Written by Clara Kieschnick-Llamas
Junior Advait Arun began his online blog “Fruminous” in November 2016, and it has since gained popularity in the local community.
Arun chose the word “Fruminous” from the nonsense poem “Jabberwocky” by Lewis Carroll. On the website, it is described as “Advait Arun’s opinions on everything [political], domestic and global.” Arun has touched upon a range of topics, from his widely debated article about Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Gunn—an article that reached over 1,000 views in six hours—to pieces on immigration and globalization.
During the election season, Arun posted debriefs of the presidential candidate debates on Facebook. However, he found that Facebook wasn’t the best medium for his writing. “I decided a blog would be a better way to get my word out to more people,”he said. “It’s a way easier way to convey my thoughts as opposed to just putting it all on one Facebook post, [and] there’s much more you can do in a blog in terms of length and photos and media.”
Most of the blog’s followers are Gunn students and others in the Palo Alto area. It does, however, draw some views across the world. “I do get a few international views from a few friends I have across the globe, and my dad regularly shares my articles with all of his friends in India and Asia,” Arun said. According to Arun, each post gets 200 views on average.
Collaborating with other people is something that Arun has been considering for a while. “I have a few friends who I do want to do joint articles [with] because I feel like that would be a whole lot more powerful than just one person writing,” he said. “It’s a team effort and I feel like it has a wider audience, too.”
Arun’s debates with his political friends help him decide what to write about. “I have pretty conservative friends who I try to talk with a lot,” Arun said. “When there’s a disagreement between me and them that I feel really passionate about, I write about that.”
Arun has been pleasantly surprised with the reactions to his articles, especially one on Martin Luther King, Jr. “It felt really good to be the catalyst for conversation, and even if it wasn’t in the best way—even if people really hated my article—at least it got them talking, which I find the most important thing,” he said.
Arun draws inspiration from many modern-day politicians. “I find [Barack Obama’s and Bernie Sanders’] voices really powerful, and I want to be able to emulate that,” he said. “That’s sort of what inspires me to be powerful in my writing.”
Arun plans on maintaining his blog for the time being and will probably continue to be involved in world affairs. “I definitely do want to get into politics and humanities,” he said. “I want to use the tools I have to further what I believe in and to get my opinions out there.”
Arun is happy with his decision to go off of Facebook and create “Fruminous,” especially with the feedback he has been receiving. “I’m really glad that people are reading my blog and talking about it because it makes me glad to know that I have an audience who cares,” Arun said.
Visit Arun’s blog, Fruminous, at https://fruminous.wordpress.com
