Nihira
Freelancer
Work
I have 5+ years of professional experience doing communications for the development sector. This includes but is not limited to leading communications strategy and supporting research institutions in translating their work for wider audiences, and to creative forms. Currently, I am working with The Square Circle Clinic, NALSAR (formerly Project 39A), a criminal justice legal aid and research centre. Through my work at The Clinic, I have ideated and delivered, among other engaging work, a series of zines that pushes the conversation around mental health in Indian prisons. You can access the series here.For my Masters' dissertation, I researched the topography of sound in 19th century British South Asia with a specific focus on the intimate lives of labouring women, the colonial medical apparatus, and anti-war mobilizations in the subcontinent.Recently, my piece on Black Warrant, a Netflix show focusing on Tihar Jail, was published by The Wire. The Square Circle Criminal Law Blog has published a part of my Masters thesis focusing on the criminalisation of housing for single women early 20th century India. My research on migrant gig workers in Bengaluru has been published by The Centre for Internet & Society. I am the recipient of Rama Mehta Trust's 2022 English fiction writing grant. You can find my writings in: International Journalists' Network, and South Asian Avant Garde, Newsclick, Firstpost, Gaon Connection, Citizen Matters- the Mumbai and the Bengaluru chapters. I also have bylines in: Hazine Archive's Music in Research Series, the Museum of Art and Photography India, the London School of Economics' Religion and Global Society blog, ANMLY Press, Incurato, and The World of Apu. Some of my scattered writings are available on Medium.My friends and I co-founded Syaahi, a writers' cooperative that is an attempt to disrupt how and which writers get space in Indian media.During my time at Akademi Magazine, I commissioned and edited various pieces including an investigation into Sri Lankan police discrimination against Muslim activists. I also penned an essay on sex work in colonial Bengal and violence against Dalit communities. I also ran a special edition Instagram series for which I interviewed independent thinkers from multidisciplinary backgrounds. I've written music-related content for Revolver Club, including bytes on Ustad Bismillah Khan, Ustad Allauddin Khan, rural womenâs music, time and emotion in Hindustani music, and the Punjabi tappa.
Contact
(+91) 93215 97209