On a winter evening in late 2023, the rooftop of Café Adda Ghar in South Kolkata was transformed into an intimate venue where several queer people and allies gathered to witness the re-enactment of Koti Ki Atma (Revenge of the Koti’s Spirit) – a poignant skit from the early days of India’s queer rights movement (see adjoining poster).
Poster created for the re-enactment of the skit ‘Koti Ki Atma’ at Café Adda Ghar, Kolkata in November 2023. Artwork credit: Souvik Rakshit
This 20-minute play, originally performed in 2001, tells the haunting story of Jui, who died of HIV-related illnesses after having unprotected sex with Bikash. Jui’s spectral presence in the play served as a reminder about the importance of safer sex practices in the early 2000s among Kolkata’s Kothi and gay men’s communities. The play sparked reflection and deliberation among the Café Adda Ghar audience, a mix of seasoned activists and younger queer individuals, who noted both the progress made by the queer movements over the decades along with the persistent challenges they continue to face.
The re-enactment was part of Remembered Sexual Futures: Study on Art and Cultural History of Gender and Sexual Minorities in West Bengal, India (1990s-2000s), which aims to revive and reassess the relevance of artistic creations in the early days of the queer rights movements in West Bengal. Over the course of three decades, the queer movements in the state have used various strategies, media and messages to combat stigma, discrimination and violence against queer people in different social spheres. Art and cultural tools have been pivotal in these efforts. Despite limited resources, numerous innovative artistic and cultural initiatives emerged in the early years. However, the invisibility of these initiatives over time – especially those without an online presence – has led to a loss of information and potential lessons for future advocacy efforts. The Remembered Sexual Futures project (co-developed by Paul Boyce, University of Sussex, UK and Pawan Dhall, Varta Trust, and implemented in collaboration with queer activists, artists and Kolkata-based support forums like Dumdum Swikriti Society and The Rainbow Room) seeks to address this gap through qualitative inquiry, multimedia documentation, and community engagement.
It is a pioneering pilot study that delves into the art and cultural advocacies undertaken by queer support forums in West Bengal during the 1990s and 2000s. By preserving and highlighting the rich history of queer art and cultural advocacy in West Bengal, the project emphasizes ‘memory work’ by encouraging queer community members to reflect on their past expectations and how these have evolved over time. The goal of such an initiative is to ensure that the lessons from the past can inform present and future strategies for the queer movements.
Beyond documentation, this project also interrogates the role of art and cultural tools in community mobilization. This involves exploring how queer organizing was conducted through arts and culture in the 1990s and 2000s and understanding how these interventions are remembered today.
Project methodology
The study began with a literature review, examining peer-reviewed materials, resource books, organizational reports, traditional media stories, and social media posts. This review was supplemented by an examination of the archival records of some of the queer support groups and networks active in West Bengal during the 1990s and 2000s, for example Counsel Club, Integration Society, Swikriti and MANAS Bangla. The goal was to identify art and cultural advocacy initiatives and assess their impact on community mobilization, awareness generation, and public sensitization.
From the Counsel Club Archives – a pamphlet with a sexual health message created for a cultural programme ‘Bhul Bhanganor Pala’ (Breaking the Myths) organized by Counsel Club and Integration Society at Aban Mahal, Kolkata in April 2001. The blank rectangle was where a condom pack was pasted and distributed along with the pamphlet. The pamphlet was created as part of Integration Society’s sexual health programme for youth and queer people. Photo credit: Suchandra Das
Five in-depth interviews were conducted with peer leaders and key informants who have been engaged with gender, sexuality, and queer activism in West Bengal for at least two decades. The interviewees included Susanta Pramanik, gay activist and founder member of Swikriti; Tirthankar Guha Thakurta, gay activist, medical doctor and amateur filmmaker based in Kolkata; Sudeb Suvana, Baruipur-based transgender activist and actor; Debalina, queer filmmaker and key member of Sappho for Equality, Kolkata; and Dr. Soma Roy, who is engaged with transgender and sex worker rights in Kolkata and its neighbouring districts. These interviews provided valuable insight regarding the interviewees’ engagement with queer art and cultural advocacy.
