Srijak Bansal - What Started as a Hobby, Has Become an Integral Part of My Life (Food Blogger from India)

I truly believe that if everyone starts to focus on the content rather than the number of followers and just remember why did they start the page in the first place, then I think nobody can really stop the page from growing.

Tell us about your upbringing, background and journey.

Hello my name is Srijak Bansal aka thathungrybaniya. My hometown is Kolkata but I was in Delhi for 3 years pursuing my graduation from Ramjas College. I am from the Class of 2020 so yeah, we got an online farewell :)

I am also pursuing Actuaries and want to become an actuary in the future. Currently, I am working at WTW as an analyst.  

For me, this page is a sort of hobby and a passion for food. I want to share with people my own food experiences and want to keep all the food that I eat in one place. It is this love for food and the appreciation of my content that keeps me motivated. What started as a hobby, has become an integral part of my life.

 

When did you start blogging?

This may sound cliche but yeah I started food blogging for the love of food alone. I remember I used to send food snaps to all of my friends regarding whatever I used to eat. When I came to college, I was coming across various food pages on Instagram, where people posted pictures. 

I was very intrigued by this and started researching more on it. One of my college seniors had a very good profile and thus he offered me to work under him and thus my journey of food blogging started. After having about 3-4 months of experience with him, I started my own food page on 13th July 2019.

 

What type of content do you enjoy creating more - lifestyle, food or travel related?

Food is life, life is food.

What have been the biggest challenges you have faced in this industry?

The initial challenge with the page was the editing part. How do I create aesthetic photos?  Just a note, I don't have a DSLR and didn't do any course on photography perse. So, I have my phone who does all the tricks. I asked many of the popular food bloggers how to go about editing and some tips for the food page. 

TBH initially I didn't get replies from some but I never gave up on this. Some of them genuinely gave me good advice. So, I started editing in an app called Snapseed. Initially, my pics weren't that good but with time it got better. You know as the saying goes good things take time and so did this. 

Though I was very inconsistent initially due to my academics, now that I have completed my graduation, I generally give time to this whenever I am able to.

Another major challenge was to come up with the real motivation, I truly believe that if everyone starts to focus on the content rather than the number of followers and just remember why did they start the page in the first place, then I think nobody can really stop the page from growing.

What does your typical day look like?

As I said above, I have a job, so on weekdays most of the time goes to that. Post my work, I try to post something on my page, be it story perse. Usually, I like to plan my day ahead, which helps me with the planning for my blog. If I have to post something on a particular day, I will keep everything ready a day before at least. On weekends, I like to spend time playing cricket or watching football, movies or sitcoms.

Which is your favourite dessert & what makes you appreciate it?

My favourite “mithai” is motichur ghee laddoo. I have emphasised the ghee part as some vendors make the laddoo using oil, which I don’t appreciate. The best thing about this laddoo is that, as you gulp it, it gives such a delicious taste and gives everyone great happiness. It is one of the safest desserts, as if you don’t like it, you can easily send it across to your neighbour or relatives.

 

Which is your favourite movie/show?

My favourite childhood show has been Tarak Mehta ka Oolta Chashma (TMKOC). I remember eating my dinner, especially at 8:30pm so that I don’t miss watching this. I still follow this show, but it has degraded a little but nevertheless, it is still my favourite.

Interviewed by - Yashika Khanna