One fine evening, we received an email from a stranger saying she came across Roots and Leisure and would like to explore working together. She sent across her  resume and profile that had a side note that read, “Not open to working remotely.” Well, next week, she completes her 4th month working with us – working remotely out of Delhi; we have never met in person, but she has been working diligently to ensure our daily stories are ready to go up every single day. 

Meet 23-year-old Sukriti Dubey – our resident editor based out of Delhi. Born and brought in Allahabad (now Prayagraj) in Uttar Pradesh, we know her as this quiet and creative soul, who is also a very talented photographer apart from being the proficient writer/editor she is. Today we chat with her to know more about her personal life, friends and hobbies, professional pursuits, her engagement with the Roots and Leisure and more.

23-year-old Sukriti Dubey – our resident editor based out of Delhi has been a gem contributing to the growth of R&L community. We chat about her work, passion & hobbies, working with R&L and more, over a quick phone chat.

• Hello Sukriti, lovely interviewing you for a change! Please introduce yourself to our readers.

My name is Sukriti Dubey, 23-years-old, born and brought up in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), UP. I came to Delhi to do my graduation in Mass Communication & Journalism. Soon after college, I started working as a full-time writer and then moved on to copy-writing. I take up freelance writing and photography projects to further hone these two skills.

• Tell us more about your full-time work and your life in Delhi?

I’m currently working as a copywriter in an advertising agency and as an editor at Roots & Leisure. My day job includes writing content and ads for various brands. About my life in Delhi, I just have one word — beautiful! I came here 5 years ago, new to the city and the metropolitan life. As a young girl, the city opened up opportunities and as an artist, it gave me ideas. There’s so much life, character, and creativity in this place that you never get bored. 

“Working with Roots & Leisure allows me to connect with people, learn about different cultures and more. I enjoy reading interviews and here I get a chance to do that and get inside the minds of creative geniuses that we feature from time to time. It has also taught me more about the Northeastern culture. I must admit, I did not know much about the people and their culture, but after working with R&L, I now feel like I know the place, I know the people. It’s a strange but beautiful feeling, to know people through their work and words.“

“My job at Roots & Leisure allows me to connect with people, learn about different cultures and more.”

• How have your roots and upbringing influenced your life and your work?

I grew up in a family of 4 siblings. My father is a professor and my mother runs our family-owned educational institute. With 4 siblings running around the house, you can be sure there was never a dull moment in our lives! Truth be told, there isn’t a thing I’d change about my family and the kind of upbringing I have had. I value family and community love, which I learned from my family 🙂

“I’ve seen my parents sacrifice their whole lives for us. I think if I can be half as good as them at parenting, I’d be an amazing mother! We’re a tight-knit family. All the kids live in different cities now but it doesn’t come in the way of fam-time!“

Sukriti and her siblings at their sister’s wedding.

• Besides having two jobs, do you have any hobbies and areas of interest? How do you make time for them?

Photography, films, and reading are my top picks here. Most of my nights are spent curled up with a cup of tea and a book. On weekdays, I don’t find time to do my photography projects, so I prefer to do that on the weekends. 

“I think even on the days that I cannot actively go and take photos, I keep looking for inspiration and ideas with movies, famous photographers, books — anywhere and everywhere. Same goes for reading and films – if I don’t read a book then I read interviews or online magazines, and if I don’t watch a film then I look at the videos on YouTube about famous directors, film making and film critics. So, I’d say I pursue my hobbies all the time – just have to find different ways of doing it!”

• You are so talented! (We’ll have another chat about your photography 🙂 – another day). Tell us about your friends and how you inspire each other.

My friend circle is my true source of inspiration. All of them are artists but belong to different backgrounds.  Most of my friends are working at the time but we find time to catch up. The best part is that I live with my close friend, so we don’t miss a beat about each other’s lives. Most of our time together is spent talking and watching movies. Just last weekend, me and my flatmate spent the night painting! 

“My girlfriends are the strongest women I know, who teach me something every day by just being themselves.”

“We’ve been friends for over 3 years but it sure seems longer than that. We’ve seen each other grow, traveled together and then, took the bold step of moving in together early this year. She gets excited about putting fairy lights in the house, I get thrilled about making sandwiches. We make plans to deep clean the house and cook pancakes.. we go for walks in the evening when the weather is nice and don’t like spending too much time together when we are annoyed (usually with the weather). She’s helped me become a better person. I can be a bully and slightly shitty sometimes but she knows. She knows everything. It’s lovely to see her every day.”

~ Sukriti on her roommate

• How do you manage R&L work and your full-time job – amongst others?

To be honest, with the amazing team at R&L, it feels like a breeze to work here! I have managed to make a schedule wherein I finish the R&L work before heading out to my office. It’s never occurred to me that I have to manage my time because it happens sort of naturally! 

• What’s a typical day in your life like?

I love routines and making habits. This is the routine that I have been following for the past few months. 

• 8:00 – 9:-00 am – Wake up, freshen up, have breakfast and make lunch.
• 9:00 am – 10:00 am – R&L work
• 10:30 pm – 7:30 – Office
• 8:00 pm – 8:30 pm – Go for a run or workout at home
• 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm – Cook and have dinner, watch some shows or catch up with my flatmate
• 10:00 pm – Shower and get ready for bed. Finish up R&L work if any, read or write something.
• 12:00 am – Time for bed! 

Busy young people in the city: Sukriti and her friends

• What are your future plans? How is your work with R&L aligned to your interests/career goals?

My future goal is to simply be more creative, aware and confident enough to share my ideas. I am open to choosing any medium to translate these ideas into art and content, be it writing, photography, film making or even starting my own online magazine.

“Right now, I’m working on a few personal photography projects and preparing to launch my line of t-shirts. The future me is definitely headstrong, hardworking, humble and an absolutely fun person to be with! Working at R&L is teaching me a lot about writing for an audience, connecting with people and also, writing for social media. I think today as a creator, it’s important to learn all of these skills.”

Thanks Sukriti for the lovely chat! We wish you the best on your dreams and aspirations – and hope we continue working together for as long as we can 🙂