Freelancers and freelance markets

If you're a freelancer who would like to have editors know what you do, fill out this form.

If you're an editor who wants to tell freelancers about the kind of work you commission, fill out this form.

Here's who is in the freelancer database so far (you can also see the database here):

Here is who is in the freelance markets database so far (you can also see database here):

How many queues must a man wait in?

At a concert on Saturday, our Prime Minister quoted words of protest written by a certain Robert Zimmerman back in 1963. That reminded us of this more contemporary work by Balbir ‘Bobby’ Dhillon, who owns Noble Lorry 8 Pvt. Ltd. (‘We have no brunches’) and writes a bit while he’s waiting in line to withdraw cash to pay his drivers.

Come gather ’round people
It’s not time to roam
While you whined the lines
Around you have grown
Just accept it that soon
You’ll be tir’d to the bone
If your savin’s to you are worth drawin’
Then you better start queuin’ or you’ll be all alone
For the notes they are a-changin’

Pressti …wallas and critics
Who editorialise often
Do keep your eyes wide
We’ll change the rules again
So don’t speak at all
You can’t counter my spin
Here’s one more RBI notification!
Don’t try to figure it, you just can’t win
Hah! The notes they are a-changin’

You UPA Congressis
Don’t get it all
I’ll use your best schemes
And rename them all
I’m sure it must hurt
To hear all my trolls
Being ‘offended’ and ‘hurt’ and ‘outragin’’
And while you’re trying to figure it all
The notes I will be a-changin’

Grand-mothers and -fathers
A separate queue for you
And ’cause I sympathise
Take Saturday too
Your sons and your daughters
They will have to stand
Out on the road slowly agin’
Yes it’s your money, yes I understand
But the notes they are a-changin’

The line it is long
Do have a blast
The slow queue now
Will never be fast
You resent me now
I am aghast
Is your nationalism fadin’?
Alas your cash stash is now ballast
’Cause the notes they are a-changin’

One Art

(May the shade of Elizabeth Bishop forgive me)

Mitron, brownnosing isn’t hard to master;
just say (and again) how good was the intent,
never mind that it looks like a disaster.

Praise something every day. And drink gaumutra.
Hours in queues are never badly spent;
patriots never doubt the lord and master.

Then practice cleaning farther. Like the taste, eh?
Remember the soldiers freezing in their tents!
Say that to all who call this a disaster.

Keep Mother India swachch. Don’t think! Sweep faster!
So much easier than teaching civic sense;
yes, this art is a fine and good one master.

How can you doubt him? Traitor, go eat pasta!
To Italy — no, Pakistan — you’ll be sent
for implying that this is a disaster.

No, don’t think of the economy (we aren’t)
and don’t think of your money that you can’t spend.
Mitron, brownnosing isn’t hard to master;
Just remember (Write it!) it’s no disaster.

Achche Din

I was chatting with my neighbourhood kiranwala. After telling me how tough it was to manage his 'rolling' cash, he told me this story.

One of the people he deals with, a wholesaler in the Govandi area, one of the poorest sections of Bombay, saw that many of the disadvantaged who live there — particularly those without bank accounts and proper ID — were literally doing without food because the kind of grocery shops and hole-in-the-wall eating houses they would buy from wouldn't take their under-the-mattress money. So this guy mobilised his network of partners and supplier and arranged to get whatever sub-500 notes he could. He then exchanged these with the people of the area, taking a 10% margin on average.

He disbursed Rs 25 lakh in a day and made a tidy 2.5 lakh profit.

Mera numbering system mahaan

If we insist on using the Indian numbering system, why stop at crore and wind up with clumsy stuff like three lakh crore? There are legit larger number names: arab, kharab, neel, padma, shankh.

1,00,00,00,000 = Arab (instead of one hundred crore)

1,00,00,00,00,000 = Kharab (instead of ten thousand crore)

1,00,00,00,00,00,000 = Neel (instead of ten lakh crore)

1,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 = Padma (instead of ten crore crore)

1,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,000 = Shankh (instead of ten thousand crore crore)

Or to put it another way:

Arab = billion

Kharab = hundred billion

(Ten kharab = trillion)

Neel = ten trillion

Padma = quadrillion

Shankh = hundred quadrillion

Malpractice

Praising the demonetisation and calling it a surgical strike sounds dead wrong to me. It sounds like whoever said that doesn't understand either surgery or warfare. Any surgery that did this much damage to the body would be grounds for a medical malpractice suit.

