a love letter to the internet
ROHINI KEJRIWAL
What began as a labor of love has evolved into a dynamic creative platform.
Rohini, a writer, an artist, and the curator of The Alipore Post, a space where, for the past ten years, she's been gathering poems, artworks, and fascinating finds from across the internet and sharing them with the community. Her journey allowed her to explore diverse artistic avenues—from making books to leading large-scale projects.
Did you always plan on creating a community space like The Alipore Post?
Not at all. It happened by chance. I worked at a newspaper for two years but realized it wasn’t the right fit for me. While I was passionate about writing, the digital space was evolving rapidly—multimedia was becoming the norm, integrating photographs, text, and hyperlinks. I wanted my bylines to exist beyond print, so I spent a couple of years freelancing, pitching articles, and exploring different formats.
Somewhere along the way, The Alipore Post became my personal space to collect and share everything I was discovering. In many ways, I see it as a love letter to the internet. While I deeply appreciate analog mediums, I also recognize how life-changing certain online spaces can be—if you know where to look. Over time, The Alipore Post became my version of a digital bedroom—a place to gather and share inspiration.
​'When I started The Alipore Post in 2015, I had just begun discovering contemporary poetry online—through journals, public archives, and various digital spaces.
With so many poets and creators on Instagram making poetry more accessible, there’s a continuous dialogue around remarkable works. That’s what I mean by "collecting"—much like how people gather stamps, I gather poems that resonate with me. Some have offered solace during different emotional phases of my life, and I deeply believe in the power of words to make people feel understood and less alone'
How does The Alipore Post function?
The Alipore Post itself isn’t a commercial venture, but it has led to various opportunities. I often get one-off projects in art direction or creative collaborations through it.
​Beyond The Alipore Post, I’ve always had other work alongside it. I currently curate a flower lovers community, Hoovu Finds, and until recently, I was involved with Wilderness Ways, an initiative focused on wilderness education. Over time, different doors have opened for me, leading me from one project to another. I’ve always enjoyed this organic, meandering approach rather than setting rigid career goals. Even The Alipore Post has evolved. It started as a simple email sent via Gmail, then moved to TinyLetter, and now it’s on Substack. It has transitioned from a daily newsletter to a weekly one, and now, it’s even less frequent—I only send something out when I genuinely feel inspired or have the time. I’ve learned to put less pressure on myself, especially since inboxes and social media feeds are already overflowing with content. I experience that myself with the countless newsletters I’ve subscribed to.
'Memories on a Plate was a self-initiated project in which Shruti, from an organization called Nivaala, and I compiled a book featuring 100 different experiences from Indian kitchens—shared through poetry, art, recipes, and essays'
Could you walk us through how Memories on a plate started?
I first came across Nivaala’s work when Shruti was creating recipe journals—she still does. She had published issues centered around specific ingredients, like rice and mushrooms, collecting stories around them and turning them into beautiful publications.
During the pandemic, when we first connected online, I had just started Chitthi Exchange, a penpal project inspired by my own love for letter writing. I’ve had amazing penpals over the years, and I wanted others to experience that feeling—of a stranger writing to you, forming a connection, and using letters as a slow, thoughtful form of communication.
Shruti saw Chitthi Exchange and reached out, which led to us collaborating on a recipe postcard exchange. We wanted to bring back the charm of handwritten notes. People would send us recipes online, we would handwrite them, and then mail them out from the post office. That project made us realize there was potential for something bigger—something that combined food (Nivaala’s expertise) with storytelling (which I love). So, we put out an open call, inviting people to share their memories, nostalgia, and personal experiences with food, across different formats—poetry, essays, photography, illustrations.​​
'Honestly, if I could have made a book featuring all 350, I would have. Initially, we thought we’d include just 20–30 stories in a small book, but as we sifted through them, we realized we needed to go bigger. Eventually, we curated 100 stories, shaping them into a 220-page coffee table anthology that represented kitchens from across India'
In frame : Rohini and Shruti with
Memories on a plate
​Shruti and I finally met in person in Delhi—we spent days cooking, eating, and reviewing all the submissions. I took on the editorial process, identifying common themes, weaving everything together. The design process happened entirely over Zoom, spanning two to three months, as we developed a visual language that gave each story its own unique flavor.
