DesignMechanics

Chief Executive Officer

Centrum Media Tech. Pvt. Ltd

Entrepreneur / Creative Director

Times Internet  LTD.

Creative Head

Rediff.com India LTD.

Visualizer

Indiahit.com

Web Designer

CEO @ Design Mechanics is an agency that amalgamates stellar creative ideas into clever marketing strategies, blending it with necessary elements of technology for lasting impact. The perfect melange of brainstormed ideas and decades of experience makes us one of the most trusted agencies around. Helping Agriculture & Allied, Animal Husbandry and the Fisheries departments of the Govt. to communicate and market the livelihood schemes in order to establish backward and forward linkages; empower with technology to manage the operations; execute primary & secondary research and impact assessment. 

Painter @ Canvas and paper 

Cartoonist - https://www.instagram.com/officetalescomics/

Motivational Speaker

Nitin Ahlawat

Dear Taj Hotels

May I please congratulate you on redefining the meaning of #sustainability in the most… musical way possible? 🎶🌳🙂

Because here in Malsi(right behind your #MussoorieFoothills property),  residents have been getting a premium, five-star, non-stop DJ experience — morning to midnight — completely free of cost.

Yes, you read that right.
Morning. To. Midnight.
With heavy bass. Every. Single. Party.

Apparently, noise pollution rules are optional when you are a luxury hotel chain that proudly talks about sustainability, responsible tourism, and eco-sensitivity.

Let me highlight a few fun facts for everyone reading:

1. Residential Area? Hospital Zone? Forest Buffer? Chalta hai.
Your open-air lawn is barely 50–150 metres from our homes, 200 metres from Max Hospital, and 200 metres from a reserved forest with leopards, deer, and peacocks. But of course, bass beats are more important than biodiversity or bedridden patients.

2. Rule 5(1) of the Noise Pollution (Regulation & Control) Rules, 2000?
The one that bans loudspeakers after 10 PM?
Taj Mussoorie Foothills seems to follow the upgraded version:
“Play till you feel like stopping.” Even 12 PM is normal.

3. Students, elders, infants, working professionals?
Apparently, Article 21 — Right to Sleep, Health & Peace is the only thing not checked into Taj.

 4. Wildlife Impact
Leopards, barking deer, peacocks, birds... all forced to enjoy compulsory EDM sessions.

PS: Oh, and the bonus feature: waste being dumped straight into the river beside the property. Sustainability goals, achieved!
So much for “#EcoSensitive #luxury.

Aniket Diwekar | Puneet Chhatwal | Rohit Khosla |  The Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL) | Anoop Nautiyal | Navya Singh

Hi! I’m Smitha, writer, speaker, and co-founder of MyndStories and Habitize, two platforms reshaping how India approaches mental well-being.In 2021, I went through a harrowing time with COVID. The anxiety and trauma that followed made me realize how easily we neglect our mental health, especially when it’s invisible. That experience became the starting point for building platforms that speak to the mind with clarity, care, and courage.🔹 At MyndStories, we’re building India’s first content-led mental health ecosystem, offering therapy, relatable stories, podcasts, and group sessions to make mental health human again.🔸 At Habitize, we’re creating a science-backed, habit-first approach to mental well-being. Think evidence-based strategies, emotional literacy, deep insights, and bite-sized tools that help young people thrive.𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐝𝐨:- Speak on mental health, communication, and writing- Ghostwrite thought leadership for founders &amp; changemakers- Co-create programs that make mental health real and relatable in schools and organizationsWith 22+ years in content, a past life teaching in China, and bylines in publications like Deccan Herald, Hippocampus Magazine, Kitaab, and Eshe, I bring narrative depth to every project.I am the author of an epistolary memoir, 'Worlds Apart.' 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐟𝐬 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐛𝐲:- Kindness isn’t optional- Feminism- Real connection &gt; follower countIf you're looking for a content partner who can help you tell your stories with impact, or if you'd like to partner with MyndStories or Habitize to create better mental health outcomes, please don't hesitate to contact me. I am available as a speaker on mental health, communication, and writing.𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞:Bosch India | Google | Hindustan University, Chennai | Business World | Lady Shri Ram College | Christ University | MPower TechnologyYou can book a call with me on Topmate: https://topmate.io/smithamurthy to find out more.𝘕𝘰𝘵𝘦: 𝘐 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦. 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘐 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘭 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘣𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺.

Smitha Murthy

So, I went and gave a TEDx talk yesterday.