What it is is a dirty bomb. or rather an atom bomb. Deals the 'enemy' a serious blow, may even give you victory, but look at the huge 'collateral damage.'

Go well, Leonard Cohen

"Well Marianne it's come to this time when we are really so old and our bodies are falling apart and I think I will follow you very soon. Know that I am so close behind you that if you stretch out your hand, I think you can reach mine. And you know that I've always loved you for your beauty and your wisdom, but I don't need to say anything more about that because you know all about that. But now, I just want to wish you a very good journey. Goodbye old friend. Endless love, see you down the road."
Source

An idea of America

There's this idea of America I've had, which I'm now wondering about. That this … abstraction was always well-intentioned. One could disagree with this abstraction, not like some things it did, find it often patronising, often clueless, too often convinced of its own solutions. But there was the feeling that it meant well.
That sense of America has taken a bit of a beating the last couple of days.

#DhanDaan♿: sharing the wealth

I’m on the advisory board of Wheels for Life which brings together those who need wheelchairs with those who’d like to gift them. I’d like to do something to raise awareness of Wheels for Life, since it’s very new. And so I made an offer on Twitter (slightly edited, merging several tweets):

Not very original, but I’m only copying myself. Some of you may remember this which I did for @prathambooks? If you promise to make a donation to Wheels for Life, I’ll write you a silly poem, just for you. Most probably a limerick.
You don’t have to donate ₹5000, the cost of one wheelchair (but it would be super if you do). There’s an option to donate via cheque/DD. Or you could choose to volunteer if you prefer: Whatever works for you. Just help me get the word out about Wheels for Life. Oh yes, they haven’t asked me to do this; they don’t even know I'm doing it. (Now they do.)
So this is my personal offer:
Tell me where you’re from, and one thing about you, and get a silly poem, In return, you support Wheels for Life in some way.
Deal?

I also emailed a number of friends, shared a set of fund-raising ideas, and asked if they’d like to offer their skills, time or goods to donors for Wheels for Life. Several people said yes. I posted their offers, and then several more people got in touch with offers. More people saw those, and… you get the picture.

It’s all getting rather complex on Twitter at the moment, so I thought I’d do one post that collected all the offers in one place for easy reference. Here they are.

But first, the terms.

If you’d like to take up any of these generous offers:
• Reply to the offer tweet.
• The person making the offer accepts.
• You make your donation at Wheels for Life’s donation page. WFL takes donations in multiples of ₹5,000. ₹5,000 is the cost of one wheelchair ♿.
• Tweet the transaction number at the person making the offer, me, & @nipunmalhotra, founder of Wheels for Life, who will confirm receipt.
• Person making the offer gets in touch with you and you get your return gift.
p.s.
• You can choose to donate but gift your offer to someone else; let the person making the offer know who it is.

Want to make an offer? I’d be happy to add a few more slots. If you’d like to join in, tweet your offer at me, or email zigzackly at gmail. Make it quantifiable and precise, please. For example: X numbers of a an item you make; Y number of hours/minutes of your time consulting on Z. And include the total number of products or slots you have the time or inclination to give away, or the time up to when your offer is open. For example, X such products or Y such slots are available, up to the end of Z. Also specify things like: any geographic geographic restrictions — only in Bombay, for example — and whether you can email or courier a product; should what you offer be picked up; whether you can provide the service over phone or web chat.

There is a version of this list on Facebook as well, here on Wheels for Life’s page (make sure to follow them there); that page also has a few Facebook-only offers by people who aren’t in Twitter. Of course you could follow the sequence on Twitter, and see the various replies as well, starting from here.

