Gaysi, Writer’s Bloc & Me

Ek myan mein do talwar nahi reh sakti, a very popular phrase you have heard of, for sure. Now one can only imagine the intensity of a given situation, if a teesari talwar is introduced in the very same myan. Stretch a little further and replace the myan with Gaysi’s Admin house.

I’m not sure if you all know, Gaysi’s original caretakers are Broom (Talwar No. 1) and I (Talwar No.2). With the commencement of Writer’s Bloc, came in Talwar No. 3, aka. Ruswa. This further compounded by the fact that all of us are women, doesn’t really help the cause, and I am certain all men (gay or otherwise) would agree. Yes yes, I can see that “O” shape forming lips of yours, very soon to be followed by words, “WTF!”.

I have known Broom for almost three years now. She has been an amazing friend, an inspiration, super fun and at times an almost perfect replica of an auntyji, with her “MJ! I told you so”…zakham pe namak lagaooing line. But then, we have seen each other’s rough edges too, especially in the matters related to Gaysi (me going the Nazi way and mailing out ‘To Do Lists’ Monday ka Monday).

Ruswa’s story is action packed. I met Broom through her, so technically I have known her for much longer. But, that’s as good as a lie. Ruswa and I were once really thick. Then there was a fall out. And that too, a painful one. And the funny bit is that the fallout happened time and again. You know how it is, don’t you? You want someone to be in your life but find a billion reasons not to.

So while on one hand Broom and my friendship grew stronger, on the other, Ruswa and I wished each other well but stopped feeling the need to express it.

One fine evening, she called and mentioned three words; Passion, Literature & Community. And it was slam dunk for me (& Broom) then & there.

To tell you the truth, working on Writer’s Bloc hasn’t been an easy task. And so wasn’t Gaysi when we started out two years ago. But the hurdles are very different. With Gaysi, we needed an audience whereas with Writer’s Bloc, we require participation. With Gaysi, we were happy with one-way flow of content, whereas with Writer’s Bloc, two-way flow is its basic essence. With Gaysi, we concentrated on the English speaking, internet savvy Queer community, whereas with Writer’s Bloc we have to dig deep, go regional and be the voices of those handicapped by language, communication and the technological barriers.

Support wise, like any other new venture, it has been a curvy graph. Commitment came from the quarters least expected. Those we counted on have a “Do Not Disturb” sign board up in place. Some couldn’t be bothered and others were only concerned with what’s to gain. And can we blame them? Nope. After all time doesn’t come for free.

But here we are, almost a month into our quest, torturing everyone on our contact list and being proud of it. On the good side, we haven’t killed each other just yet. Though there have been times, when the desire has been strong and I will admit my (Hitler possessed) To Do List is to be blamed. (p.s: My apologies ladies, sorry for that anti-climatic let down. No cat fight for now but stay tuned).

On a similar note, a wise girl once told me – “All we need is a new conversation”, I guess Ruswa and I have just begun ours.

Tags: Culture, Relationships, Writers' Bloc

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