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| Ceramic Art done by Marie-Therese Duplicy |
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| Ceramic Art done by Marie-Therese Duplicy |
I was thrilled yesterday when I realised that the number of people I have interviewed till date and featured on my blog is 33. I like this number for some reasons but mainly in comparison with the human spine. The human spine is held together by 33 vertebrae. It is the core column that gives us structure, keeps us upright and protects our nervous system. This blog series was built on that anatomy. Together these 33 remarkable people form the unshakeable backbone of this blog, a solid base to hold what comes ahead.
Before we step into the next chapter of this blog, I look back at the foundation we've built together.
Over the past one year and some, I've had the immense pleasure of interviewing 33 incredible individuals, in Belgium and India mostly but not only. They range from writers, poets, immigrants, athletes, artists and the career changers. Many of these individuals wear many of these hats. Together their stories form the bedrock of everything this space stands for.
Today, I've brought all of these inspiring worlds together into one master roadmap. Whether you find something you've missed or you want to rediscover someone you already read, this is the perfect archive for our community's journey so far.
If interviewing these remarkable people has taught me anything, it is that the most meaningful lives require acceptance of change and living out of the comfort zone. They didn't find their paths by accident, they created them by choice, courage and resilience. The second most important lesson shows us that your past does not dictate your future.
The Athletes laid the Foundation
All of the following individuals have multiple qualities and could fit into another category, but I place them here because their discipline and goals for fitness impressed me the most when I started writing the articles on them.
1. Surendra Dasadia - He gave me my first interview. Overcoming health issues and starting to run in his 60s, he's an inspiration for many.
2. Ramachandran - He's Surendra Dasadia's friend and bowls people over with his go-getter attitude and happy demeanour.
3. Venkataraman Pichumani - He is the founder of 'YouTooCanRun' and the 'Zipper Club'. He created a space for people who undergo heart surgery to train together and get healthier and fitter. He has been instrumental in the transformations of Mr. Dasadia and Mr. Ramachandran.
4. Dr. Ashok Kembhavi - His life story can make anyone salute the hard work and dedication that he has put in to climb the social ladder and become a medical professional. However, the discipline and determination that he shows when he runs and cycles is what helps his drive to continue his dream of making the world a better place for the children growing up in Dharavi.
5. Uma Ramakrishnan - She's the woman who started running after retirement and went on to selling her paintings and learning and then doing abstract art. She's someone who's keen to keep learning and bettering herself to stay up to date in today's world. She also writes poetry. An all-rounder, we can say. Her article is the one with the highest number of views on my blog currently.
6. Padmashree Shri Uday Deshpande - Uday Sir has been a driving force who has worked tirelessly for most of his adult life to get 'Mallakhamb' to be acknowledged and recognised as a Sport in India. He achieved this while working a full-time job and even today at 74, travels everywhere in India and around the world to try and get Mallakhamb known to the general public.
7. Daniel Vaz - While working as an Aerospace Engineer and a man who can express himself beautifully in words, Daniel trains a lot of people as Head Coach of Nike India Run Club and his own achievements in running and training impress intergenerational running public in Mumbai.
Meet multifaceted Daniel Vaz- Head Coach Nike India Run Club, trainer, marathoner and Aerospace Engineer
8. Kaushik Panchal - He changed his career path and created 'Runners Academy' in the Northern suburbs of Mumbai. He impresses me by the priority he gave his health over the comfort of a running business.
Mr. Kaushik Panchal - Full Marathon Trainer, Motivator and Runner Update #TataMumbaiMarathon2026
9. Dr. Kamal Jadhav - If you want to meet someone who will motivate you to get moving and even dare and scold you if you don't even if she hardly knows you, meet Kamal. Kamal works out nearly every day of the week for about 2hrs.
10. Suresh Welankar - A recent runner, retired Suresh steals the show when he runs. He lost a part of an arm when he was young. But that loss only fuelled him for all the things he was to work hard for and gain in his future. His happy face and his tireless legs are impressing so many people he meets.
11. Parmeshwar Birajdar - Trekking happened to bring him immense joy and running has given him goals and possibilities that he never anticipated as being part of his life. Parmeshwar breaks each of his Personal records as he completes a new Full Marathon.
12. Neil D'Silva - Neil is a published author of 19 horror books and continues to surprise everyone with the new career paths that his work brings him. He also is one of the people who chose a new path by leaving an established career and daring to dream. His grit and hard work are also seen in his achievements in running and fitness.
13. Rasika Balasubramanian - Rasika is a Yoga instructor and I learnt Yoga from her for over two years. She's a very focused and grounded young woman who stays clear of social media. An achievement on its own in the current world. She represents also an Indian woman who travels on her own with likeminded people to achieve what she wants. Her treks in the Himalayas every year bring her immense joy and help her charge herself for her students and family.