This person…	…Is offering this…	…If you give this # of ♿s	Links to tweets	Still open?
01. @surekhapillai, comunications professional and Twitter star, and also the person who persuaded me to try once more to open this up to more people.	One hour of consultation for your start-up, via phone or online call.	♿	One, two	Open
02. @MaryTKurkalang who has worked 20 years consulting on arts/culture in India and abroad.	An offer for aspiring arts professionals. One hour, via phone or online call on how to pitch an art / culture / book project.	♿	One, two, three	Open
03. @MaryTKurkalang again	An offer for aspiring arts professionals. One hour, via phone or online call on how to start working in the art management space.	♿	One, two, three	Open
04. @prempanicker, writer, journalist, mentor, man-about-town	One hour to consult on anything: writing, editing, social media, messaging, in person in Bangalore or via phone or online call.	♿	One, two, three	Open
05. @prempanicker again	Lunch or coffee with him (when you’re both in the same city) to chat about anything.	♿	One, two, three	Open
06. @prempanicker with an offer for organisations.	Prem will do a full-day workshop on editing / communications / social media / writing for your organisation. Offer open in Bangalore, but if you pay his fare, anywhere else too.	♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ (that's 10, or ₹50,000)	One, two, three	Open
07. @Paromadiva, who ran communications at Google India and now at SoftBank International.	One hour to consult on brand, reputation & internal/external communications, via phone or online call.	♿	One, two	Open
08. @anaggh, who is an entrepreneur, mentor and Twitter star.	Anaggh has dreamed up #PolaroidWish, supported by @rockymindia. If you make a donation above ₹1,000, they will send you an expensive pair of sunglasses worth at least twice that. Wheels For Life is one of the four listed charities for this campaign. (Read Anaggh's post here).	♿	One, two	Open
09. @anaggh also has a personal offer	One to two hours of brainstorming or business discussion with him. Bonus: If in Bombay (& in Bangalore in November), this discussion in person & coffee on Anaggh.	♿	One, two, three	Open
10. @samitbasu, cult author, @pi_alize, an amazing illustrator and future superstar, and me	Samit has kindly offered to share rhyming duties with me. (Same brief: in your reply, tell us one thing about you and where you're from.) And Pi will illustrate your poem.	♿	One, two, three, four, five	Open
11. @Meetasengupta education strategist & coach & writer	An hour of coaching time on the phone on how to Plan to be a CxO for future leaders; via phone or online call	♿	One, two	Open
12.@Aparna executive coach & author	Corporate leadership mini coaching: three 30-minute sessions over two months; via phone or online call	♿ ♿ (that's ₹10,000)	One, two	Open
13. @Aparna with her chef's toque on	A two-hour pahaadi cooking class plus lunch with her at her home, plus a copy of her The Sood Family Cookbook. This offer is Delhi/NCR only.	♿	One, two	Open
14. @krishashok, musician, firestarter & brain the size of a planet	An hour's lesson on how to compose and record music digitally at home & sound semi-professional; via phone or online call. (Have you tuned in to his Soundcloud?)	♿	One, two	Open
15. @TheRestlessQuil, editor, writer, and now artist	She will send you two watercolour paintings (see Tweets for samples)	♿	One, two	Open
16. @NakulShenoy, magician	Meet Nakul over tea, discuss & perform magic (in Bangalore, or when you & he are in the same city)	♿	One, two	Open
17. @NakulShenoy, magician	Get a free seat (or 50% off on two seats) in his magic workshop (Bangalore, Nov. 26-27)	♿ ♿ (that's ₹10,000)	Three	Open
18. @atti_cus, lawyer and writer	Two hours of legal advice or discussion in Delhi (or via the phone / online call)	♿	One, two	Open
19. @RushinaMG, culinary expert, consultant, teacher and writer	Two seats (a cooking date!) at a special @RushinaMG Eggciting Breakfasts Masterclass followed by brunch, on Nov 13 in Bombay.	♿	One, two, three	Open
20. @madmanweb, chef, writer, singer and, now, portrait photographer	A "profile candid package" as described here	♿	One, two, three	Open
21. @calamur, TV professional and blogger	An hour on script / concept / character development and writing structure for a show or script. Harini is offering four such (one-off) slots in November. Ideally, face-to-face in Mumbai, or if she and you are in the same city at some point, otherwise via phone or online call.	♿	One, two, three	Open
22. @nilanjanaroy, author, columnist, critic, speaker, aspiring cat-herder, dear friend	Nilanjana will give you and three friends you choose an exclusive three- to four-hour walk through literary Delhi. She will arrange transport and meeting location plus light snacks. She is offering three such walks at mutually convenient dates over November and December.	♿	One, two, three, four	Closed
