Explore popular quotes and sayings by an Indian author Shweta Bachchan Nanda.
Last updated on December 22, 2024.
Shweta Bachchan Nanda is an Indian columnist, author, and former model. She has been a columnist for Daily News and Analysis and Vogue India, and is the author of the bestselling novel Paradise Towers. She has worked as a model for television advertisement, and in 2018 launched her own fashion label, MXS. Her younger brother Abhishek Bachchan is an actor and her sister-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is also an actress.
There is something about hitting 40, the half- way mark that is heady and liberating, it runs away with you and you reach your 50s out of breath and wondering, 'Where was I going with that?'
Millennials may not put emphasis on traditional landmarks in child rearing but strive to bring up their kids to be well-adjusted, empathetic citizens of the world.
I am as it is a very shy person, so for me to be able to have something bright and intelligent to say every time a microphone is thrust in front of me, it's very intimidating.
Instagram is an app, it is not a realistic representation of anyone's life - do not base your idea of what your body, hair, face, vacation, relationship or meal should be like according to what you see on it.
I'm your regular Gen-Xer - married at 22, had my first child at 23 and my second at 26.
There's so much written about my family, some true, mostly not true, and I felt that it's not something I want to add to.
Everyone wants to be an influencer. What are the prerequisites? A sunny disposition, the ability to look great in the free clothes you get to wear, the ability to plug a brand in your oh-so-enervatingly vapid captions on social media and a substantial following.
Of all the art forms that my family dabbles in, writing suits my temperament the most.
For isn't that what unconditional love is - sacrificing a little bit of your own happiness so someone else can have theirs?
Books are great, but travel is the greatest teacher. If you have a choice, choose to travel. Not everywhere you go will be wonderful and life-altering; in fact, some places may underwhelm you and that, too, is an experience.
The modern brain is clogged with information, a huge percentage of which is non-essential to effective daily functioning.
My mother has always been truthful and honest about my work. I rely on her opinion as it will be unbiased.
Distilled down, it is pretty simple, the only way to overcome shyness is to allow yourself to be vulnerable and nothing made me as vulnerable as unconditional love.
Our collective consciousness is a giant train wreck, no one wishes anyone well anymore and the worst bit is its played out online for all of us to feed off and opine about.
During my years in school, I did try to audition for and partake in school plays. Reason being I was not very inclined towards more physically challenging activities like sports.
Men in their 40's grow a beard and presto! They've achieved Silver Fox status. Meanwhile, I am sitting in front of a mirror using a mascara wand and eye shadow palette to painstakingly colour in my greying roots, because this 40 year old got a little too comfortable in her skin and didn't go for a touch up in time.
Of all the relationships in my life, the one with my brother is most cherished. He was my first friend, partner in crime, shoulder to cry on and always the wind beneath my wings.
I used to think I saw life in blacks or whites, turns out I was more grey. It is extremely liberating to care for people even if they are flawed, you needn't eschew the whole person for a few not so shiny, sparkly parts.
Try scrolling through a regular teenager's Facebook or Instagram posts, everything is captioned with borrowed words or lyrics from songs, without any filters whatsoever and many times without quotation marks, because we all know what the millenials have done with punctuation.
I was a stay-at-home mom, with an important job to raise the kids. I filled it into the occupation slot on innumerable immigration cards, looking at the officer with defiant pride. What was I then, now that actively raising my children was no longer my vocation?
I know you think we are close because you follow me on Instagram and are privy to some of my life experiences. I may even have liked a picture or two of yours. Does that mean I want to be added to your group chat and get updates of you on holiday in Bora Bora in the middle of my night? No!
Every one of us owes a debt to the people who have shaped our minds and influenced our thinking and very often reasoning. For some, it is a school teacher or then professor in college for others, it could be a family member, a character of a book or movie.
I like getting under the skin of the protagonists of every book I read, it makes the whole story so much more personal.
Comfort has always been my biggest emphasis. So, while I do stay updated with trends, I won't wear something I know will not suit me.
Unfortunately, neither of my grandfathers were alive by the time I decided I wanted to write a book. I wish I had asked them questions when they were around, but I was too young and it remains a regret to this day.
Parents of adolescents often complain that they cancel all plans to spend time with their kids, who end up giving them a few distracted minutes before they rush off to meet their friends. My advice to you? Don't cancel your plans. Your time should be respected as well as theirs.
It seems like everyone is stretching themselves too thin and then crashing out in their 40s.
On a recent trip to New York, I bought myself a seriously denim jacket that my daughter begged to borrow. I refused! They are so cavalier with my stuff, the kids - Oh my god, I am turning into my mother!
The physiological signs, of getting on in age, are enervatingly apparent. What creeps up on you insidiously are the changes of temperament.
