Uttara Talapatra | Everyday People 113

Everyday People

Welcome to Everyday People, an interview show of admirable people all around us. This is the start of a new format for the show, with three sections:

* Everyday People - the interview you are used to, but longer! The 5 questions are now 5 sections.

* Mailbag - answering questions from you! Send your questions and letters to [e-mail].

* Letters to Myself - a weekly public journal blog. This was a cherished blog series of mine that started at the same time as Everyday People!

Thorough and Unkempt is a reader-supported publication. Consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Talking to Uttara Talapatra

Uttara Talapatra is a marketeer with 17 years of experience in the FMCG space, having worked with huge brands such as L’Oréal, Titan, and Unilever, among others.

She’s also a creator with her own podcast aimed at children, Once Upon a Time with Uttara, and four published collections of stories aimed at a general audience - Surprises, Just Plain Bad Luck, Woman on Top, Sleep in Pieces.

On how her podcast for children started:

When my son was two, I started narrating stories to him. I very quickly ran through the usual list of fairy tales and suggested stories. Also I realized that some of those tales were great for the time they were written, but they may not be relevant to our children today. And those were not the values I wanted him to grow up with.

So I started manufacturing and creating my own stories and it quickly became a ritual. This went on for a couple of years and it was only a nighttime ritual between the two of us. [During the pandemic,] I had some extra time on hand, and I converted [the ritual] to a more structured format and that’s how the podcast came into being.

On her career as a marketeer:

Back when I was still completing my MBA, I honestly did not appreciate everything marketing entailed. For me, marketing was only about what I’d seen…

As a specialization, It was an airing of work that allowed you to communicate with consumers and therefore pass your message on and try and change their mind about something. That was the core aspect which really appealed to me and that continues to be the most interesting thing I find.

On starting a business versus continuing in full-time jobs:

If I were to strike out on my own, I don’t think it would be by way of a marketing agency. Given the kind of things I’m interested in, it would be more in the space of creating a new brand or offering from scratch. Or I would love to be an entrepreneur in the creative space.

On the storytelling point of her podcast:

One of the things I was conscious about from day one was that I don’t want the stories to be preachy. I don’t want them to advocate any particular theme.

At no point of time do I try to say this is good and this is bad. We live in complicated times, and if the basic principle of being a good person is taking off, you don’t need [lessons like] you have to tell the truth, you shouldn’t bully people, you always have to share. It’s implied in the story.

Uttara also goes into detail on her many series and the creative decisions that went into them in section 3.

On conscious parenting and changing herself:

Apart from basic safety and care, we realized we want to set as good as an example for [their son] as possible. Like in my stories, I don’t want to say and ask him to follow. I would rather do and ask him to follow.

We’ve always encouraged freedom of two-way communication with him… he has a million questions to ask. What we’ve consciously tried to inculcate and encourage him to do is ask questions, in case something doesn’t sit right with him, or if he doesn’t understand anything, or if he has a different opinion. We’ve encouraged that very, very actively.

3 pieces of advice she would give to her 20-year old self:

* Stand by your conviction. Don’t get swayed just because somebody said something or did something.

* Persist. Persist in whatever you do, and don’t worry about the end-objective. As long as you do whatever you do well, the results will follow.

* Enjoy life. Life is too short to be too serious. It’s okay. It’s okay to put your hair down and chill.

Uttara’s recs:

* Her podcast: Once Upon a Time with Uttara

* Her books: Surprises, Just Plain Bad Luck, Woman on Top, Sleep in Pieces.

* Instagram: @onceuponatimewithuttara

* Facebook: /onceuponatimewithuttara

Thorough and Unkempt is a reader-supported publication. Consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Mailbag

Email [e-mail] with your questions and letters to feature on the show!

From Prerana: Is living alone a boon or a bane?

It’s very difficult to live alone. I would know, having done it twice already. But I would advise you to savor that difficulty. Learning to manage a house is a huge skillset that goes unappreciated.

Even if you’re not living alone forever, doing so for a year or two will help you become stronger. The problems of today will be the trifles of tomorrow. And when you then start living with someone else, you will be able to contribute to the house as an equal partner. Definitely try it if you have the opportunity.

From Poorvaja: If you had a million dollars, what would you do?

So the short and boring answer is that my needs are met with what I’m earning. A million dollars is 8 crore rupees. That’s a lot!

So because my needs are already met, I’d do the boring thing of splitting it into responsible choices:

* Buy a nice house with 2 Crore.

* Donate 1 Crore to Charity:Water or other water-based charities such as Cauvery Calling.

* Donate another crore to a foundation that works on mental health education and resilience training.

* Put away 2 Crore in stable savings instruments.

* Put 2 Crore in slightly riskier investments.

Sorry I didn’t have an answer like buying a really expensive sports car! I’m satisfied with a new Nintendo switch game every few months. 😂

Letters to Myself

Hello Vaibhav,

As I write this to you, I’m in a fair amount of pain. My shoulders are shot and my rear delt is real dead.

This is the third week we’re working with a personal trainer. It’s… been easier actually. The whole idea was that I surrender the decision making of fitness to somebody else so I can work on the blog and the podcast and other things I want to do. It’s been working well.

Here I am, bringing back Letters to Myself in a longer version of Everyday People. It’s an experiment, with a new format. The most interesting thing about being consistent and trying new things is I can see this becoming… a show. A production. I’m finding myself more and more satisfied with how it’s developing. It’s becoming something that I’m proud of.

We are now about… 2 months out of depression? The latest acute phase started in November 2021, so it’s been a year. My journal says that the breakdown that started it was Nov 26. I’m still on medication, though it’s just a maintenance dose.

I’ve been feeling so much more clear-headed in recent weeks. I’m able to sit and work on something for 2-3 hours, no sweat. This seemed impossible at the start of the year, when I was working 1 day a week.

Now with the third (or fourth) acute phase behind me, I find myself already moving towards better health and career and all of that. I’m living my life, and I’ve automated my life to a level where I am regularly starting a day quite happy.

Don’t know how you’re doing, but if you have found yourself revisiting this, then remember. At this point in time, we were happy. :) Hope you are well.

Time is a sine wave,Vaibhav.

Get full access to Thorough and Unkempt at vaibhavguptawho.substack.com/subscribe