No, this post is not about that, really. 

I don't count my achievements in life based on the degrees obtained, books written, talks given, or companies founded. For me, the achievements come from the kindness I receive. The love I struggle to accept. Yes, me too, Adyasha Roy Tomar.

There's in me a snarling demon that refuses to accept what you may think of me - anything good that is. I willingly lap up the worst. For example, when I learned last year that a once-trusted person called me "malicious," "poisonous," and "dangerous" to some doddering old fool, beneath the devastation crept that fear: Maybe she was right?

I anxiously scan every action and message of mine for signs of that poison and malice. I convince myself that all of my friends are wrong and that this one person was right. 

Our worst fear in life is not that we are hated. 

For Adyasha and me, our worst fear in life is that we are loved. 

But then, I saw love in action yesterday. I saw the excitement in Swati Nair the whole week. She couldn't focus yesterday on work, so happy was she for me. I saw friendship, deep abiding, careless camaraderie-based friendship when Akshatha came to listen to my speech. I didn't have to ask her to. In those who wished me. Who worried on my behalf.

I gave the speech in a daze. I prefer to look at 1000s of faces when speaking, and being in the spotlight blinded me to that, throwing me off. My inner critic, Don, thinks I did a terrible job. That I fluffed all my key lines. That I look "fat" and obnoxious. Yes, I will also tell you to love your body. But I can't offer that to myself. 

But after the talk, the students came rushing out. 

"We waited the whole day just for your speech," gushed two girls from Chennai, handing me a candy. Young boys posed with me for selfies. One boy asked, "Can I give you a hug?" And me...the most reluctant hugger ever agreed. 

The thing is, I didn't care about the speech. I cared more about these gestures. 

I don't know how to receive love. But I think I can start with:

Thank you.

Co-Founder, MyndStories | Author | Sunday Features Writer, Deccan Herald | Content Consultant | Neurodivergent

It’s always interesting how a woman posting her own photo in her own narrative becomes an existential event for some men.

The question isn't what she wrote. But:

"Why use a pretty self-photo in a professional conversation at all?"

Dear Seeker of Answers, here is what I hope you would understand:

In feminist theory, this is called objectification + responsibility inversion. Men react to a woman's appearance, and then women have to understand the reaction. 

It’s the same old storyline:
“If I looked at you a certain way, you must have done something to invite it.”

I have seen multiple men's photos - gym shots, vacation selfies, hairless or hairful photos - and not one guy gets questioned for their "intent." 

Because men's bodies aren't up for constant evaluation. Women are. 

A woman posting pictures on LinkedIn isn't issuing an invitation. Women are reclaiming public spaces where they were told to be invisible or useful. We have a right to self-expression that includes our bodies, faces, and identities. We aren't aesthetic objects putting on a show for your sad comments. 

If your “natural human reaction” to a woman’s professional content is to comment on her beauty, that’s not biology, my friend. It's called patriarchy and power. 

So, instead of policing, perhaps, you can engage with the "professional caption?" And not the appearance?

Pic: I have erased the guy's identity. But I have long since blocked him since this isn't the first post of this kind from him, nor will it be the last. And some people from my network have even liked this post. Sigh.

This isn't a book review. 

I haven't even read the book. But Faiqa Mansab is such a lovely human being that we should be reading all her books. 

Sumit Singla (he/him/they) gifted me this book last week. It has become something of a pattern. Every time I visit my parents, there's a book waiting more often than not. 

I have lost count of the number of books he has gifted me this year. Books carefully selected based on what I like, or what he discerns I may read, not something he likes. Each time I see a carefully wrapped book, I cry rivers in my heart. 

I grew up as a mostly forgotten child in my family. I say that not to attract pity or sympathy - it was just the way it was. I shrunk myself more seeing violence, rupture, and grief around me. My weary parents didn't have the financial space to buy me gifts. I made my own toys, using broomsticks to fashion bow and arrows. 

One of the most classic symptoms of trauma is that you become hyper-vigilant and hyper-independent. As an adult, I understood that meant buying my own gifts. I longed to be gifted, not random teddy bears, (an ex did that) but gifts that showed care and understanding. Yet, I couldn't open myself up enough to allow people to get to know me. 

