Brave enough to be vulnerable

Harnidh Kaur

In a society that does you good to look out for answers, there is a Harnidh Kaur who doesn't hesitate to raise more questions. With two published books to her credit - The Inability of Words (Writer's Workshop India) and The Ease of Forgetting (Thought Catalog Books) - at 23, Kaur is more than what her words make of her. The poet and columnist, works full-time as a policy analyst in Mumbai, and before you figure out a rhyme in this sentence, she is almost through with her third book in collaboration with bestselling author, Durjoy Datta.

The three-part series, titled Is He the World's (Worst) Best Boyfriend? is their first venture into non-fiction and slated to release this year. The genre, according to Kaur, is immensely important as a medium of reaching out to the young audience and with the novel, she hopes to do that. "Everybody is talking at or for young people. Nobody is talking to them," she says.

Meher Mirza and Amrita Chowdhury

Working across different industries, one wonders how the intersection affects Kaur's writing. "It is a lot like looking at life through a different lens each time," she says, but maintains that working as a policy analyst takes priority over the other two. In June, she announced her selection as a delegate to the G(irls) 20 Summit in Argentina, taking place in October this year. "Young women are the biggest resource India has. I hope to gain networks that help me contribute to society."

Paromitra Vohra and Shobhaa De

Growing up in a home that valued the written word, fundamentally shaped her thinking. With over 20,000 followers on Instagram, Kaur regards authenticity as her hallmark. "I am not afraid to document my bad days and I refuse to censor myself. And then you realise, you have to be brave enough to be vulnerable," she explains. And even though the Internet is dark and full of terror, for Kaur, "the costs don't hurt." She adds, "I love social media but yes, it is scary at times. One has to remember that ugliness is a social construct. You cannot believe in something that does not exist."

Being an alumna of Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi, and St Xavier's College, Mumbai, led her to think in two cities. "The cities are my muses. When in Delhi, there are many emotions that flow across a large space. With Mumbai, the emotion is intense and lies concentrated in a smaller space," she says.

Today, Kaur will be speaking at Multipolis Mumbai - an event put together by the NGMA, Ministry of Culture, and Avid Learning - along with Paromita Vohra, Meher Mirza, Amrita Chowdhury and Shobhaa De on how women give shape to the city through their words. Writers act as a mirror of society and Kaur hopes that platforms like these encourage more open spaces for women.

ON Tonight, 6 pm to 9 pm
AT National Gallery of Modern Art, Sir Cowasji Jahangir Public Hall, MG Road, Mantralaya, Fort.
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