When a crisis knocked me down and out, I built a community

Around this time, last year my personal life took a catastrophic turn. Friends turned foes and relationships ended for no fault of mine. I was forced to rebuild my life from scratch undoing every little memory that would haunt me, from the past six odd years. I was afraid beyond my wits. The familiar escapism of dissociation ensued - where I'd pity 'this girl' for having a hard time, while I went about my life as usual. Drinking my coffee, reading the news and getting on with my apparently non-problematic life.

But the tiniest of things triggered me in unexpected ways, so the resilience I had built over time, albeit by denial, went purposeless and I ended up in a mess, all over again. This can't be okay - right? Something needed to be done.

Adding to my personal situation, I have been screaming to a world of disinterested ears about the obvious misogyny in our system irrespective of the profession one pursues. I had quit my job and wanted to pursue filmmaking. And because this doesn't require my usual 9-5 model, I had a lot of time to ruminate. I had experienced difficulty in pursuing filmmaking without having to deal with patriarchal suppression and it would be fair to say that I wasn't giving it my best shot. I lacked support.

Now, one could sit and cry, or stand up and do something, even a little thing. So on July 28, 2015 - I started a community for women filmmakers from all over the world - 'Women Making Films'. I would like to think that the crisis I was facing in my personal life, found itself a purposeful channel. When a person is pushed to an extremely dark corner of their lives, they either become one with the darkness or find means to light a match. Pride isn't the word that comes to mind when I look back - it is humility and satisfaction.

It has been a year since the community was started and I couldn't be happier to share the news with the world. It has been a very lonely journey - but I seek my inspiration from the women who are long gone, struggling to achieve gender equality. I look forward to seeking more meaningful collaborations and expanding the community globally!