14. Nimesh Chand - Nimesh is a man of movement. He walks a minimum of 30000 steps daily. His life revolves around doing these steps or one can say his life happens to him while he walks.
15. Nimish Agarwal - A fitness freak to the core, Nimish is also a dietician who guides her clients to good food, form and fitness.
16. Dharmendra Sachan - Dharmendra cycles hundreds of kms to keep himself fit. Having lost a part of his leg as a child, he found this sport to be most adaptable to his requirements.
17. Sébastien Morineau - Sébastien is a late bloomer in Athletics and started participating in Triathlons because he wanted to swim in the waters of the town where he grew up. This triggered a passion for serious achievements and he has created his own even in Brussels which equals to a double Iron Man.
18. Kayla Houari - Kayla is a Shotput champion in Belgium. She started athletics very young and has tried a large variety of disciplines to finally choose shotput.
19. Soraya Houari - Soraya followed her older sister's lead and is a junior aspiring achiever in Belgium in Sprint, Hurdles and Relays.
20. Tina De Vits - Tina started cycling to overcome the 'Empty nest syndrome'. She now climbs the Mont Ventoux which is an emblematic location in France which is one of the places the 'Tour de France' happens in.
21. Johan De Vits - At 46, Johan continues to play in a amateur football team and has overcome huge injuries that left him immobile for months after an accident.
Writers and Artists showed us how to stay in one place and yet live a thousand lives.
22. Audra Brazauskaite - Audra is an Abstract artist and an Art Therapist from Lithuania. She quite recently moved to Mumbai to live a completely different life culturally with her Indian husband.
23. Eric Rozen - Eric is my Bharatanatyam teacher. He's a Belgian who has learnt this ancient art form and proudly teaches it to students in Brussels for nearly 30 years.
24. Dr. Bodhini Samaratunga - Bodhini is a medical doctor, blogger, author and thinker. Her blog was created while she worked in the Tamil areas in medical camps during the SriLankan civil war.
25. Wim De Pauw - Wim is a Dutch language teacher but he also writes books. He is the author of a Children's book that was published this year in Belgium.
Poets reminded us to find meaning in the small, ordinary moments.
26. James Leader - James is a teacher who was always a poet. I loved his poetry that he read out about the long-standing marriage of his parents when I met him at the 1st Asian Literary Festival at Brussels in 2025.
The Classroom became his canvas - A Poet's Journey to Authorship - James Leader
Travellers who taught us to step outside our comfort zones and into the unknown.
27. Kavita Kumble - Kavita has travelled solo to more than 50 countries around the world. For an Indian woman, this is extremely rare, whether by the need to or the capacity to. She works hard to be able to finance her travels and teaches us that we women can spend our money on our dreams, even if it's not the norm to do so.
28. Carla Ide - Carla travelled to India on a meditation quest, to achieve peace one could say. She was part of a group that did a combination of meditation and trekking in the Himalayas. This journey opened new possibilities for Carla who as a Dutch language teacher taught the language to Indian nurses in Kerala who now are part of the medical teams in hospitals and care homes in Flanders, Belgium.
Immigrants combined all of the above to prove what happens when you reinvent yourself against all odds.
29. Bill Williams - Bill discovered Belgium for fun and then stayed on for love. His journey was full of ups & downs and real decisions that led to the life he leads today.
Home is where the heart is - The Immigration Series - Bill Williams
30. Gaitry Gobind - Gaitry is a 5th generation descendant of an Indian family who travelled to Suriname to make a life in an unknown world. The voyage involved getting onto a ship and not knowing where and what was awaiting the traveller.
Career changers taught us that re-inventing your professional self requires the bravery to face change and daring to be a beginner again.
31. Lale Demir Güngör - Lale changed her career to become a certified court interpreter and translator from Dutch to Turkish. This change brought her even closer to her roots and opened several new opportunities. She created her own space which resulted in joyful and exciting days at work ever since.
32. Nathalie Deldime - Nathalie changed her careers a couple of times in her life but the most important change happened when she created a space for cancer patients and their families. They benefit from the wellness activities that Nathalie's organisation provides for.
A loving grandmother who bakes for her grandchildren showed us that family remains one of the most important foundations in our lives.
33. Linda Bogaert shows us that selfless love for the ones we love brings immense satisfaction and joy. She's baking for her grandchildren but they are making her into this creator that was born because of them.
When we look back at these 33 distinct journeys, we clearly see that our expertise may differ but people are intertwined. We have courage, discipline, curiosity, resilience, generosity and love that links all of us.
Hope you turn the page with me tomorrow and continue to be part of this community. I'm eager to hear from you.
To ensure equal visibility and give every story their moment in the Sun, the 4 featured posts will be regularly rotated.
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