Prepping for tomorrow’s art viewing at home! If you are in #Mumbai and would like to see my paintings, please come (we are in Bandra West, dm for address). #artsky

Lovely review yesterday with a couple of quotes from me in the Free Press Journal.

#booksky #delhi

to the handful of IndiaSky people on bsky who will see it, if you know of anyone looking for a videographer/editor/photographer - connect them with me. I'm looking for assignments for April-May-June.

41/n ગુમાવેલા જીવનનાં હાસ્ય તો પાછાં મળે ક્યાંથી ?
જમાનાએ લૂંટેલા અશ્રુ પણ માગી નથી શકતો. *Gumavela jivan na hasy to pachha male kyanthi? Jamanae lootela ashru pan magi nathi shakto.* - Befaam #gujarati #poetry #translation #niltranslates

40/n નયનને બંધ રાખીને મેં જયારે તમને જોયાં છે, તમે છો એના કરતાં પણ વધારે તમને જોયાં છે. *Nayan ne bandh rakhi ne me jyare tamne joya chhe, Tame chho ena karta pan vadhare tamne joya chhe.* When I closed my eyes and saw you, I saw you even more than you are. - Befaam #gujarati #poetry #translation #niltranslates

Good morning, blue sky!

This is kind of what I am feeling about BlueSky also :)

39/n તમને છોડીને ગયો’તો એ પળો મળતી રહી, તમને આવીને મળ્યો’તો એ ઘડી મળતી નથી. Latin script: *Tamne chhodi ne gayo’to e palo malti rahi, Tamne aavi ne malyo to e ghadi malti nathi.* - Adi Mirza #gujarati #poetry #translation #niltranslates

You can read more about FLN's advocacy for reform and its People's National Library Policy PNLP here: www.fln.org.in/library-reform-demanding-the-peoples-national-library-policy/

Today & tomorrow, activists of the Free Libraries Network will represent grassroots libraries & their members from across India at the #IndianLibraryCongress in Delhi. They will talk about the power of libraries when they are made free & non-exclusionary for all.

I would warn you of Spring coming— but I sneeze in All the seasons now

Too much going on last week or so… haven’t been able to do poetry translation:/ Also have to pack and move at end of the month and then unpacking, setting up things — so don’t know when I’ll get back to it. But hopefully I will! 🤞🏾

Sunday L💙VE for Libraries is real! Our Library Love fundraiser campaigns for the 'Right To Read' through free, anti-caste & feminist public libraries #ForALL @tashanmehta.bsky.social is making an amazing offer. So scan the QR code on slide 2 to donate OR Click www.fln.org.in/librarylove/

Listen, I took five years writing and revising my novel before it got accepted. I will share what I learned so you get there faster! Sign up here www.townscript.com/e/library-lo...

Sunday L💙VE for Libraries is real! Our Library Love fundraiser campaigns for the 'Right To Read' through free, anti-caste & feminist public libraries #ForALL @unmana.bsky.social is making an amazing offer. So scan the QR code on slide 2 to donate OR Click https://www.fln.org.in/librarylove/

Sunday L💙VE for Libraries is real! Our Library Love fundraiser campaigns for the 'Right To Read' through free, anti-caste & feminist public libraries #ForALL Jane Borges is making an amazing offer. So scan the QR code on slide 2 to donate OR Click www.fln.org.in/librarylove

Valentine’s Day reading list by @unmana.bsky.social in yesterday’s Scroll… Queer romances that make hearts flutter and end on a happy note: Sultry, dizzying, cute romances in historical and contemporary settings by 12 writers around the world. scroll.in/article/1078... #booksky #queerlove

I'm helping raise funds for the Free Libraries Network with the offer below. Please donate so that @freelibsnet.bsky.social can continue to do the amazing work they do!

Happy Valentine’s Day :) “Love”, Acrylic on 12”x12” stretched canvas, September 2023. #painting #nilpaints #ArtSky @unmana.bsky.social

This is no ordinary L💙VE! Our Library Love fundraiser campaigns for the 'Right To Read' through free, anti-caste & feminist public libraries #ForALL @bijal.bsky.social is making an amazing offer. So scan the QR code on slide 2 to donate OR Click www.fln.org.in/librarylove/

It’s the season of love! Revolutionary library love! Share this with your friends & family (in India) and get them to follow us here in large numbers! As for the rest? All will be revealed tomorrow 🥸🩵

What’s even better than reading #PoetryInParks? Putting books in the hands of all who want them, particularly those from historically disadvantaged communities. That’s what @freelibsnet.bsky.social and their member libraries do. Follow, and reshare their post. Many goodies are coming your way.

All set for this :) HITCHENS LIVE Literary Salon Readings on Queer Desire with AKHIL KATYAL, ANIRUDDHA MAHALE, SHRIPAD SINNAKAAR, RAHUL RAI, PRAVEEN BASAVIAH, SHALS MAHAJAN, MAHESH DATTANI AND UNMANA 8 pm onwards | 13th Feb @unmana.bsky.social #mumbai #booksky #queersky

This is one of my personal favourites — don’t think it works as much for others :) “Fantasy”, Acrylic on 16”x20” mdf board. #BlueSkyArtShow #ArtSky #nilpaints #painting

I’m in a Hyderabad paper today! #booksky #queerbook

As @unmana.bsky.social had pointed out, Shakespeare’s Hamlet had “One may smile, and smile…”. But that reads more literal * — as in it doesn’t mean more than what the words mean (I don’t know if I am making sense), compared to “Smite smite” where the repetition adds something extra.

