Romantic. Mysterious. Mystical. Rustic. These are common first impressions of India, whether the country of olden times or the thriving economy of the 21st century. Kaveetaa, the author of Sachiniti is sure to give her blog readers an excellent insight into life in India, especially from the point of view of a religious, humorous, practical and down-to-earth individual.
Visual Aesthetics – 6
Sachiniti uses a default light blue-themed Blogger layout. It looks clean, but lacks any defining features. It would have been better if the author included some relevant (and interesting) photos or illustrations on the blog. Also, the blog’s homepage actually displays all entries, so readers should be prepared for a pretty long page!
User Friendliness – 5
The blog is a bit difficult to read because of the color scheme- the blue foreground blends in too easily with the light-blue background, hence hampering contrast and visibility. The blog also fares below average in terms of navigability, as it lacks prominent links to static pages, to the homepage, and to succeeding or previously dated articles. There are links to archived and recent pages, but they are made on a daily basis; hence one would expect a very long list as the blog ages.
Reading Enjoyment – 8
Visual and usability gripes aside, Sachiniti is a great read. You get good insights into life in India from various perspectives- political, personal, religious, and what-have-you. It’s evident from the number and quality of reader comments on each entry that quite a lot are into Kaveetaa‘s writings, whether they be on current political situations, domestic living, literature, or her favorite topic, Yoga.
Useful Info – 8
Being more or less a local-themed blog, the information contained in Sachiniti might be more attuned to those interested in India and related topics only. And then, of course, non-Indian readers would find it impossible to read some entries written in the author’s mother tongue. However, this is not a limitation, as this is the niche that the author has chosen, and being a blog, focusing on a particular niche or theme is, indeed a great way to attract a dedicated, though not necessarily wide, following.
Overall Experience – 7
Sachiniti is a great read. However, the author might want to consider a redesign, to make the blog more accessible and accommodating, in terms of navigability and readability (contrast).