23. @devangshudatta, friend, polymath, raconteur, finance wiz and much else	DD will teach you a basic trend-following technical trading system (approx one hour) over phone or internet video call, or if you're in Delhi & he is feeling sociable, in person. To those who take this offer, DD is also offering follow-up lessons: 1 ♿ per one-hour session on trading systems / refinements.	♿ (+ ♿ per follow-up session)	One, two, three, four	Open
24. @devangshudatta again. (Did I mention he has a ridiculously unfair amount of brains?)	This is for chess players (beginning or intermediate). A 1-hour chess basics lesson from @devangshudatta. Example subjects: - a given opening - how to mate with B+N - basic pawn endgames - basic rook endgames etc	♿	One, two, three	Open
25. @amritat, author, TV journalist, entrepreneur, activist	A one-hour consultation on social media/media outreach/writing via phone or internet video call	♿	One, two	Open
26. @amritat again, with her author hat on	Be immortalised! Get a starring role in a (short) short story she will write	♿ ♿ ♿ (₹15,000)	One	Open
27. @ashoklalla, digital & marketing advisor, speaker, startup mentor	For aspiring digital marketing folks and start-ups: Get 30 minutes of digital marketing business or career advice over a phone call	♿	One, two	Open
28. @ashoklalla again	90 minutes on digital marketing business or advice. Face to face over coffee if in Bangalore (Ashok will pay) or via phone or internet video call	♿ ♿ (₹10,000)	One	Open
29. @mahimkajerry, award-winning author, poet, columnist	Jerry will read a manuscript you send him over email and offer an edit. He is open to do five such MSes. (One has already been claimed)	♿	One, two, three	Open
30. @rucsb, HR leader, mentor, influencer	30 minutes to one hour of career development coaching or mentoring	♿	One, two	Open
31. @SanSip, ad guy, book critic and blogger	A thorough assessment plus suggestions for improvement, for an unpublished novel or short story	♿	One, two	Open
32. @GautamGhosh, HR maven & consultant, pioneering blogger	One hour of consultation on HR, social media, HR tech, personal branding	♿	One, two	Open
33. @GautamGhosh again	An offer for organisations A one-day programme on social media for your HR team. Offer is in Bangalore, but can be made available in other places if you pay for his travel	♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ (that's 10, or ₹50,000)	One, two	Open
34. @saffrontrail, food writer, consultant blogger	A 90-minute healthy cooking / salad-making workshop for you & one other person This offer has been taken. Nandita has time for only one slot.	♿	One, two	Closed.
35. @DeathEndsFun, old pal, author, columnist, blogger	Dilip will serenade you or a person you choose with songs on his blues harmonica. He says, "Willing to play Jaaneman Jaaneman Sounds of Silence (or any of a number of other songs)." Offer available in Mumbai, but also via Internet video if that works for you.	♿	One, two, three, four	Open
36. @DeathEndsFun with his author hat on.	One hour with Dilip to talk about what he believes will improve your writing. In person in Bombay or via phone or Internet video call	♿	One	Open
37. And @DeathEndsFun plays tennis	One hour of tennis with Dilip as his guest at Bandra Gymkhana (Bombay).	♿	One	Open
38. @rochellepotkar, writer and poet	Rochelle will chat with you over coffee for one or two hours, then write you a haibun (a prose-poem) based on your life, just for you. Offer claimable in Bombay or if you and she are in the same city in the near future.	♿	One, two, three	Open
39. @KiranManral, novelist and blogger, colleague from so long ago that both of us aren't talking about it.	For as-yet-unpublished writers, a one-hour (phone) chat on how to get your manuscript done and how to approach publishers.	♿	One, two	Open
40. @LadyAshBorg, good buddy and very successful entrepreneur	A half-hour session on founding early-stage tech startups and/or fundraising (or related matters). In person in Chennai or if you and she are in the same city in the near future, otherwise via phone or Internet video chat. She only has the time to offer two such sessions in the immediate future, so grab them quickly. Statutory warning: do not make silly jokes about AI, or invite her to speak in a #manel.	♿	One, two, three	Open
41. @amitvarma, writer, blogger, poker wiz and, professional limerick writer	A 16-line poem adapted to any context you want. For example, you want the poem starring you and a purple cow duelling Amit? Amit will deliver. NOTE: Amit's poems have proven hugely popular, and we don't want him to burn out, delightful as his verse is. So we're upping the ante here, and saying THREE wheelchairs for one of his poems	♿ ♿ ♿	One, two, three	Open
