Poornima

Taaron mein phassa chand
Electrocute bhale ho na ho
Khambe ke sire se latak kar
Jaan deta toh rehta hai...

Ummeed ke sirey se
Raat shabnami lagti hai
Kona pakda angaarey ka
Toh ungli par nami si lagti hai.

curfew

A curfew night
huddled in muffled silences
screaming bodies of pain.

A stone's throw away
a life barbed for life
lies a prison that I didn't make 

I never asked for it
it was not mine
thrust upon my forehead
like a brutal bane.

Blue

In the winter of time
She stood there
Half-naked
Numbed by the cold
And beaten by purpose
What remained
of a life half-led
was just a shade of blue.

Possessed

Looks like I've been possessed today. have been writing since 5am - shot stories, attempts at haikus...
Don't know how these sound, but was fun to write. I am a happier person today :)


1.
A seasoned writer

He turned my pages

Like they were his own

2.

Sun soaked

He just stood there

And I turned cold with sweat

3. 
Regular story-teller
Lonely reader
Decaffineated lover

4.

Tired of the freeze
the summer snowflakes
Flower on a tree


5.
Broken shoes. Rain shower. Can't find mom.

Kinjal

A film about a young school going, 'employed' girl in a working class environment. Raising issues of gender and 'aspiration', the director has used an improvisational film technique to make a reflexive piece of cinema that constantly refers to its own making.

My diploma film

My diploma film set in Madanpur Khadar,a semi-urban settlement on the outskirts of Delhi. The project started with frequent visits to the basti and understanding what young women their wanted. Over a period of 3months, I found that they were going to school not to get an education, but to get a job. Over the next month, I got some of them together and worked on the story of this film. Using elements from popular culture - soap operas, films and a lot of hamming in the acting, I tried to make a film that people in that community would be comfortable viewing and not make it a talk down elitist lecture. I produced it with a no funding at all, but a lot of help from friends. Once the film was ready, one could see the impact it had on the audience. UNFPA bought the film a few months later.