About Me
Hi…I’m Roopa Swaminathan. My friends call me Roopa. My closest friends call me Roops. Feel free to call me either.
Or, just call me The Messy Optimist.
So – what does The Messy Optimist have to offer? At my core – I’m a writer and storyteller. And the website offers stories and insights on traveling as a solo woman all over the world. I also write humor columns and short stories and all things lifestyle – thoroughly researched posts on finance and money, entertainment, education, grief and more. I also curate budget-friendly gift guides and printables for all occasions and for everyone in your life. Because, why not?
If you’re still around and want to know a little bit more…
Why The Messy Optimist? Because that’s just who I am. At once messy but also full of let’s-slap-the-good-cheer-off-her-face optimistic!
On a good day (rare) – I call myself an artist-cum-academic. On bad days (almost always) the not-so-kind ones refer to me as the Jill of All Trades.
Because – academically, I have a double masters degree in Creative Writing and Mass communications and a PhD in International Relations from the United States. I dabbled in my own business at the age of 24 in India and ran it successfully for three years before I gave it all up because…you know, graduate school in America. This Jill-of-all-trades then wrote and directed her own feature film in India called Five by Four, published two books on the Indian film industry Star Dust and Bollywood Boom before working as a college professor in Shanghai, China where I teach journalism, creative writing and more. Over the years I’ve lived and worked in India, America and China even as I have traveled to over 40 countries (and counting).
Life is a bit messy. But it’s a mess that’s glorious and fun and challenging. The journey – while tough, at times, has also been wonderful and privileged. How can I be anything but thankful and be optimistic for all that life has given me?
Hence – a lifestyle website appropriately named The Messy Optimist.
So – welcome to The Messy Optimist. I vow to mess up your life even more than it already is but with a smile on my face.
JUST KIDDING!
Or am I?
Let’s all of us enjoy the messiness of life together!
Travel Writer. Lifestyle Blogger. Gift-Guides Curator. Humorist. Storyteller.
Hmmm…ARE YOU STILL AROUND? Well…maybe you’d like to check out the following:
Star Dust: Vignettes From The Fringes of the Film Industry
This book won me the National Award (Swarna Kamal) for Best Book on Cinema in 2004.
That’s my dearest, dearest appa (father) who picked up my National Award for me from the Honorable President of India Shri. A. P. J Abdul Kalam since I was stuck in America in graduate school (Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing).
Five By Four
This was my first film (English) that I wrote and directed for NFDC. I am SO proud of this movie.
IMDB’s description says this about the movie: Five By Four is the story of five women. All smart, intelligent and very aware. The film is laid out like a novel; it has a prologue, main story and epilogue. The main story is broken into four small stories. While each story concentrates on individual characters, it also follows the lives of the girls. Click here…
Bollywood Boom: India’s Rise as a Soft Power
My newest book which came out in 2017.
Click here to buy from Amazon: Bollywood Boom: India’s Rising Soft Power
I’ve also written multiple coffee-table biographies on some legendary Indian film personalities. Check these out:
Kamalahasan: The Consummate Actor
Click here to buy from Amazon: Kamalahasan – The Consummate Actor
M. G. Ramachandran Jewel Of The Masses
Click here to buy from Amazon: M.G.Ramachandran – Jewel of the Masses
Sivaji Ganeshan: The Making of a Legend
Click here to buy from Amazon: Sivaji Ganeshan – The Making of a Legend