“Work is Worship”, this is a proverb that SAYAN BAKSHI has always abide by, since childhood. While in school and college, it was his studies, and now his work. He wants people to remember him by the work he does and whatever he’s good at.
He belongs from a small town Malda, in West Bengal, and completed his schooling from there itself. Adding to his background and education details Sayan says, “I completed by grads in Zoology from Scottish Church College, and went on to pursue my masters in Medical Technology from Mumbai University. However, the profession I am in right now is no way related to my stream of studies. Born to liberal and supportive parents, I always had the freedom to choose what I felt was the best for me. Biology and Anatomy were something which made me interested in taking up the subjects for my course of studies, so I took them up. However, securing myself with a 9-to-5 job in that sector or pursuing higher studies was not my cup of tea. That’s how I landed up with the profession where I am today – a lifestyle and fashion blogger, model, speaker and actor.”
Let’s explore the journey of this young achiever with many talents in the INTERESTING and INSPIRING interview down below.
In Conversation With Sayan – The Multi-Talented Persona :
Fashion, lifestyle and food blogger, and an actor ! You are a multi talented person. How do you manage so many things together?
Multi-talented that’s a big word! Quite not sure about the dimensions of my talent, but yes I believe in giving my best to whatever I do, be it anything. When I take up a particular project, I give my heart and soul to it. Time management is something that has been my forte since my school days. In school, I was a big time TV freak, and also apart from studies, I was into a lot of co-curricular activities. Amidst all these, I was always done and up with my homework, lessons and syllabus. One of my school teachers used to say, “The day must be of 48 hours for Sayan”. So, time management is something I can say that God has gifted me. It’s not that I am a full-time actor. I have only done few acting assignments till date. However, I am constantly into acting workshops to sharpen my skills. Yes managing the blogging and modelling projects do give me a tough time, sometimes. However, a little bit of planning and meticulous arrangement of work schedule helps me to manage everything on the go.
What is lifestyle blogging all about?
This in itself is a vast question to answer. My blog is my own space where I write about things I feel like sharing with my readers and followers so that these can benefit them in some way or the other. I call my blog The Orange Epistles which is a complete lifestyle blog. Lifestyle; the term includes a person’s work, attitude, leisure, behavior patterns, way of living, way of dressing, activities, interests, values, opinions, self concept and so on. When I write about anything related, I call it lifestyle blogging. For example, very recently, I collaborated with an interior designer brand called the Desi Lantern (link – ), and that’s what can be a perfect example of lifestyle blogging.
What do you do in food blogging?
Food is something that everybody can relate instantly. Writing about food I love to eat, my favorite recipes, the restaurants I visit, my picks on city’s street food stalls or my recommendations of restaurants to visit for any particular cuisine or best restaurants to visit during a festival is what I include in my food blog. I have a different blog altogether for food, which I call The Food Art and Science (thefoodartandscience.wordpress.com). I have completely dedicated this blog for my food stories. As a food blogger, I am called by restaurants for food tasting or cover a food festival or a new menu launch, write and blog about it on my website. To include, I write honest reviews.
What do you do as a fashion blogger?
Ever since I have gained knowledge about fashion, styling and dressing which goes back to Standard 7th or 8th, I have always been interested in fashion, dressing up for the occasion. Fashion is not any mere term, there is so much vastness, so much of creativity included. Fashion and style are two different arenas. Fashion trends change from day-to-day, season-to-season. However, style is something individualistic, and varies from person to person. Let me tell you how I work as a fashion blogger. I have always believed in dressing up for the occasion. I do follow trends, however I always make sure that there’s a touch of Sayan in everything I wear. That is, my sense of styling is eccentric and individualistic which defines me, which entails how I look upto fashion, or how I style a certain piece of clothing. As a fashion blogger, I do have to get shot for my blog posts or magazines, brands, or even for my Instagram feed. Looking at such professionally shot pictures, people often tend to confuse my work as a blogger and as a model. Fashion blogging and modelling are entirely different, they are no way related. I work as a model too. As a model, I do not have the discretion to style a particular clothing or I dont even have the option to choose the specific clothes for me. As models, we are directed by our fashion choreographer or stylist, and we just merely pose at the camera. However, the way I work as a fashion blogger is entirely different from this. When a fashion clothing brand or designer approaches me for a collaboration, I see the piece of clothing from my sense of styling and I have the complete discretion of styling it on me. I can style a single clothing or a shirt or denims in a multiple number of ways and write about how I did it or what thought process I had put while styling it. Thats where I am implementing my part of the story and influencing my readers through it. My fashion posts are included in my lifestyle & fashion blog The Orange Epistles (theorangeepistles.wordpress.com) and I’m sure you would love reading them! I also do include posts on make-up and skin care for men, product reviews, events, travel and DIY on my blog. Do give them a read at The Orange Epistles!
ALSO READ The Woman Who Decided To Achieve Her Mother’s Dream At The Age Of 19 – Meet The Great Mind Behind ” Lakhina Couture” – Vaishvi Lakhina
You have been very passionate about acting and modelling along with blogging. How and why did you choose acting and modelling as a career?