Then, Swati Nair entered my life, and gifted me books, quaint and quirky cows, whimsical bookmarks and cute mugs. My other dear friend Shaila Silva always got me something from Germany - a caramel biscuit she knew I would love or spicy-hot popcorn. The Coimbatore Poet, Srividya, too, indulged me with lovely gifts during the time I knew her - a careful selection of chips or Maggi, thoughtful books, and an assortment of whimsy that would make me happy for a week. (Can't tag, I am blocked ;-))

But Sumit is unlike any of them - I have never met him. Our interactions are only LinkedIn, WhatsApp or Discord. Yet, here he is, sending me gifts that surpass anyone I know in 'real' life. 

When I see a book waiting for me, I see more than a book. I see kindness, warmth, and generosity. For a child that was starved of all three, I see healing. 

Sumit may think he's just sending a book.

But he's doing more than that. 

He's repairing in patchwork this quilt of mine. This life that I had given up on. 

Never underestimate your acts of kindness, dear readers. Healers aren't always sitting in mystical caves, clad in worn robes.

They are among us.

It's coming!!!

The first-ever MyndStories Anthology!

A collection of some of the finest first-person essays on MyndStories, and some that haven't been published. 

Essays on grief. Loneliness. Burnout. Depression. Break-ups. Abandonment. Parenting. Anger. Autism.

These are stories you have shared. With trust. With openness. I hold them with care and gratitude. Limited print copies will be available, and I will share the pre-order link soon. 

But more importantly, I want to say this:
We are publishing this with someone I deeply respect and trust, Namrata (. from Keemiya Creatives. We don't pay her to publish this book. Nor do we pay influencers to write about this book, unlike some dude here with his pay-to-publish book. I will also not pay Amazon reviewers to generate fake reviews. Such total timepass that would be. 

We don't do that. 

This book is a product of pain and love. And the reviews will come from those who read it because they share that pain and love. Please support the writers who poured their hearts out, sharing their vulnerability so that you can feel less alone. 

Do so by writing genuine reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram. Of course, brickbats count!

We are looking at a launch on Dec 11, a special date for some reasons. 

If you want to order this book for your organization, corporate, or NGO, please DM me. 

Imaginary cover only.

I failed to meet my own deadline. 

11th is when I thought I would publish the first MyndStories Anthology of first-person essays. It was an ambitious deadline, but today is not about talking about failures and missed dates. 

It's just about how some things shape up. Nothing about this year has been easy. The Universe has made it hard to hope. To believe in outcomes that defy your imagination. 

I am left scrapping for faith. For morsels of belief. For crumbs of comfort, slathered with the butter of weary tomorrows. People have exhausted me - their betrayal scarring my wrist. Here I was harmed, claims one scar, bruised purple still from the age of 13. Here I was burnt with betrayal, says another scar, tattooed on my forearm. Here lies that scar that flames red with abandonment. 

My skin doesn't require real tattoos. 

My soul writes its own tattoos, lining them with care on every wrinkle, crinkle, and fold of my skin. 

But see this.

I reach out to author friends, after having barely been in touch with them, asking them for favors I am in no position to ask. 

To Amandeep Singh Sandhu, who tells me that he would be delighted to write the introduction. To Anukrti Upadhyay, who obliges me almost immediately with a blurb. To Sharanya Manivannan, who keeps her grief aside, and agrees to write the foreword. (But I couldn't ask her to do this in the midst of her grief. I could only cry at her kindness in agreeing)

To all the writers who wrote because they just wanted to share their story with you.

And there's me. This one writer, who struggles to think she can't even spin two sentences, sharing her story here, so that you, in the reading of it can make HER feel less alone. 

I would love this anthology to be as community-driven as MyndStories is. If you would like to conduct launch events in your city, please volunteer. Write reviews, please let me know. No PR. No fancy publisher. 

Sometimes, the heart isn't an attic. It's a guesthouse, my friends. 

Book marketed and set by Namrata (..

Illustration by Bhaskarjyoti Paul.

Hopefully, will launch soon!

We are becoming a nation of lost, confused souls. 

This opening sounds a lot like LinkedIn's former darling, Shashank Sharma. Forgive me.

But is there anything truer this year than that we are stumbling, slipping, falling, and sliding our way into being disconnected beings with emotional hollows?

We have confused likes for connection, virality for truth. We know that money can buy anything, including your conscience. We dangle help with conditions, and expect 10-minute gratitude-filled responses, much the way we do for our groceries.

People are struggling with basic conversational skills. Take away your phone, and who are you? Who are you without social media?

In 2025, emotional labour is expected, but articulation is avoided.

