It’s a contest!

Cities are my great love. They also concern me, as they pose unique opportunities and challenges to the way humans live. I moan about cities, but am equally inspired by them, the energy of collective living driving me to excel in myriad ways. I assume this is true for many of those who visit my blog. I think of my blog ‘Rambling in the city’ as a voice that speaks to a generation of urban citizens across the world and invites them to think about how humans experience cities. And so, I’m opening up my blog to my community of friends and fellow bloggers and inviting them to share how they feel about cities.

I’m privileged to be encouraged by Devapriya Roy, co-author of The Heat and Dust Project and Kiran Chaturvedi, founder of Write & Beyond in this endeavour.

Theme: The City as Muse

Task

Write/draw your feelings about:

A city that you are inspired/disgusted by; OR

A city that you have the fondest/weirdest memories of; OR

A city that changed your life forever

Rules

• Your city could be real or imaginary.
• Your writing could be poetry or prose, anecdotal or lyrical, rational or whimsical. It’s pretty open. We only request you to refrain from profanities or foul language of any kind.
• Your entry can also be a drawing, or writing enhanced with images, sketches, cartoons, etc
• Each individual can send in a maximum of two entries only.
• Entries can be a maximum of 500 words, or 5 pictures
• Your entries should be emailed to ramblinginthecity@gmail.com by 15 September, 2015

Criteria

• Passion
• Emotion
• Expression
• Clarity

Judges

Devapriya Roy is the most effervescent and lively author I’ve met in person. With a background in literature and performance studies, she brings an unusual amount of detail to her writing, something I admire immensely. In addition to her latest book The Heat and Dust Project, which she has co-authored with her husband Saurav Jha, Devapriya has written The Vague Woman’s Handbook & The Weight Loss Club.

Kiran Chaturvedi is a travel entrepreneur, writer, activist and a dear friend, a woman who quietly inspires many and on whom I always rely for her honesty, her astute observation an encouragement. She runs Birdsong and Beyond, a niche travel company; as well as Write and Beyond, a forum that trains and inspires aspiring writers.

Amritha Ballal is a Delhi-based architect and urbanist with an unusual holistic approach to design. She is principal at New-Delhi based architectural firm Space Matters and is deeply interested in socially sustainable design. Her published works include Landscapes of Memory and The city is our home on the spatiality of urban homelessness.

Greg Randolph is an anthropologist and researcher whose comfort in his adopted city Delhi always impresses me. Greg is currently Deputy Director at JustJobs Network and has in the past been Clinton Fellow of the American India Foundation. His interests lie in the nexus of migration, urbanization, and employment challenges in the global South.

Results

Will be announced by early October , 2015. Keep abreast of the latest on #TheCityasMuse FB page

Prizes

The judges will select one winner and four runners-up. Devapriya has been kind enough to offer 5 copies of her book, which is a fantastic and unique insight into small town India, to give away as prizes. Additionally, the winners will get Amazon gift coupons (equivalent to $100 for the winner and $30 for the runners up). Needles to say, winners’ posts will be shared on Rambling in the city. Six more ‘special mentions’ will also be posted on the blog.