The Conference!

Queer Thoughts, the national conference organized by Sappho for Equality which was held on the 10th and 11th April, saw a very good turnout. Delegates had come from abroad and other parts of India, either to present a paper or just support the cause.

There was some very thought provoking stuff discussed which ranged from Dr Dhar talking about Freud, Lacan and psychonalysis to Sutanuka talking about polymorphosity and the multiplicity of identity.

I presented the first paper of the conference and am glad to say it went off rather well. I spoke about identifying and locating the 'Queer' identity in Popular Indian Culture (which was mainly films). I spoke at length about Fire and My brother Nikhil and also comparing it to more 'general' films like Honeymoon travels Pvt Ltd. and how the identity has changed over time. The Queer man from being the ridiculed character in side role to taking over as the mainstream serious hero.

The other papers were quite good too. In particular I like Niluka's paper on Disability and Sexuality in the Sri Lankan context. Also noteworthy was Monidipa's paper on Kari( a graphic novel by amruta patil on a lesbian girl) Its important to see how the proliferation of the different kinds of media has given it a more wider readership and understanding in terms of both engaging the heteronormative audience and in interrogating the flailing gender theories.

Pramada Menon comments on joining the academic space with the activist's voice was another point worth thinking about.
All in all the conference went off rather well and I am looking forward to more such events in the near future. Next on the cards is The Queer film festival (June or July, i will know exact dates soon) at Max Mueller Bhaban later this year.



P.S: Photo courtesy Niluka Gunawardena

Lumbini. The Start.

Over the last month, I started frequenting Lumbini Park Mental hospital. Tucked away in a corner of New Ballygunge, the inconspicuous and harmless yellow building houses one of the 3 mental hospitals in the city, where ANJALI runs it's rehab programmes. On my very visit, I was there to attend the "Basanta Utsab" (Spring Festival) organised by ANJALI. I didn't get to interact with them, cos the place was flooded with guests and they themselves, were flushed with the performances they'd put up.

The first impression of Lumbini, left me quite shaken. The narrow corridors, the dingy dorms, the rough beds, the cage in the female ward, where the warden sat under a fan, chit chatting... and mostly, the faces, of all the inmates..

The idea of starting photo therapy there, had grown and fermented in my head. I had spoken to both ANJALI, and CHOICE, about the revamped project, so now I set about talking to the people who would from he axis. On my next few visits, I went alone, and without my camera. It didn't take very long to get familiar with them. They love having someone to talk to, and they talk a lot. They absorb you into their world..

Gradually I broached the topic of photography. Most of them were very enthusiastic, but some had their reservations. But the response was overall, predominantly positive. So, over the last month, armed with an old digital point and shoot, I started taking the photography "classes".

Since there was only one camera going around, it also gave us time to talk. They slipped easily into personal accounts of their stay in Lumbini, and their memories, and sometimes delusions. A game that we often play, is "Moner Frame-e, ei muhurte, kon chobi ta ghurche?" (Which picture do you see in your mind's frame right now?)

The results are absolutely intriguing.. Ranging from childhood stories to complaints against the hospital authorities, it paints a vivid picture of the lives they lead.

I am collecting narrative and pictures from these visits to design the eventual awareness workshop. Here are some of the pictures, they've taken so far:

More soon. 

Pujarini.

Intern, ANJALI.

Last minute Conference prep

Come then, I pray,
grant me surcease from sorrow,
Drive away care,
I beseech thee,
O goddess Fulfil for me what
I yearn to accomplish,
Be thou my ally.

~Sappho~

The conference is less than ten days away. Work is on full swing. The Conference related literature is being published (the abstracts and bio notes on the key speakers). Activists like Pramada Menon, Asha Achuthan, academics like Dr Amit Dhar and Paromita Chakraborti will be chairing the sessions and presenting special papers.

The conference will be a good ground for ethnographic study and discussion on queer issues in India. There are a number of gay movements taking place through out the world and in particular south asia through literature, films, photography and direct activism.. It is time to interrogate the muffled silence of acceptance identity, morality and religion that are intertwined together within the tapestry of the Indian gay movement impacting the erotic silence of the closet and the dynamics of a love that we are afraid to speak of. This conference will bring to light all those issues, ideas and support.