42. @udhay_shankar, counsellor to start-ups and co-founder of @thegoaproject	A 30-minute session with Udhay in which he will critique your business plan and offer suggestions	♿	One, two, three	Open
43. @krisudayasankar, author	For budding writers: critical feedback on a piece of your writing (fiction or poetry, up to one thousand words)	♿	One, two	Open
44. @PedestrianPoet, poet	Get a critique and an edit for your poem. Harnidh is also game to take up any poetry writing challenge you throw at her, for the same kind of donation.	♿	One, two, three	Open
45. @SumanaMukherjee, friend, editor, writer, f̶o̶o̶d̶i̶e̶ bonne vivante	A 1-month, twice-weekly supply of home-baked bread. Choice of breakfast loaves, foccacias, partybrots, etc. Can be customised. (You will have to pick up from central Bangalore)	♿	One, two, three	Open
46. @kishiarora, pastry chef, and her mother, @mamaktreats	Two brownie cakes by Kishi, plus one Banarasi/Punjabi cooking class by her mum	♿	One, two	Open
47. @jackerhack & @zainabbawa, old friends and founders of @hasgeek	A free ticket to any hasgeek conference of your choice. Check their site for upcming events, and tag @hasgeek to claim.	♿	One, two, three	Open
48. Meghna Gill of @studioGDA, architect & designer. See her company's work here	A two-hour design consultancy to anyone looking for interior design inputs for any interior projects, be it residential, office, retail, etc. In Mumbai in person or elsewhere over web chat.	♿	One, two, three	Open
49. @SimonaTerron, journalist, writer, voice-over artist, PR & media consultant	Her handmade, natural spa products -Lemongrass Refresher Fizzy Foot Soaks -Lavender for LaLaLand Massage Oil -Peppermint Perk Up Body Scrub She will fill four such orders. She will speedpost the soak or the scrub to anywhere in India. The massage oil is only for those in Mumbai.	♿	One, two, three, four, five	Open
50. @SimonaTerron again, with her voice-over artist hat on	A silly voicemail/festive greeting message in a funny style/accent of your choice. Mail her the script (under 60 seconds) and required style/accent; she'll email you the audio track within 48 hours.	♿	One, two, three	Open
51. @MissGoobe, a wildlife photographer,	A framed print of one of her images. Contact her to see samples of her work.	♿	One, two	Open
52. @kritimonga, designer, artist, calligrapher, who I am a huge fan of. See her work here, and specifically her calligraphy here	An artwork of your name (or a short phrase / quote / word) in her exquisite calligraphy. Send her the word or phrase, or a Twitter-style short bio for the name, & she'll draw her interpretation in expressive lettering.	♿	One, two, three, four	Open
53. Sudarshan Purohit @connectmc, translator, editor and critic	Sudarshan will critique/edit an up-to-5K-word fiction piece.	♿	One, two	Open
54. @JSV76, art curator	She runs Indiancolours, which licenses the art of top Indian contemporary artists & adapts them to objects of everyday use, She will give you ₹1500 worth of products from Indiancolours	♿	One, two	Open
55. @kkrathlete, a professional cyclist & current national MTB Champion	He will do a three-hour MTB trail ride with you, advise you on technique, and chat about becoming a champ. Bangalore area only.	♿	One, two	Open
56. Rohit Nayak, who runs @canvasnchrome, an adventure company	A free weekend camping/trek trip, from Mumbai or Pune.	♿	One, two	Open
57. Arundhati Ghosh​, who has worked many, many years in the arts space.	90 minutes advice on how to raise funds for an arts project. In person in Bangalore if she's feeling up to it, or via phone/web chat	♿	Fb link (scroll to the bottom of the post)	Open
58. Rekha Nigam​, former advertising creative director, now a film writer and transcreator	Rendition (translation) of any public service message or film into Hindi or any other Indian language	♿	Fb link (scroll to the bottom of the post)	Open
59. Rekha Nigam again	Screenwriting advice. Rekha will read your subject for a movie, and mentor you on how to structure it. She could read it through various stages and offer you advice on detangling knotty issues.	♿ ♿ (₹10,000)	Fb link (scroll to the bottom of the post)	Open
60. @bigfatphoenix, game designer and one of the funniest writers I know.	A workshop for you or your org (in Bangalore) on one of these topics - Game design - Using a design thinking approach to solve problems - Guided tour of the history of humour in videogames	♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ ♿ (₹25,000)	One, two, three	Open
61. @bigfatphoenix again	A one-hour phone/web chat with you on any of those topics OR An hour of feedback (phone/web) on the UX of a game or app you may be developing	♿	One, two, three	Open
