Roshni Marath Jairaj

Describe yourself in 3 words…

Curious, Honest, Unpredictable.

What inspires you?

As cliché as it sounds, my experiences in life really do inspire me. Also, there are these times
in the day when the red leaves sparkle under the sunlight or when it rains and the skies are
grey, it reminds me of home. So, nostalgia also inspires me quite a lot and movies as well! I
love watching movies especially slice of life films because it helps captures the mundane and
I love exploring the mundane moments in life and writing about it.

Tell us about your worst ever gig?

My worst gig was at this competition, and I was testing out this new piece by heart. I forgot
the lines midway and froze for a minute or two, but it honestly felt like the longest minute of
my life, and I just kept going. From that moment onwards, I have always read out from a
paper but now I am trying to get back my confidence on not relying on the paper as much.

What’s your number one poetry pet peeve?

Hmmmm, I think when the poet uses too much complicated words or the way the sentence is
done. For example, if the flow of the piece is too fast, I can’t understand the meaning of the
piece and I zone out because it goes too fast in my mind. Personally, I like poems with
structure and story, so sometimes I also struggle to understand very conceptual pieces.

Whose words do you love at the moment?

Right now, I am bit out of touch with poetry, but I am liking Fariha Roisin and Sophie
Chauhan’s works right now. I have gotten back into reading fiction lately because for the past
few years, I have been reading nonfiction. So, right now I am loving fictional works which I
am taking inspiration from. Right now, I am hooked on Katabasis by R.F. Kuang and loved
reading The Clothesline Swing by Ahmad Danny Ramdan.

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

The piece of advice I would give is never stop grabbing for the mic on the stage. Whatever
opportunity you get, always grab the mic and make your voice heard because your voice
matters and people like your work, if not all, even some will like it. Do it for yourself.

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

When I was young, I always imagined Emma Stone playing me if there were ever a movie to be made about my life but now, the answer if Nazriya Nazim. She is one of my favourite Malayalam actors in the Malayalam film industry and ever since I saw her in Bangalore Days, one of my favourite movies of all time, I knew she would be the one I want to play me.