To be honest, I had begun with modelling and acting much before I had started blogging. However, blogging has become my sole profession right now. I had always been attracted by the glamour industry be it modelling, acting or blogging. Also I am very fond of public appearances, speaking about things at different forums, getting clicked or fashion styling and so on. That’s how my interests in all these fields clicked and I am here where I am today. I am a trained actor from Kreating Charakters, Mumbai and also have taken up a short modelling course from ICE, Mumbai. My acting career has been not a quite large, however, I have done episodes in Hindi TV shows which dates back to 2013-2015, and few theatre plays in Mumbai. Modelling career has always been on a swing, which had fetched me multiple projects from time to time. Also, after I started with fashion & lifestyle blogging a year back, brand collaborations and contracts have been coming in good swing, I must say. Thanks to my associations in the two cities – Mumbai & Kolkata, and obviously my dear followers and readers, without whom this wont have been possible. There’s still a long way to go in my career, and I look upto everyone of yours’ support and love in the long run.
How has your acting and modelling career been through all these years?
By God’s grace, hard work, and being at the right place at the right time, all these years have been quite good for me. I have done a few episodics and cameos for TV shows which includes Meri Aashiqui Tum Se Hi (Colors), Gumrah Season 2 (Channel V) and Savdhaan India (LifeOK). These were the initial days of my career back in 2013-2015. After that, I had been busy with modelling assignments which includes brands like Lifestyle, fbb and Flipkart
. Since June 2016, my blogging career took off a start. I always strive to put new feathers on my cap everyday. I believe in doing good work and quality work, and creating value through my work. Each day and every day, I work to shape my career graph in the best way possible.
What sparked your interest in blogging?
Inspiration and interest in blogging has always been from my love and flair for writing. Ever since childhood, I had an inclination for the pen. Putting forward my own views and thoughts through my writing and also speeches had always been a favorite activity of mine. I remember how much I used to take part in elocutions and extempores, essay writing competitions, painting and debates back in school and college. I am a very vocal person. And, I believe, blogging is something which lets me write and put forward my viewpoint on areas of my interest – fashion, food, lifestyle, make-up, travel, entertainment etc., pretty well and I love it when I receive feedback and suggestions from my readers and followers. They are the ones who inspire me to do better work than yesterday, everyday. I also have plans to open my YouTube channel and start with vlogging soon. I am also taking classes for video editing these days, and hopefully I will come up with some great and different content for my followers soon.
Could you share with us a few achievements of yours?
As I told you already, I work to put new feathers on my cap everyday. Achievement is a big word, and I believe I have just begun. There’s so much to achieve still. Whatever work I have done till date, are just stepping stones and experiences for me. To count a few experiences of my career – presently I am the Official Fashion Blogger for fbb – India’s Fashion Hub. Also, my hoarding shoot with the brand Lifestyle has been quite popular. Very recently I have started with entertainment blogging. The first collab in entertainment blogging was Lipstick Under My Burkha, which was pretty recent. Next, I have signed to be the Official Promotional Blogger for the most popular TV series on Indian Television, Naagin 3 by Balaji Telefilms, which is rumoured to be on-air by December on Colors. Also, my collaborations with the brand Nextiles by designer Suchismita Dasgupta and projects with designer Pranay Baidya had been quite popular and talk of the town. Also, I was the Official Blogger representing at the fbb Colors Femina Miss India 2017.
What are you looking forward to in the near future?
Obviously, more projects, brand collaborations, assignments; that’s what I look for in the near future professionally. To be honest, I’m an ambitious person. So yes, achieving what I plan to achieve is what I work towards. I also believe in creating value through my work, so that I am able to connect to my followers and my audience through my work. My face and my work should be the stand-point.
What struggles did you face for carving yourself up, for reaching on this platform where you are today? How did you cope up and overcome those struggles?
Oh yes! Life is not a bed of roses for anyone, in case its not a Bollywood film or some fantasy tale. The foremost struggle that I had faced while I was beginning with my career in acting and modelling, I would say, was to convince my parents. I had always been in the top notch at academics, be it school, college or university, so owing to my bright academic records, they wanted me to take up further studies or some job in my field of study. However, I did not want so. My parents, being liberal, were convinced finally and thankfully they had always believed in me and my decisions. Next, I would say something that many people find quite difficult to accept, but I’m proud of it. I had a flat nose by birth. This was something I did not like in myself. So, I took a decision and got my nasal bridge upliftment surgery done. Thankfully it went well for me. Other than this, I also got my cheek bones uplifted and thickened my upper lip lining. Oh yes, I am honest enough to accept these facts about me that I went under the knife to look better, and I am proud that I took these decisions for me. Thanks to my parents for supporting me in these. Blogging in Mumbai has been real good for me. The industry in Mumbai is pretty welcoming, supportive and most importantly professional. I always look forward to my blog collabs from Mumbai. The Calcutta blogging scene is little different. It needs to improve a lot, and fortunately its improving with each passing day. Struggles are something that make me sharper, I believe. They help me to explore my potential than its so-called self-set boundaries and at the end of the day, they do bring out the best in me.
Any message you want to leave for the readers.
Absolutely yes! I would take up this opportunity to connect to all the readers. You guys are my inspiration, and help me work better everyday. First and foremost, I will say that each and everyone of us should be more confident today than what we were yesterday. Self confidence is something that will always boost up your potential. Struggles will always be there, but if our ambition is strong enough, overcoming the hurdles becomes easier. I believe in setting goals and achieving them by any means, by hook or by crook, no matter what. Be it any profession, competition will always be there. Playing it the healthy way and not the filthy way; is what our choice should be. I am a firm believer of happiness and positive vibes. That is why, I have named by blog The Orange Epistles. The colour ‘orange’ is a happy colour, and ‘epistles’ means letters; so my blog carries ‘happy letters’ for my readers. Keep reading them! Love you all. You all make me what I am today.
CONNECT WITH SAYAN HERE :
ORANGE EPISTLES FACEBOOK
