PREVIOUS WORK:
At age fourteen, she broadcast – ‘YUV VAANI’ (Young Voices), a youth programme on ALL INDIA RADIO. From 1979 she broadcast on BBC’s Urdu Service from Bush House for the world/overseas service. She still broadcasts as a guest artist on ALL INDIA RADIO on her return visits to India. In the 1980’s her poetry, short stories and radio plays were broadcast on radio in Kashmir, Jalandhar and Lucknow.
She is a regular contributor to a web-magazine: CONFLUENCE – A South Asian Perspective. She has been included in several poetry and short story anthologies. Pushpinder Chaudhry also included chaand in her book called – WOMEN OF SUBSTANCE
Occasionally she has dabbled with acting. She appeared in films like – ‘Jinnah’ and ‘A business affair’ with stars like: Christopher Lee, Jonathan Price, Christopher Walken and Carol Bouquet (bond girl). She also featured in Television series like: Grange Hill, Casualty, London’s Burning, The Bill, Blue Birds and 26 episodes of FAMILY PRIDE, a Granada television production.
In 1992, she set up: ‘Navrang Theatre’ (New Vision) to produce and direct her own as well as other women’s new writing. Chaand wrote, produced and directed several plays:
Her stage play – ‘A breath of fresh air’ won her the first prize in a playwriting competition organised by the Borough of Hounslow in 1985. LBC had indicated funding it as a radio play. A collection of her short stories: ‘Behind the veil’ was published in 1996. Her work is included in several anthologies.
LEAVE MY HAIR ALONE- a Stage play
Chaand wrote, produced, directed, designed and performed her one woman show – LEAVE MY HAIR ALONE. It Participated in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1994 and was interviewed by the ‘SCOTSMAN’. It was invited on the radio show two weeks in a row. ‘Leave My Hair Alone’ also performed in London at the Watermans Arts Centre, Etcetera theatre in Camden and Hounslow Civic Centre. Her play was part of the events organised by London Borough of Hounslow to celebrate the – Women’s International Day in 1995. The performance ran for 70 minutes but the after discussion lasted for another 90 minutes.
Leave My Hair Alone – A one-woman-show,
Chaand participated in the Adelaide Fringe festival in 1996.
A precursor to the main festival in Adelaid, she was invited to Darwin, Australia in 1996 where she performed three shows and 22 shows in Adelaide. Her play got excellent reviews.
Navrang theatre’s production- LEAVE MY HAIR ALONE also performed in India in the TAGORE THEATRE, Chandigarh on the invitation of – ‘Indian Express’ a leading national daily.