The full video is now available on my YouTube channel.
Conversation Summary (AI generated)
Sree’s journey: After decades of writing leadership essays and public-facing blog posts, Sree realized he had been avoiding vulnerability. He launched a Substack called “Call Me Sree” to explore memoir writing, though he remains anxious about public exposure of his personal life.
Mukta’s shift into memoir: Originally an urbanist and quasi-academic writing op-eds and policy commentary, Mukta’s writing turned inward during COVID due to lockdowns, family mental health struggles, and starting therapy. Her blog and eventual Substack became a space for deeply personal storytelling.
The paradox of authentic memoir: Both writers grapple with the tension between honesty and performance. Mukta argues that the moment writing becomes public, some degree of filtering and shaping is inevitable — authenticity and performance are inseparable.
The role of community and workshops: Mukta credits Natasha Badwar’s Ochre Sky Stories memoir workshop with giving her permission to publish personal writing. The workshop normalized vulnerability and showed her that memoir can be a communal act, not just a self-focused one.
Self-censorship in a performative world: Both discuss how social media culture, corporate HR vetting, and personal branding have made people afraid to write honestly. Even memoir can become performance when writers curate what to include or omit.
Memory as an anchor: Mukta sees memory — especially sensory and spatial cues — as the factual spine of memoir. Sree feels urgency around preserving family memories before they fade, using writing and old photos as tools to stitch together stories across generations.
Parenthood as a portal: Mukta’s closer involvement in her children’s lives during COVID led her to revisit her own adolescence, creating a three-generation loop of memory, comparison, and reinterpretation.
Substack as a container, not a growth engine: Neither writer obsesses over metrics. Both treat their Substacks as intimate, curated spaces — Sree even locks posts after a week — prioritizing authentic connection over audience growth.
The larger point: Memoir, for both of them, is a counter-move against a world dominated by self-branding — a stubbornly honest space where memory, family, and messy inner life can exist without being flattened into polished content.
