Inviting Stories-Construction of Indian Masculinity
Ajay Etikala
Please take a look at this interesting opportunity, incase if you would like to share your story. They are seeking stories from anyone assigned male at birth.
Please see the email below for more information
Substack link- https://induviduality.substack.com/p/new-project-construction-of-indian
Instagram link- https://www.instagram.com/p/DNuns8mRDHa/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
For any questions, please contact: bodyofs...@gmail.com
From: Indu Harikumar <ind...@gmail.com>
Date: Mon, 1 Sept 2025 at 11:29
Subject: Re; Construction of Indian masculinity text
To: Ajay Etikala <ajaya...@gmail.com>
For this, I’m inviting you to contribute. I’m specifically looking for personal stories about how you were socialized to "perform" masculinity—what messages or cues you received growing up, especially around gender, identity, and intimacy. These three areas are central to what I want to explore through your lived experiences.
Want to share a story?
- Construction of Indian Masculinity is a people-powered art project by Indu Harikumar, exploring how masculinity is shaped between the ages of 10-21 — within a deeply Indian context — and how it connects to gender, identity, and intimacy
- I'm inviting stories from anyone assigned male at birth—this includes cis-het men, queer men, trans women, non-binary, and genderqueer individuals. You must be at least 18 to participate.
- You can write in any form—poetry, prose, listicles, etc.—as long as it’s your lived experience. I’ll be turning some of these into short comics (up to 10 panels), so I may reach out with follow-up questions.
- Please label stories that include violence, and write your story in the body of an email (no attachments).
- Email only—DMs will not be accepted. bodyofs...@gmail.com
- This is a personal project but may include brand support.
- Not all stories will be used, but feel free to follow up by email if you haven’t heard back.
- All stories will be posted anonymously and will be run by the contributor before being uploaded.
About Indu Harikumar
Indu is an award winning artist and author. Her work is about giving shape to what remains unsaid in our society – stories of body, desire, love, and belonging. Her work is at www.induviduality.com and @induviduality on Instagram and X
All stories will remain anonymous, and you’ll see the comic before it’s shared.