Liebstar Award

I had been nominated by Ashvini Naik for this award in the first week of February and it so happened that my friend The Average aspirant nominated me for this award again in the middle of the same month. So I have decided to put a post together for both the nominees, answering each of their questions.

Ashvini has an amazing blog on fitness, health, lifestyle and parenting. If one is looking at developing a healthy lifestyle with the correct proportion of diet and exercise, Ashvini’s blog is the best place to get ideas. Thank you for the nomination.

For me, this is the third award nomination from The Average Aspirant. I truly feel honoured and humbled for such encouragement. Do check out her blog. She has awesome content on related to her university life along with write-ups on motivation and aspiration.

So here are the rules of the award –

Write about the award on your blog & thank the person who nominated you. Write about their blog as well.
Display the award on your blog.
Nominate 5 to 10 blogs which you feel deserve it.
Let the nominees know that you nominated them.
Create 10 questions for them to answer.

Here are my replies to the question that Ashvini asked –

Why did you start blogging & how have the responses from your readers influenced you so far? I started blogging from Mid Sept 2017. I had taken a sabbatical after my son was born. I started writing as a way of coping up with my mother’s loss and embracing my new role as a mother. The writings took shape in the form of a blog and I became a full time blogger and now writer. Most of the responses from my readers have been quite positive and appreciative. It only makes me want to do better.
What was that thing about you that really embarrassed you in childhood? The fact that I was overweight. Gradually I learnt to take it in my stride. There’s so much more beyond physical beauty. Eventually I developed enough confidence to take the world head on.
Is there a kind of fear or complex that you were able to overcome later in life? I have a huge fear of rats since childhood. I still haven’t got over it. In fact you can read my latest experience here.
Mention a witty tagline that describes you best in a nutshell. The nomadic foodie Bong.
Tell us about your biggest challenge till date. The biggest challenge was coping up with my mother’s death in Nov 2011. I am still trying to come to terms with it.
What was the full name of your first crush? He was our computer teacher in school. Not going to divulge the name though.
Compare yourself from age 20 with you now. I guess with time and experience, I have learnt to be more patient and accepting of the surroundings and situations. The 20-year-old was a dreamer while the 36-year-old is a dreamer with a plan to achieve those dreams.

And here are the answers to the questions asked by The Average Aspirant.

How old/young are you? I’m 36 years young.
Where would be your ideal holiday destination? Any hill station is a great destination for me but Darjeeling in Bengal, India will always be the ideal one. That was the first holiday destination that I, as a five year old accompanied by my parents had been to and despite the umpteen visits ever since, that city never fails to mesmerize me.
If you won the lottery what is the first thing you would do? I would start calculating the taxes that I have to pay.
What’s your all time favourite film? Why? A Bollywood movie called Lamhe starring the diva Sridevi for being one of the most progressive yet romantic love stories of its time. The Devil wears Prada in Hollywood for both these reasons – being a story of hope and Meryl Streep.
If you were the opposite gender what would you name yourself? I have given that name to my son – Tuneer.
Who is your idol? Why? My father for being the fire under my wings and my pillar of strength.
Who is your celebrity crush? I could make a list out of this but I would stick to the current one – Rajkummar Rao for being the most talented yet humble actor in the current generation.
What was the first job you had? I started as a research executive at a Market Research Firm.
What/who inspires you to get up every morning? My twenty-nine months son and my passion for creating something new through words.
Would you rather be obese, lonely and rich or obese, loved and poor? Since I am obese in any case, I don’t mind being rich and lonely. Books can be a great company you see.

Hope you enjoyed reading my answers as much as I loved writing them.

So here are my nominees for this award –

Congratulations. I look forward to reading your answers.

The questions that I have for them are –

Why and when did you start blogging?
Which category do you best enjoy writing for?
What would you term the best feature of your blog?
Do you blog as a side profession or a hobby or are you a full-time blogger?
Which book inspires you?
Are you interested in sports? If yes, mention the nature of sports.
Do you have a favourite corner and time to write?
Which is your favourite cuisine?
From your circle of family and friends, who inspires you the most and why?
Which is your favourite movie and who are your favourite male and female actors?

Author: Sonia Chatterjee

An alumnus of Presidency College (Kolkata), Delhi University, and XIME (Bangalore), Sonia Chatterjee holds two post-graduate degrees in Chemistry and Management and an MFA in creative writing from Writer's Village University. With eight years of experience in the banking sector as a Branch Head, she took a sabbatical from the corporate world to start her blog soniasmusings.com. Her blog consistently featured in the Top Indian Blogs list from 2019 to 2024. Her articles have been published on various digital platforms such as Women's Web, Youth Ki Awaaz, Tuck's Magazine, and Period Magazine. She was invited as a speaker at the Breaking Barriers, Kolkata 2018 event by the Women's Web, at the Women Writer’s Fest, Kolkata, 2020, and the Crime Writers Festival, Kolkata,2025. Sonia has written two detective thrillers titled ‘Deal of Death – Introducing Raya Ray’ (2019) and ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death – A Raya Ray Adventure’ (Vishwakarma Publications, 2024) and a non-fiction book on true crime titled ‘The Sanyasi Who Became a King’ (Sristhi Publishers, 2025). Her book ‘Diary, Deceit, and Death’ was shortlisted for the PVLF Awards 2024-25 in the Best Fiction Category. Sonia lives in Kolkata with her doctor husband and nine-and-a-half-year-old son. View all posts by Sonia Chatterjee