Here are the patterns:

1. Low-effort communication, high emotional expectations ⚠️ 
- We want to be deeply understood while putting in minimal communication effort

2. Conflict avoidance disguised as “peace.” 🚫 

Silence is often framed as maturity or boundaries, but it’s frequently emotional avoidance. Any discomfort is mistaken for toxicity. 

3. Asynchronous intimacy 📵 

People are emotionally close without being temporally present. Phubbing, where we are with our phone instead of the person, is common. 

4. Therapy language used defensively ❓ 

We use therapy language like we are therapists ourselves:

“That’s my boundary” (to avoid engagement)
“I’m protecting my energy” (to shut down accountability)
“You’re triggering me” (instead of explaining impact)

5. Emotional outsourcing 💊 
We process our feelings outside of our relationships instead of within it. We will talk to AI, not our partner. We are performatively open but relationally empty. 

6. Fixed narratives over dialog 🧲 
We are so attached to our version of events. Certainty has replaced curiosity. 

7. Performative vulnerability 🔒  
We sound more open here but less accessible inside. Vulnerability has become another tool for virality. 

8. Repair fatigue ✂️ 
We no longer want to put in the hard work. We don't want to repair. We opt not to clarify, letting things fade, and not fixing. Often, because we are just depleted and overwhelmed. 

These aren't just points. This is our life. And it scares me. 

MyndStories will release its first-ever year-end Communication & Connection Report based on 2025 patterns. It's free, packed with resources and insights. Please sign up if you're interested. I don't intend to store your email and hound you for eternity. Form in comments. 

All I ask is that we connect more. May we live in kindness. May we light our hearts with the fire of forgiveness, compassion, and breathe hope into each other. Please.

PS: Any psychology students who would like to work on this report, please DM me.

Just in case we think we are having a bad week...

Spare some thought for poor Kunta.

It has been a couple of years and more since I started creating content here on LinkedIn.

As it stands, this is the last social media bastion for me. This platform has enabled me to write my story, spin the thoughts that felt painful, and share pieces of my life that YOU held together. 

I have also consumed a lot of content on this platform. Some content has enriched me, and some plain asinine, like one guy's ass post this week. Some creators show up here because they feel the words cave in on them. Some for engagement, virality, and building a fan base. 

I am looking for those who show up with honesty. Those who speak about their lives and mental health with clarity, humility, and care. I want to celebrate them because while virality gets likes, vulnerability needs our love.

So, today, I would like to tell you about the MyndStories Ethical Creator Award 2025. 

This is our small way of honoring those who hold stories gently and speak about mental health with intention.

For this first edition, I’d love your help. 

Who are the mental health creators whose work has truly supported you, informed you, or made you feel less alone? (Or creators in general who also speak about mental health)

You can now nominate them (or yourself) using this short form:

https://lnkd.in/ghFDDVHQ

We’ll shortlist creators based on a simple ethical rubric: clarity, honesty, nuance, respect for boundaries, and a commitment to not causing harm.

If someone’s content has helped you through a difficult moment or simply made you feel seen, now is the time to reward them. Please help me reach this post to more people. 

(Khushi Bun will be the Judge)

Oooh, la la. 

This, even if I were to brag, is sooooo soothing. 

For so long now, I have wanted to create a series of short, grounded mindfulness practices. Just short bytes of mini rituals or practices that we can turn to. 

I have struggled with meditating over the last two years. I tried forcing myself to sit for the practice, but then I wondered if I was making this into another to-do list. 

So, I stopped.

I turned to mini-moments, instead. I try to find an odd moment of rest in running. I look out at the window, staring at nothing in particular, for a few seconds. I find that anchoring myself in stillness for even one or two minutes is better than forcing myself to meditate. 

And now, I have the gorgeous voice of Anitha Aswath to guide me.

I am thrilled to present MyndFul Moments, short grounding rituals to help you through your day or night. 

While this particular episode invites you to pause and lie down or sit, there will be others that you can carry with you even as you walk, do the laundry, or the dishes. 

My one hope is that as we continue to build an integrated mental health ecosystem, we will never forget what makes us human:
Our mess, chaos, fire, and ashes. 
Our clarity, stillness, water, and light.

May you find kindness today. And if you like, please listen to this podcast and tell me how you find it? I will give you one lollipop?

The first thing I do before I start work is to open this white box, screen on screen, and write. 

To write is to breathe. I gulp a mouthful of words, and they shiver a cascade down my spine. My chest constricts with the thoughts that hide in boxes stuffed with words that haven't seen the light of a page. Every inhale is an exhale to write. 