62. @indianoceanband, a band I adore	Attend an @indianoceanband practice/jam session. Delhi/NCR area only.	♿	One, two	Open
63. @indianoceanband again	Get a personalised birthday or anniversary wish and an acoustic song sung for a specific person by the band. the song can be delivered by phone, web chat, Whatsapp. email ed video, whatever.	♿	One, two	Open
64. And again, @indianoceanband	One or more band members MAY be able to come over to serenade someone for you. How many ♿s would you donate? Please note. Though Indian Ocean plays all around the world, they rarely have time in the cities they perform in to do something like this. So, if at all they consider doing this, the (slim) likelihood is that it will be in the Delhi/NCR area, their home base. Please check with me on this before you choose.	❓	One, two	Open
65. @SimmSareen, food blogger Her site: bombayfoodie	A goodie bag. Choose from: - Shortbread cookies + caramel sauce + superfood granola Or Any cookies or cake	♿	One, two	Open
66. One more from @SimmSareen	A two-hour cooking class for up to two people	♿	One	Open
67. @neo_pac shamanic & energy healer & psychological astrologer	One-hour healing session	♿	One	Open
68. @Mayank1029, journalist & business management graduate who specialised in financial markets & stock pricing	A one-hour session on basics of personal finance or finance	♿	One, two	Open
69. @Mayank1029 again, this time as a poet	A poem in Hindi and English	♿	One	Open
70. @sidin, author, journalist & blogger	Name a character in Sidin's next novel.	♿ ♿ (₹10,000)	One, two	Open
71. @rashmid9, a business coach with over 30 years corporate/media HR experience	Two hours of HR/talent advisory &/or business coaching (in Mumbai or over Skype)	♿	One, two	Open
72. @SK_Vaze, performance consultant	A one-hour session on personal branding / international business etiquette	♿	One, two, three	Open
73. @SK_Vaze again: he's a former hotels professional	Talk hospitality for an hour	♿	One, two, three	Open
74. @strayatheart, canine behaviourist	A one-hour consult + email follow up on any issue: aggression, fear, anxiety	♿	One, two	Open
75. @jasuja, payments wiz	One hour (via phone/webchat) to discuss digital payments, digital commerce in india & trends worldwide.	♿	One, two	Open
76. @jasuja again	Two-hour crash course (via phone/webchat) in product management for consumer payment products.	♿ ♿ (₹10,000)	One, two, three	Open
77. @jasuja, yet again	One-hour consult on how to transition from an engineering job > finding your calling in product management Two such slots open. In person in Delhi/Mumbai or via phone/web chat.	♿	One, two, three	Open
78. Ayesha Thomas, one of my former interns, now all grow'd up and a theatre professional	A two hour drama workshop with 6-8 kids (ages eight to fifteen), but only in January. This is only via Facebook.	♿ ♿ (₹10,000)	Fb link (scroll to the bottom of the post)	Open
79. @chhavi, podcasting professional, who also teaches podcasting workshops	Get a free seat at two of her workshops (1. intro to podcast 2. editing workshop) or two at either one. Seat value; ₹2,500 each. The workshops are in Bombay (early December) & Delhi (January).	♿	One, two, three	Open
80. @rashmid, former journalist and communications professional, now am arts entrepreneur	A one-hour mentoring session (phone/webchat) on working in the arts.	♿	One, two	Open
81. @rashmid again	A a one-hour consult on your communications for your arts/culture project	♿	One, two	Open
82. @nehadara, travel writer and editor	A critique of two 1000–1500-word travel pieces or one longer piece of up to 2500 words with detailed comments and suggestions for improvements. And a follow-up 15-minute phone chat explaining the critique and answering any questions the writer has.	♿	One, two, three	Open
83. @Chinmayi, singer, entrepreneur, voice-over artist	First row seats to a Chinmayi concert for you &/or 2 or 3 pals. (Wherever she is performing.)	♿	One, two	Open
84. @Chinmayi again	A personalised birthday/anniversary wish + an acoustic song sung for a specific person sung by Chinmayi	♿	One, two	Open
85. One more from @Chinmayi	How many ♿s would you bid for a 30-minute concert, where she will sing free, but you pay her band? Offer in Chennai, or if she is performing in your city. Limited offers open. You can make your bids to Chinmayi directly or via me.	❓	One, two	Open
86. Artist and teacher @zaiuranjit	He's donating one of his paintings, Dreamscape - II (8x10in, acrylic on canvas).	♿	One	Open
87. @AnantRangaswami, former advertising professional, now a journalist and teacher (he lectures in colleges on advertising and marketing	Two hours of his time to talk about anything you think he can help with. He's offering one two-hour slot per week, eight such slots, one ♿ per slot	♿	One, two, three	Open
YOU	Your offer	♿		Open

