Indian Monocle or New Yorker or Anumodna begins?

What happens when you finally hit Go on something close to your soul?

Anumodna’s ‘Coming Soon’ page just went live.

It’s the first time I’ve put my computer engineering skills to real use—strange, right? I take a couple of minutes to forward the link with the message “We are live!” to friends and family.

There’s a buzz inside me. That kind of rush where you just want to jump around for no reason. I take that as a good sign. It usually means that whatever you’re doing is in alignment with your inner self.

The next few minutes, though? Not so exciting. Just me waiting—staring at the screen—hoping someone replies. Wondering if anyone will. This is the first time I’ve built something like this: a space for art, and for artists to be seen, celebrated, and held.

I’ve seen far too many freelancers stuck—waiting for a gig, unsure where to share their work. So much talent leaking away in meandering café conversations—brilliant minds in brightly lit rooms, but full of doubt. And too often, people only cheer each other on when there’s paid work involved. That always struck me as sad.

So I thought: there has to be a space.

A place that’s easy to approach.

Somewhere that not only showcases your work—but uplifts you, inspires you, and helps you grow.

Would people sense that in this one small “Coming Soon” page?

I had my doubts. I was waiting.

Now, ideally this would be the part in a movie where the hero stands on a balcony, watching over his kingdom. The phone starts buzzing. He turns toward the camera, smirks knowingly. Victory.

But nope. No drama here.

After staring at my phone for a bit, I went into the kitchen to make chai and started thinking about when to do the soft launch. (Cooking is a great time to plan things.)

I poured the chai into my favourite mug and sat in my favourite chair. Yes, I have a favourite chair too. That’s where I do most of my reading. Just as I reached a page-turning moment in something Leo Tolstoy had conjured up, my phone lit up.

Buzz. Buzz. Buzz.

Notifications poured in. All at once, as if someone had lifted a railway crossing barrier and everyone charged through. I put down Tolstoy and picked up my phone.

There they were: all sorts of replies.

👏 ❤️ 😃 🔥 🌸

“Looks good!”

“Will check it out.”

“Excited!”

A familiar range of encouraging words and emojis, all widening the smug little smile on my face.

And then, one message stood out:

“The Indian Monocle?”

Catchy. But it caught me off guard.

I had no idea what that meant.

Some quick googling later: apparently Monocle is a design-forward lifestyle magazine. Very cool. But definitely not us.

I quickly replied (probably too quickly):

“More like the Indian New Yorker.”

And yep—I regretted that within minutes.

The only reason I said it was because The New Yorker is famous for its illustrations, and visual art is going to be a big part of Anumodna. But even that didn’t sit right with me.

The New Yorker is iconic. So is Monocle. But people don’t need another version of them. If they want The New Yorker, they’ll read that. If they want Monocle, they’ll read that too.

What we’re building is something else. Something new. Something the world hasn’t seen—but maybe needs right now.

We live in crazy times. Culture used to take decades to evolve, defined by geography and tradition. Now? One song, sketch, or story can travel across the planet in seconds. The internet is holding the pulse of the world.

And that much speed? It messes with us. Our brains aren’t used to it.

In times like these, art becomes even more important—it’s the rest, the reset, the deep breath we all need. Like sleep for an athlete. Essential.

Which is why we created Anumodna.

Not to compete with anyone. Not to imitate.

But to invite.

To invite you to show your work.

To be part of something alive.

To help build a culture of celebration—not comparison.

It could be a poem. A sketch. A short film. A song. An illustration. A photo.

Whatever your gift is—bring it to light here.

And yes, about the name.

Anumodna is one of the oldest words.

It literally means to rejoice in the gifts of others.

When someone would become enlightened, the others around them would say Anumodna. Not out of envy—but joy. It was believed that in rejoicing in another’s awakening, you uplifted yourself too.

How wonderful! 

And how relevant it is now.

In an age where knowledge, skill, and creativity are the new wealth… where your gift can change your life and light up someone else’s.

So no, we’re not the Indian Monocle.

We’re not the Indian New Yorker either.

We’re Anumodna.

A platform.

A practice.

A philosophy.

A place to showcase your work.

A space to celebrate others.

A culture in the making.

And this little “Coming Soon” page?

It’s just the beginning.

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