Indu Harikumar has been working on a crowdsourced project titled #100IndianTinderTales on Instagram. On Century Avenue interviewed Harikumar to find out more about her art.

OCA: Tell us a little bit about yourself. Indu Harikumar (IH): I studied fashion and history, worked on the web, and stumbled into the world of picture books, completely by chance. I have written and illustrated books, designed doll kits, worked with children, and absolutely enjoy recycling—turning everyday waste into art. I have lived most of my life in Mumbai and I am passionate about several things: education, stories, poetry, languages, art, dancing, food and people.

OCA: What prompted you to start #100IndianTinderTales? How has it evolved over time?IH: There was no concrete plan but I have always wondered why people don't talk about sex. In 2006, I wanted to do a movie on safe sex, then last year I was with two of my friends and we talked about our bodies, sex, and men for hours. I remember thinking—we are all so worried about doing it right and talking about sex openly would make things so simple. These may have been latent thoughts, but the project started because I was looking for inspiration. It was around the time the hashtag #100dayproject challenge surfaced. I didn't mean to add to it, but the tedium of work was getting to me. A friend suggested I take up this challenge. We discussed it and my two options were 100 Days Of Love or 100 Indian Tinder Tales. She shot down the first one, so I went with the second. I did ask around in the beginning and pushed friends to contribute, but I didn't expect the project to take off, given how hush hush we are about what happens behind closed doors. And why would anyone want to be vulnerable with a complete stranger? But after the 9th post which was wildly shared, I started to hear from other folks. Then the project got a lot of press which translated into a bigger audience and more contributions.Now there is a community feeling. I see when a person talks about a certain topic, say, abuse, then I hear from other people talking about similar experiences. As one person shares, it becomes okay for others to do the same. I would say, in terms of both presentation and content, the project has changed quite a bit. I was very shy and cautious, my initial illustrations were mostly of kissing couples or couples embracing. I borrowed heavily from classic paintings, but over time people have shared more openly and that has inspired me to try a more bolder style of illustrating. I have drawn genitalia and nudity as the stories demanded. The shame is slowly fading. The stories were initially mostly about love, but over time people have talked about other aspects of Tinder like abuse, betrayal, and lust. The themes have changed over time.

OCA: What was people's initial reaction to this hashtag? IH: Well, like I mentioned, the project started to get attention from the 9th story, which is still the most popular story. It was shared several times and that is when I started to hear from people outside my friends circle. I really didn't think I would hear from so many people or that people would open up and share intimate details of their lives, so I must say it is a project that I started and it grew organically. Because of the media attention it got and because most of the stories are so relatable, it makes you feel that we are in this together.

OCA: What kind of messages do you get from people? IH: I am surprised at the amount of positivity, love, and trust that has come my way. Even those who don't contribute often write about how cathartic reading some of the stories have been for them. Some have also talked about getting on Tinder because of the tales and about wanting to give themselves another chance. Yet others message me saying how liberated the stories make them feel. One woman sent me this from Edinburgh: "It is just great to have a positive space like this to share what happened, it feels odd carrying a story you're burning to share inside. I think we are all trying to make sense of the various things that happen to us and sometimes writing it out and letting it out can be healing." Personally, too, there has been a lot of healing for me as an artist, since I have dealt with many of my own demons about sex.

OCA: What's your favorite Indian Tinder Tale? IH: I love several of them. There is one on period sex, another one about accepting one's own sexuality, one about love and self-sabotage, and about how the world is a marketplace and why Tinder surprises us. But the one I love the most is my own. I think it gave the project some momentum. I was on an art residency and matched with a Viennese man and we walked around the city and he kept me entertained with tales about the Hasburgs, Klimt, Mozart, Viennese waltz, and Viennese plague. It almost felt like I was visiting a best friend and he had to show me all of his favorite parts of the city, like where he first smoked a cigarette, where he worked, favorite restaurant, favorite park, and so on. It was a superb date. Later, when I told him that Europe was making me fat and I didn't want to eat cake, he said, “But beauty needs space.” That became the title of my colouring book.

OCA: What have you learned from doing this project? What have you learned from your experiences on Tinder? IH: I feel I own my mind, my body and my sexuality. As I look back, I know there was a time when I thought my body belonged to the man I loved, that I must not offend him, that it was my duty to keep him happy. Those things have changed over the course of time. I feel stronger and bolder in many ways. I am able to confront men when I think I am being wronged and most importantly I am able to speak my mind. I think I owe a lot of that to the project.

OCA: Now that you're at the 90th tale, what's next?IH: I am working on book projects. There’s a book on recyclable craft, The Crafty Indian Jungle Book, which will be out soon. I am working on another children's book. I'd also like to do another crowdsourced project soon once I recover from this one.

You can follow Indu on Facebook and Instagram for more.This article was written by Pramugdha Maheswari. Please send an email to [email protected] to get in touch. Photo Credit: Indu Harikumar