I am not a writer. But I write. 

I started writing here in 2021, and must have written more than a thousand posts. I can write faster than I respond to your text. That's not a brag; it's the way writing frees me. It's a world where I can free the cuffs and shackles of a stained past, and indulge myself in the here and now. 

When I write, I see the stains fade, and I feel whole again. When I write, I don't feel unwanted anymore. I feel loved.

That is what I wanted to give the MyndStories Writing Community. Early this year, I dreamed of a space where writers show up, burning with the same breath that singes me - to write. A space where feedback is shared and welcomed. With minimal rules or templates, but just a desire to show up, write, and learn. 

I failed. 

The writers hardly showed up. Personal disasters befell most of us. The lack of structure didn't result in creativity as I thought, but just chaos. Some wanted to write, but only when they had "time." Some didn't want to write in a community set-up or use the app.

Hardly anyone wrote without prompting. That was what I had dreamed of the most - people just writing, furiously, chaotically, but always writing. I am ashamed. I wasn't the teacher or learner I wanted to be. The end of the year is when we write about our achievements. I write to you about my failures. 

This was one of the biggest failures of 2025. 

But the thing with failing is that it leaves behind new skin to grow into. 

So, for 2026, I will restart the Community. 

There aren't many rules, but I would like these:
1. No AI for anything, apart from research. Do not ask AI to write, polish your text, or critique. I want you to sense the words, feel them crawl, and form goosebumps. 

2. Monthly payment of Rs 50. Because I am hoping that some money will make us more accountable. 

3. To show up on the community platform at least once a week. This encourages others to write, even if you aren't writing. 

4. Access to free editing from me, 1:1 sessions, and discounts on all writing or other workshops. 

5. Author sessions. 

6. Regular lit submission call-outs.

7. Weekly Silent Writing Sessions for 30 minutes.

8. No WhatsApp groups. No phone numbers.

All I ask from you is: Write. Support each other. Throw away your discomfort and excuses. Breathe. Write. 

Again and again. I promise that if you do that, you will be a writer.

And you will wake up, knowing that the day isn't over until you write. 

Form in comments.

Yesterday, Nikitha Warriar wrote a post on ghostwriting for her clients.

I used to ghostwrite for one of India's top leaders in business. It was demanding, frustrating, and an intensely learning experience. 

I see some of the ghostwriters here focus on metrics they shouldn't ideally be tracking. Ghostwriting isn't about hiring bots and driving your likes up. Nor is it about leaving random comments. My observations from seeing digital media trends for LinkedIn, and my own experience is that ghostwriting has changed with the arrival of AI. You need to do better than AI - which means that you will really start to engage with your client's brand, not just write random stuff that AI can also do.

➡️ Value / relatability > bragging or self-promotion
LinkedIn rewards useful, meaningful content. Posts that “encourage community, conversation, stories, personal experience” do better than overt self-promotion or fluff. Honestly, we are tired of reading about your amazing career or how many reviews you got or the awards you won. 
- Experiment with content formats for depth. Carousels and multi-images for storytelling. 
- Offer professional growth stories, not as brag but as meaningful shares. 

➡️Counting likes and impressions is not useful. Engagement is. 
- Average engagement rate is 5.20% this year. Look for comments, saves, and meaningful interaction rather than likes. 
- Average reach is down 34% for 98% of users.
- Low-quality comments like "Great share" are penalized and considered as engagement bait. 
- Engagement pods are punished. How can you make out? Easy. Some 10 random profiles liking your posts in 2 minutes of posting. Random comments with no value.

➡️ Honesty still has a place
- Don't try to game the system. Creating fake profiles to comment on and reshare your content is just... erm... not encouraged.
- If you are a founder, please don't outsource the job of interacting to some kid or use AI to comment. Commenting and building connections here are what builds your brand. Writing is just one part. 

In the next post, I will delve deeper into what kind of content, especially what I see as "negative-sentiment" content, works well on LinkedIn.

If you are a writer, and ghostwriting, do you find this helpful? What steps do you take when writing for a client?

Co-Founder, MyndStories & Habitize | Author | Sunday Features Writer, Deccan Herald | Content Consultant | Neurodivergent

taplio

The Battle

Nitin Ahlawat

Smitha Murthy

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreNitin Ahlawat's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSmitha Murthy's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Nitin Ahlawat

Smitha Murthy

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Nitin Ahlawat's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreSmitha Murthy's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreNitin Ahlawat's LinkedIn Performance