A very happy Deepavali / Diwali to you and yours.

Sell yourself (for your favourite charity or cause)

A little while ago, I did a little Twitter experiment (here's the Storify, but here's the short version): I offered to write bespoke silly poems for anyone who asked, in return for a donation to a good cause.

It occurred to me that so many people I know are in a much, much better position to offer their friends and followers something of value in return for a charitable contribution.

(I did try suggesting something like this as a #DaanUtsavAuction but that didn't take off. This later version was prompted by Surekha Pillai's suggestion.)

If you want to fund-raise or increase awareness for a cause dear to your heart, here are some suggestions. Please take them with my good wishes.

1.
a. Some of you are much better at nonsense poems than I am. Why not offer to do some for your fans?
b. Or you're a poet who wouldn't be caught dead doing nonsense verse. You could offer a short, personalised, sensible poem instead. : )

2.
Some of you are great artists, cartoonists, calligraphers (calligraphists?), photographers. Offer a personalised drawing, cartoon, caricature, a beautifully written name someone could use on their visiting cards or other stationery, a portrait photo for a donor's social media / public photo?

3.
Some of you are in the performing arts, performers or impresarios. Offer a ticket to your next show.

4.
All of you are people with valuable skills. Could you offer an hour of your time? (For example, one friend, who is a communications consultant, has offered to let me offer one hour of consultancy for start-ups on communication issues they may face.) This service could be via email, phone, Skype, whatever you're comfortable with.

5.
Are you writing a book? Offer to name a minor character after a donor.

6.
Do you make films? Maybe offer a walk-on or bystander role to a donor.

7.
If you run some kind of service that requires paid membership, you could offer a limited time membership to a donor. If you run something where people buy stuff, offer a free drink or meal, or a free WhatYouMake,

8.
You're a star, in real life as well as on social media. How about offering a selfie with you to donors? Or lunch with you, or a coffee? Or a certain number of Retweets? Or a follow on Twitter or a #FF recommendation?

9.
Want to do a dare? "I will walk around India Gate shirtless if you donate." "I will jump into a water body fully clothed and post a video of it if you donate." "I will offer Raj Thackeray a visa to Pakistan." (More suggestions?)

11.
Any other suggestions on what kind of stuff generous people like you can offer?

Please do pass this around to people you think might like to do something like this.

Thanks for reading!