Instead of funding the book ourselves, we launched a pre-order campaign in 2022. We printed 550 copies—100 went to the contributors, and the remaining 450 sold out completely.
We hadn’t anticipated just how much people would resonate with it. There was such a demand for more copies that we spent most of last year refining the book based on feedback. We collaborated with Two Brothers Organic Farms, visited their farms, and with their support, produced another 1,000 copies.
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What really moved us was how deeply people connected with the book. Beyond the 100 contributors who now share a common kitchen within its pages, readers have embraced it as a slow read—something they pick up in moments, flipping to a page that speaks to them.
At its core, the book affirms that food is universal. And personal stories, no matter how specific, have a way of resonating universally. That’s something I’m always drawn to—whether in poetry, art, or storytelling. The things that move me deeply often move others in ways I don’t expect. Words, like food, have the power to be reinterpreted, to translate across emotions and experiences. And that’s what makes storytelling, in all its forms, so powerful.
Left : Uncharted, a poem by Rohini Kejriwal
Right : An illustrated flower by Rohini Kejriwal
What it’s like running Alipore Post solo?
Well, I always have one or two projects going at any given time. While Alipore Post has opened doors for opportunities, it’s not my primary source of income. If I had invested in a team or developed specific products, I know there’s financial potential there. I have so many ideas that could work at a commercial level, but I don’t have the business foresight or mindset to scale it up. That’s definitely a gap.
If I had someone I completely trusted to help me expand it—maybe even turn it into a full-fledged creative studio—that’s something I’ve considered. But at the same time, part of what makes Alipore Post special for me is its raw, organic nature. It’s a solo journey that allows me to collaborate with different people and be part of their creative visions, which I love.
Financially, there are good months, good years, and solid projects that allow me to save and plan ahead. But I’ve always had the mindset that money will come, money will go. When I do invest, it’s usually in things like stationery or creative experiments. For example, I used to produce a lot of merchandise—zines, postcards, calendars—but running a shop, handling dispatches, and managing dead stock wasn’t sustainable. That’s why I’ve shifted away from that. Now, I create when I feel like it or when there’s enough cash flow to support it.
One of the ways I bring in income is through workshops. I know I have something unique to offer, not just because of my exposure to different art forms, but because of how I approach creativity. I don’t need participants to be great poets or artists—I just want them to believe they can create, because we all can. And what I’ve noticed is that every time I conduct a workshop, someone who attends will invite me for another opportunity—maybe at their organization or a different event.
That’s how most of my work flows—through connections, word of mouth, and people seeing potential. One of my upcoming priorities is building my own website to document everything I’ve done over the years.
At the same time, because I work solo, I have the freedom to set my own pace. Right now, I’m not taking on any new jobs unless they’re short-term commissions. If I had a conventional 9-to-5 job, this wouldn’t be my life. And while there’s always an opportunity cost, I’m more than happy to make that trade-off for the kind of creative freedom I get in return.
Tell us about your role at Hoovu Finds.
Hoovu Fresh is a business run by two sisters - Rhea and Yeshoda, that focuses on pooja flowers. They initially approached me to create a one-off newsletter or zine for them. However, when we met, I saw the potential for something bigger—there’s an entire community of people who love flowers. I proposed the idea of building this community together, and for over two years now, I’ve had full creative freedom to run campaigns and curate a space for flower lovers.
Today, Hoovu Finds has grown into an active online platform with around 16,000 followers, making it one of the most engaged spaces for the brand. Initially, we also explored collaborations and events, but over time, the focus has shifted to being an ongoing space for gathering voices and celebrating flowers in different forms.
What does success mean to you?
'For me, success is about living a life with curiosity—one that feels fulfilling and meaningful in its own way. I think success is simply being able to enjoy your life without feeling like you’re dragging yourself through it. So many people equate success with productivity, but I don’t see it that way. If your entire life revolves around going to a job just to make money, coming home, and repeating that cycle with nothing else to talk about, then something feels off'​
You can find her on Instagram - rohini kejriwal