Gone are the days when imitation equalled flattery. What happens today, is essentially an entire generation looking outward - not for inspiration, but appropriation - because quite frankly, they're lost and their role models are increasingly questionable.
Family vacations are the kind of enterprises you embark upon with hope and optimism, and return with a lot of dirty laundry and suffering extreme exhaustion.
I hate the monsoons! While everyone else is romanticising the sipping of garam chai and garam pakoras - it's a common tea-time snack for most Indians in any kind of weather, so why the fuss? I am in revolt.
I met my brother when I was a month shy of my second birthday - he came into this world in style. I believe my father popped champagne in the hospital corridors and made sure all the nurses got a sip.
I know it feels like time is infinite, it's the hubris of youth. Your 40s seem a lifetime away but really they aren't, ask me; I've been down that slippery slope.
Young people are intimidating. But I really want them to like me. There is something about a group of teens that turns me into a performing monkey.
We get our facts from Wiki-something or the other, which at the best of times, is generalised information gathered and submitted by anyone who wishes to!
I don't get the romance of airports. Families crying while waving off a member destined for far -off shores to make a livelihood. The euphoric reuniting of couples as they run into each others arms at arrivals, while I am forced to watch on a reluctant interloper.
Some people are comfortable in their skin. They walk in and own the room, make friends and conversation easily, everyone loves them, they are the life of everything they ever deign to be a part of, and that's great.
I enjoy the movies just as much as the next person, I owe my existence and privileged life to it. But I would rather pay for my ticket and watch it in a theater popcorn and cold drink in my hand than swim in the giant fishbowl that is the life of an actor.
I remember reaching college and having to introduce myself at every class, it was terrifying. I waited fists clenched as one by one my classmates said their names out loud and when it was my turn I simpered and squeezed out a barely audible introduction, my face burned as if it was on fire.
I once bravely scrolled down one such 'comments' section and was appalled at the level people stoop to. For me, it is always personal, with so many members of my family and friends being public figures it is never easy to read vicious remarks made or opinions formed on by and large unsubstantiated unverified non information.
We are appropriating cultures, lifestyles, and language irresponsibly and passing it off as authentic; that's what troubles me the most.
It is true everyone is going to enjoy their 15 minutes of fame, but they're going to have to sell their souls for it. For those who chase it, I hope it's worth the drama.
Airports! The neon floodlit, recycled air filled, melodramatic hell of them. The purposeful mass migration of anxiety-ridden humans as they frantically navigate through beeping buggies and mechanised walkways to make it to their gate in time is the stuff of dystopian nightmares.
I really love fashion, I always have.
You become adept at mixing different colours, looks and trends as you grow older.
Welcome to your reality check - social media is not your friend, your friends are your 'friends'; invest in them, trust me.
Because it is only my brother and I who know what it is like to walk in the shadow and fill the shoes of larger-than-life parents. And I am biased, but even so, it is true - he does it with the kind of grace a lesser man wouldn't be able to.
I once met a person three nights in a row and she told me the same story three times over. Unless you're discovering a new continent, there is no way you have anything new to tell people you bump into serially.
I had been a zealous writer of journals my whole life, and beginning my newspaper column gave me a huge sense of purpose while enabling me to understand my own emotions by reading them in black and white.
Very few people spend time with themselves anymore. Which could be the reason why there has been an exponential rise in jerks. Do the world a favour. Stay in, you're not missing anything you can't make up for the next time round.
So how did I find my voice? Motherhood. There is nothing like having your child dealt an injustice, no matter how small, that gives you all the courage in the world to stand up and put your foot down.
If there are two things you must be by the time you hit your 40s - be kind and be educated. If you don't have time for both - be kind!
Having teens of my own, who let me just add, I am not trying to impress. I come into contact with a lot of them from time to time, if I am lucky! Just listening to them is like mainlining adrenaline.
The more you expect out of a person, place or party, the higher your chances of disappointment.
I don't like fussy evening looks either. For starters, high heels make me miserable. I'll often pick a flowy dress or skirt. Androgynous looks are another favourite - so a man's suit, a tuxedo shirt, or tuxedo trousers with a tank top.
Not just for tissue-holding folks, the empty nest syndrome is so pervasive, it can take over the most headstrong of parents.
We are drama junkies, living half lives on social media, where we grandstand in a way only cowards do, anonymity gives us wings and if we are not trolling someone or being trolled by someone, the day just isn't a productive one.
Another advantage millennials have over us Gen-Xers are the dads. They're engaged, involved and not afraid to strap on a Baby Bjorn.
Being an actor and a successful one at that, is the stuff fairy-tales are made of, as you reach unimaginable heights. But it is a tough world and most people do not realise the personal sacrifices made to get to these lofty positions.