P.S: i have put up a event invitation on facebook called 'Queer thoughts' Please RSVP if you want to attend.

Creating Spaces

Pain penetrates
me drop
by drop

~Sappho~


Another week has flown by in Sappho. The Queer conference date is inching closer and the abstracts have come in. While reading through some of them, i was surprised how the many facets of being queer or living queer can be expressed. It was surprising to read about issues like court cases where the wife has been accused of adultery with another woman, or recent queer discussions in the literary circle. India has produced one of its very first queer graphic novel in Amruta Patil's Kari.

The conference which is scheduled to take place on 10th and 11th April is being organised on a grand scale. H L Roy auditorium in Jadavpur University has already been booked for the occasion and now arrangements are being made to fix accommodation and transport for the outstation speakers and the chairpersons. Work is on full swing at Sappho with the conference. What is unique about the conference is also the fact that all the speakers will be from the age range 18-28. This was to ensure that we could look and discuss recent queer theory and development through the eyes of the youth. The old age theorisations suddenly seem to have fallen from grace with the rapid globalization and the growing want to create a new identity that does not ape the West or look back at the medieval course. As such the papers and the speakers chosen will be those who can give shape to the creation of this Indian queer identity and in breaking the silent monolith of MSM and WSW.

P.S: SAPPHO is putting up a play tomorrow at The School of Womens Studies at JU on the occasion of International Woman's Day. (Its being celebrated on 20th of March instead of 8th March due to certain logistical and arrangement issues)

P.P.S: People who are interested to attend the Queer conference on single/both the days are requested to start registering with me at sapphoqueerconference@gmail.com . This will help us to keep count of the anticipated number of people who might turn up and will ensure there is sufficient lunch and snacks for all the participants and attendees.

A Day’s Reflection

(written Feb 13, 2009)

Two weeks ago, I finally gave in to the hype and went to see Slumdog Millionaire with some of my fellow CINI interns. I will not add to the slew of editorials that already exist about the movie, but I will say this. I cannot think of a more fitting way to spend that evening seeing as I had spent the afternoon visiting the field where I will perform my study. I will not presume to compare real life to a fictional story, but I found that my experience of each was heightened by the other.

The area I speak of happens to be one of the minority slum communities of Kolkata. With one of the most experienced field workers as my guide, I spent a few hours in the field meeting mothers and their children and getting a feel for the community itself. Although hidden from the unobservant eye, the maze of narrow and circuitous lanes houses a population of more than 6,000 inhabitants. It has existed for quite some time, and while migration is common, it seems there are a many longstanding members of the community as well. As I walked, through the lanes, I found that the community members were just as curious about me as I was about them. Where was I from? What was my life like and what did I spend my days doing? Interestingly enough, CINI has the same questions of them, which is why I was visiting in the first place.
After climbing a pile of stones to the main road above, I found many thoughts circling around in my head. What I found most comforting at the end of the visit, was the genuine kindness I was shown by people who were essentially perfect strangers. It struck me though, that in a sense I wasn’t a perfect stranger. I was coming on behalf of the CINI community, which had now become part of the field community. A sense of trust and care had been created between CINI and the community, and that was in turn shown towards me on my visit.

Three hours later, as the movie started, I was still thinking about the events of the afternoon. As I watched the film, I couldn’t help but see the faces of the children I had met earlier in the day. Perhaps it was because of the fellow CINI interns sitting beside me, but after some time, it occurred to me that the film was in a sense doubling as a CINI training video. As the vignettes unfolded, one after another they seemed to cover every child protection issue that CINI has included in its mission, from curbing child trafficking to saving children from a life on the streets.
And after watching the film in its entirety, I had fallen victim to my sympathetic tendencies. Still, I found that it wasn’t only because of the film I had just watched, but also because of how it made me reflect on what I had seen earlier in the day. While I know it’s a fictional fairy tale, I found myself wishing that the sense of possibility for children was real, especially for children without money, without homes, and without families, for the CIN of CINI, the children in need.