to be honest but to just be on top of things and keep them moving.
2. Start a new project. I do not know what it is today. I should, in the next 3 days. And then work on executing it.
3. Record and publish 10 new podcast episodes this month. This means a complete cycle of record, edit, make YouTube cuts, make Instagram cuts, put them out. This remains an unsolved challenges in the last few months. But if Pocket Aces can figure out assembly line for content, DD can too.
4. Build a greater following for all DD socials. Instagram is at 751 today. I want to be at 2k in July. Other platforms, I don’t track right now. My best bet is ensuring something goes out every single day. So, fingers crossed!
5. Send the DD 2025 calendar to print. Because we have done it before, I am entirely convinced this is a one month job. The 2023 Cal was a 6 month job. For the next, I am ready to find out!

A short list of things I need help with:

1. Remember the 200 (and more) people I’ve been met with, I do not know how to keep in touch with. Help me figure this thing out?
2. I want to set up a campus chapter for DD. The current challenge is this: We have not been able to get a college kid’s attention in the competition with clubs, online courses, NGOs and UN Foundations, and all the thrilling things college life has to offer. Thoughts? Anyone?
3. If you spend time with me physically OR you are one of the people on my WhatsApp-group-of-40-close-friends, PLEASE push me to stick to my rules and routines. And point out when I defect. On DMs, private chat, publicly, anything goes.
4. Someone know a good cook in Shastri Nagar?
5. As always, point gaps in my thinking + give thoughts on this report. This is essentially all I am up to in life, how I am thinking, all that. So, this will be super helpful!

I have a good feeling about July!

Let’s go 🙂

Kaafi sincerely,

Anshika Kushwaha