A key component of the project was the re-enactment of artistic performances originally created by queer support groups in the 1990s and 2000s. The re-enactment of the Koti Ki Atma skit was in relation to this component of the project. It was accompanied by a community dialogue on the relevance of the skit today. This skit, performed at Café Adda Ghar, addresses themes like HIV infection, HIV counselling and testing, safer sex, and sexual health, while also highlighting the importance of self-esteem and empowerment. The project included extensive photo documentation, capturing the entire process behind the re-enactment of Koti Ki Atma. Additionally, a short documentary film has been developed, showcasing different aspects of the Remembered Sexual Futures study. The film, Koti Ki Atma – Queer Stories of Art and Cultural Activism in West Bengal, India – 1990s-2000s, includes interviews with activists Sudeb Suvana, Susanta Pramanik, and Pawan Dhall, interspersed with shots of archival material from various collections.
As a final component, the project created a series of artistic memory holders or mementos, encapsulating information, messages, and visuals from the archival material researched for the study. These mementos include a bookmark, two picture postcards, a poster, and a set of personalized postage stamps issued by India Post. Each memento tells a story, highlighting the outreach and networking efforts of Counsel Club, personal classified advertisements from their house journal Pravartak, and emotions and concerns reflected in the letters and emails received by Counsel Club in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Title slide of the film ‘Koti Ki Atma – Queer Stories of Art and Cultural Activism in West Bengal, India – 1990s-2000s’ – film directed by Suchandra Das
Queer creative initiatives in the 1990s and 2000s
The study revealed several key insights. It mapped the various initiatives during the period in question in the form of an art and cultural advocacy database, which showcases at least 45-50 such diverse initiatives during the 1990s and 2000s. These ranged from literary works to theatre, dance, music, films, and television programmes, primarily in Bengali and English, and some in Hindi. Notable efforts such as the rainbow pride walks and cultural events combined multiple advocacy forms to promote queer visibility.
Several groundbreaking efforts emerged during this period. Periodicals like Pravartak (1991-92; 1993-2000), Abomanab (1998 till date), and Swakanthey – In Our Own Voice (2004 till date) played a crucial role in promoting dialogue on gender and sexuality. Literary works by transgender activists Manobi Bandopadhyay and Tista Das marked significant milestones in regional language literature. Social researchers Niloy Basu and Ajay Majumder documented queer lives in Bengali, addressing stigmatized topics like same-sex love and male sex work. Thoughtshop Foundation’s column AIDS, Sex, Knowledge – For Young People (ASK) published in The Statesman newspaper in 1995-96 was a pioneering sex education initiative that included queer perspectives.
In the performing arts, Sapphire Creations Dance Workshop’s ballet The Alien Flower and the dance presentations of Komal Gandhar, the cultural wing of renowned Kolkata-based sex worker collective Durbar Mahila Samanwaya Committee, were significant. In the audio-visual domain, efforts to queer Bengali television programming included documentaries, music videos, and interview series. Filmmakers like Debalina and Tirthankar Guha Thakurta made early queer-themed films, setting a trend for queer cinema in West Bengal.
While cultural and artistic innovations were taking root, transformative changes were also happening at the social level and materialized in the form of queer social events. Initially, what started out as small gatherings and events evolved over time into collective celebrations in the form of pride walks, the first of which was held in Kolkata as ‘Friendship Walk ’99’ – the first such walk to be held in South Asia.