I wrote a thing about The Snoop Sisters years ago if you are interested: culturalgutter.com/2018/04/19/s... #DriveInMob

38/n આગામી કોઈ પેઢીને દેતા હશે જીવન, બાકી અમારા શ્વાસ નકામા તો જાય ના. *Agami koi pedhine deta hashe jeevan, Baki amara shwas nakama to jaay na.* Must be giving life to some future generation, I refuse to believe our breaths are going to waste. # - Mareez #gujarati #poetry #translation #niltranslates

37/n ગઝલમાં સૌ વિચારો મારા દર્શાવી નથી શકતો, ઘણું સમજું છું એવું, જે હું સમજાવી નથી શકતો. *Gazal maan sau vicharo maara darshavi nathi shakto, Ghanu samju chhu evu, je hun samjavi nathi shakto.* I cannot express all my thoughts in ghazals, So much I understand, but cannot explain. #gujarati #poetry #niltranslates

Tip for illustrators: On this platform, users can search for a tag WITHIN YOUR FEED in addition to globally. Try clicking on #FoundObjectArt in this post, for example, & you'll see what I mean. This is a GREAT way to provide an easy way of categorizing your art posts, if you use tags thoughtfully.

Friends in the US and Canada! MAD SISTERS OF ESI has a launch date (August 5th 2025) and it’s part of the Barnes & Noble Preorder sale. All you have to do is use the code: PREORDER25. Go preorder! It means you’ll have more money for more books.

36/n બસ દૂર્દર્શૉનો એટલો આભાર હોય છે, જેને મળું છું, મુજથી સમજદાર હોય છે. *Bas doordasha no etlo abhar hoy chhe, Jene malu chhu, mujh thi samajdar hoy chhe. * Suffering comes with one upside though, Everyone I meet is smarter than I am. - Mareez #gujarati #poetry #translation #niltranslates

Welcome @goobesbook.bsky.social to BlueSky! Hopefully more independent bookshops and small businesses will follow! #booksky

Billionaire wants your Pennies — white supremacy Trumps America #haiku

A painting from 2021… “Flowery Years”, 16”x20”, Oil and stretched canvas. #nilpaints #artsky #indianpainting #portrait

can anyone tell me how to buy ebooks in a foreign language? -don't want to pirate, happy to pay -don't want translations, want to read in the original -ebooks exist but they won't appear for my US kindle, kobo, nook accounts -for physical books I could buy while in the country or order -pourquoooi

If you read this first stanza you would think the speaker is saying this to a lover. Or to a love-interest, and may even seem a little creepy. #poetrysky #niltranslates

@janeborges.bsky.social hosts ‘Murder, she wrote’ with Unmana, Meeti Shroff & Kalpana Swaminathan on women detectives & crime fiction in India at KGAF’25.

What a fun panel that was :) #kgaf #booksky @unmana.bsky.social

📍 BomSky Feed Pinned Post. This feed is gathering posts from a list of contributors as well as triggered by specific keywords To become a contributor:  • Just post/reply with "#addBomSky" Check the replies for link to other tools and Indian feeds. Remember to Like, Save, and Pin the feed!

35/n Ghazal by Khalil Dhantejvi સ્પર્શનું પણ ઝેર ચડવા દે મને, લે હવે, થોડુંક અડવા દે મને. *Sparshnu pan zer chadva de mane, Le have, thodunk adava de mane.* Let the poison of this contact take effect, Come on, allow me to touch you a bit. #gujarati #poetry #translation #niltranslates

Reimagining Womanhood: The Evolving Representation Of Women In Gujarati Women’s Literature The idea of intersectionality also impacted Gujarati women's writings. Writers like Chandra Shrimali addressed the exploitation of Dalit women.

Tomorrow! If you’re there, come say hi!

34/n હા, સૌને પ્રેમ કરવાને લીધો તો મેં જનમ, વચમાં તમે જરાક વધારે ગમી ગયા. *Haan, saune prem karwane lidho to me janam, Vachma tame jarak vadhare gami gaya. * Oh yes, I was born to love everyone, Then you came and I ended up liking you a bit more. - Mareez #gujarati #poetry #translation #niltranslates

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA gaaaaasp AHAHAHAHAHAHA oh my God say it ain't so, imagine an AI company stealing intellectual property.

Today at Kala Ghoda Arts Festival! #kgaf #mumbai #booksky

Expected that we can’t buy from bookshop.org in India but weird (and sad) that can’t access the site at all! #booksky

And just now @unmana.bsky.social read to me this poem by @gabbat.bsky.social that seems like a lovely example of what Mareez is talking about! “Miss you. Would like to take a walk with you.” By Gabrielle Calvocoress www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazi...

33/n કલા નુ હાર્દ ફક્ત હોય છે નિખળસ્તા, એ દાસ્તાન હો દિલ ની કે હો નજર બાબત. *Kala nu hard faqt hoy chhe nikhalasta, Ae dastan ho dil ni ke ho nazar babat.* Art is only powerful when it is sincere, May it be heart’s feelings, or what your eyes see. - Mareez #gujarati #poetry #translation #niltranslates