Author: Pawan Dhall | Varta Trust

Pawan Dhall

Pawan Dhall is a Kolkata-based queer activist, archivist, researcher and writer. He was a founding member of Counsel Club, Kolkata (1993-2002), among India’s earliest queer support groups, and edited its house journal 'Pravartak'. He worked with SAATHII, Kolkata from 2002-14 on promoting universal access to health and social justice. He is now associated with Varta Trust as Managing Trustee. His publications include 'Queer Potli: Memories, Imaginations and Re-imaginations of Urban Queer Spaces in India' (Queer Ink, 2019), 'Out of Line and Offline: Queer Mobilizations in ‘90s Eastern India' (Seagull Books, 2020), and ‘Unfinished Equality: Discrimination, Resistance and Hope in Queer India’ (Seagull Books, 2026).

My Story, Vartanama Feb '26

On fiction writing and fictionality

By Pawan Dhall

Pawan Dhall shares his thoughts on the possibility of treading a new writing pathway
Happenings, Vartanama Aug '25

From stigma to support: Talking dementia in queer and transgender communities

By Pawan Dhall, Sahil

Pawan Dhall and Sahil report on an interactive session on understanding and coping with dementia held recently in Kolkata
From the Archives, Vartanama Jul '25

Random thoughts 30 something years ago

By Pawan Dhall

On ‘Varta’ webzine’s 12th birthday, Pawan Dhall shares excerpts from an editorial published in the webzine’s predecessor ‘Pravartak’ in 1995
Vartanama Jun '25

‘Kalbaisakhi’ and the crow

By Pawan Dhall

Pawan Dhall on the views and viewpoints he has come across and dwelt on since he moved to a new residential address a year ago
Happenings, Vartanama May '25

Pursuing resilience, embracing hope

By Meghjit Sengupta, Pawan Dhall

Meghjit Sengupta reflects on an event centred around award-winning documentary ‘Amma’s Pride’, the story of transgender woman Srija whose marriage to Arunkumar, a cisgender man, in 2019 set a legal...
Vartanama Mar '25

Memory works

By Pawan Dhall

Pawan Dhall on the many hues of remembering – personal, political, accepting imperfections and more
Vartanama Dec '24

Gains, losses, glosses

By Pawan Dhall

End / beginning of the year self-reflection notes by Pawan Dhall
Travel Travel, Vartanama Nov '24

Remembrances more than nostalgia

By Pawan Dhall

Pawan Dhall writes about his musings on 'saudade' – the presence of absence?
Vartanama Aug '24

Embodying the justice one is demanding

By Pawan Dhall

Self-reflection and self-transformation have an important place in social campaigns for justice, argues Pawan Dhall
From the Archives, Vartanama Jan '24

Better fallible than supreme

By Pawan Dhall

There’s still time to make New Year resolutions that don’t celebrate excess, big size or Pyrrhic standards of perfection, says Pawan Dhall
Vartanama Dec '23

My anger narrative is white hot

By Pawan Dhall

Coming to terms with your anger can be a creative approach to welcoming the New Year, says Pawan Dhall
Vartanama Nov '23

Dreams and demands

By Bana, Pawan Dhall

Trans masculine individuals in Odisha are speaking up louder about their aspirations for the future – Bana shares a wish list with ‘Varta’ – hopefully most of it will come...
Vartanama Jul '23

Tensions of the past and future

By Pawan Dhall

An imperfect digest of ‘Varta’ webzine’s journey through a decade of climaxes, anti-climaxes, and explorations for a social G-spot
Vartanama May '23

Me and myself

By Pawan Dhall

Pawan Dhall still can’t shell out two-minute wisdoms on Instagram Reels. Here’s a two-minute essay instead on clicking an inner selfie
Vartanama Apr '23

All this marriage (equality) talk!

By Pawan Dhall

Pawan Dhall has something to say to argumentative Indians who’ve been bickering over who can have the marriage laddu and who can have only the laddu
Travel Travel, Vartanama Mar '23

Tryst with a forest

By Pawan Dhall

Pawan Dhall on being lost in a forest, whether made of shrubs and trees or ideas and words