Front side of a postcard memento – based on personal classified ads published in ‘Pravartak’, house journal of the erstwhile queer support group Counsel Club. Artwork credit: Souvik Rakshit
Another major development was in the form of queer film festivals. For instance, ‘Siddhartha Gautam Film Festival’ was started in 2003, and in 2007, Sappho for Equality and Pratyay Gender Trust started ‘Dialogues – Calcutta International LGBTQIA+ Film and Video Festival’ in collaboration with Max Mueller Bhawan. Both film festivals became prominent platforms for queer-themed films, facilitating public sensitization and dialogue.
Reflections
The emergence and proliferation of such initiatives during the 1990s and 2000s was nothing short of remarkable. Yet, a closer scrutiny of these initiatives also reveals certain inequities in their design and distribution.
For instance, a major drawback was that most of these initiatives were concentrated in Kolkata, particularly South Kolkata, revealing a geographical and resource bias. Another limitation was that they did not adequately address concerns around intersectionality. The national HIV response, in which queer support groups have been regular participants in the earlier years, focused on reducing risk behaviours among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender women without quite addressing their vulnerability to HIV exposure because of poor mental health outcomes arising from stigma, discrimination (criminalization), and violence around non-normative genders and sexualities. In essence, the earlier national HIV response failed to engage with the intersectionality between the oppressions around gender, sexuality, mental health, and HIV (though later the response became more sensitive to the need for decriminalization and other structural changes).
The representation within the queer spectrum varied, with gay men and trans feminine communities being more visible initially, while issues of queer women gained prominence post the controversy around Deepa Mehta’s film Fire in 1998. Trans masculine and intersex individuals remained largely invisible, and bisexual men faced biphobia. Solidarity with sex workers’ movements existed but was divided on issues around decriminalization versus legalization. Some of the artistic initiatives like The Alien Flower also attracted vandalism (in 1998) committed by self-styled moral guardians.
Nonetheless, these art and cultural advocacy initiatives created numerous safe spaces for queer people, fostering community and visibility. These were not just physical spaces but were also emotional and creative, as queer people could gather, feel protected, and find friendships. For instance, the Swikriti group’s success in winning over the local communities in the Dumdum area of Greater Kolkata through their frequently organized cultural activities and health camps exemplifies this. According to interview respondent Susanta Pramanik, over the decades, Swikriti has developed a strong social network in the area with different stakeholders. One outcome has been that finding rental accommodation is now easier for queer individuals and couples in Dumdum compared to other parts of Kolkata.
Concluding thoughts
Technological advancements and digital media have made community mobilization and advocacy easier, but community participation in events has not grown significantly. While earlier efforts faced challenges in information dissemination, today’s well-informed community members are not necessarily more motivated to act. This shift reflects changes in community dynamics and the impact of increased availability of opportunities.
The project underscored the importance of documenting and disseminating the history of queer movements, especially those initiatives that may be forgotten due to the lack of an online presence. It also demonstrated the value of engaging community members in memory work to reflect on past experiences and shape future advocacy efforts. Finally, it affirmed the critical role of art and cultural tools in mobilizing communities, raising awareness, and generating support for queer rights.
The Remembered Sexual Futures study serves as a crucial reminder of the vibrant and innovative history of queer art and cultural advocacies in West Bengal. By preserving these memories and lessons, the project ensures that contemporary and future queer movements can build on a rich legacy, continually evolving and strengthening their strategies in the fight for equality and acceptance.
Watch a short documentary film capturing the key aspects of the Remembered Sexual Futures study here: Koti Ki Atma – Queer Stories of Art and Cultural Activism in West Bengal, India – 1990s-2000s. Watch the recording of a special performance of Koti Ki Atma exclusively for the camera, before it was performed a second time for the invited audience on November 4, 2023 – click here. For a copy of the study report and the art and cultural advocacy database, please write to us at vartablog@gmail.com – Editor.
About the main photo: A scene from the re-enactment of the skit Koti Ki Atma before an invited audience at Café Adda Ghar, Kolkata on November 4, 2023. Photo courtesy Suchandragraphy
