Category: Insight | Varta Trust

This photograph shows a mid-range shot of a collective display of the five zines made by the author Mekuriiko for the exhibition ‘Queer Objects 1.0’ organized in Guwahati in late 2023. Several copies of each of the zine are placed, somewhat casually, on a low box-like display stand. The display is just next to a blank white wall of the exhibition hall. The covers of the zines read ‘Love is Love’, ‘The Queer Manifesto’, ‘Queer Objects’, ‘Queer Revelations’ and ‘You Will Die, And So Will I’. A sticky note next to the zines urges the viewers to flip through the zines. Photo credit: Mekuriiko

Storytelling through zines

By Mekuriiko

Mekuriiko writes for the first in a series of articles on the experience of the artists who participated in ‘Queer Objects 1.0’, a one-of-its-kind exhibition held in Guwahati in late...

This indoor mid-range photograph shows drag artiste Ahon Gooptu acting out a scene from the show ‘Item’. The performance space is a room painted white, with wooden furniture, a door and two windows polished brown; the room has a tiled floor and a high ceiling with beams running criss-cross. The room has a blue and white, staid ambient light. A lightly bearded and moustachioed Ahon is dressed in a light-coloured saree, full-sleeved blouse, light jewellery on his neck, wrists, fingers, and ears, and designer footwear; his shoulder-length hair is curly and untied. Ahon is seated at a wooden table, one leg over the other. The table top is cluttered with a table lamp illuminating the wall next to it, a painted flower vase with artificial flowers, a small wooden case, a couple of Japanese hand fans, and four sets of blingy goggles. Ahon has a pensive, far-off look as he mouths some dialogues. A few greeting cards and cutouts are pasted on the wall next to the table. One of them, with rainbow hues, says “Fab Yule Us”, while another says “You’re a cut above the rest.” A little distance behind Ahon is a full-length, wooden-framed mirror placed in a corner against the wall. Two windows, their shutters closed, can be seen on the walls next to the mirror. A pink dupatta and a blanket with two shades of green hang from a beam on the ceiling adding to the colourful but restrained ambience. Photo credit: Abhilasha Das

Insight, Vartanama Apr '25

Zenia, ‘Item’ and the future of the (western) queer dream

By Mihir Seth

Mihir Seth fears the dream of being oneself is crumbling as queer and transgender rights face setbacks globally

This photograph shows a close-up shot of a slogan printed on a black t-shirt worn by a woman. The slogan says “A woman does not have to be modest in order to be respected.” Two heart signs accompany the text, which is printed in white on the black cloth of the t-shirt. The woman’s face is not visible in the photograph, but a part of her neck and arms are visible. A deep blue sky with white clouds is visible in the background. Photo credit: The frolicsome Fairy on Unsplash

Insight Mar '25

Reclaiming ‘whore’

By Dr. Sankalpa Satapathy

Women, queer and transgender persons must take back the words that men have fabricated with regressive meanings to make them feel ashamed of themselves, says Dr. Sankalpa Satapathy

This photograph shows a close shot of the dialogue ‘Queer Worldmaking in the Face of Conversion Therapy’. Moderator Meghjit Sengupta (centre) and panellist Aritra Chatterjee (to Meghjit’s left) look on as panellist Dr. Meera Dhebar makes a point during the dialogue held at Kalinath Angan in South Kolkata on January 18, 2025. Meera refers to a file on her laptop as she speaks. The laptop is kept on a centre table placed close to the three speakers. A Progress Pride Flag can be seen mounted on the wall behind the speakers. A phone mounted on a tripod stand for recording the dialogue is placed a couple of feet from the speakers. The scene captured in the photograph can also be seen on the mobile phone screen. Photo credit: Pawan Dhall

Happenings, Insight Feb '25

Queer worldmaking as a form of resilience

By Meghjit Sengupta, Surjo Pramanik

Meghjit Sengupta and Surjo Pramanik report on a dialogue on mental health perspectives from Canada and India organized by the Varta Trust mental health peer counsellors support group

This illustration is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph shows a scene from a media conference held at the Press Club Kolkata on December 3, 2024 to disseminate the findings of a survey of the one stop crisis centres running in the four states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal. The survey was conducted by the Women Gaining Ground consortium. The author and two other speakers Chitrita Bandpadhyay and Jhuma Sen can be seen sitting behind a table and addressing the audience. Behind the speakers, a flex banner mounted on the wall, reads “Sruti Disability Rights Centre invites you to sharing of survey report of one stop crisis centres from four states”. The event date and venue are mentioned below this text. The logos of Women Gaining Ground and Sruti Disability Rights Centre are placed at the lower right corner of the flex. The text extract says: “There are two major concerns that came forth from the survey. First, not a single OSCC addresses the concerns of women with disabilities. The buildings are not barrier-free, and no support persons like sign language interpreters or trauma-informed psychologists have been recruited. The staff of the centres seem completely unaware of the needs of women with disabilities. None of the centres is connected to the National Tele Mental Health Programme of India.” Photograph courtesy Sruti Disability Rights Centre

Insight Dec '24

Crisis in crisis intervention centres for women?

By Shampa Sengupta

How equipped are the government-run one stop crisis centres for women to carry out crisis intervention? Shampa Sengupta shares insight from a recent survey of the centres in four states...

This illustration is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph shows a small rainbow with the six queer pride colours (violet, blue, green, yellow, orange and red) drawn with chalk on a dark grey and stony sidewalk. The accompanying text says: “Clearly, family acceptance interventions must be broad-based and seek to lessen the burden on the parents, who may be just as trapped as their queer child by societal norms. There is nothing like allies emerging from within the family! Allies of not just the queer child, but also the parents. This could make it much easier for the parents to come to terms with their child’s reality.” Photo credit: Alex Jackman on Unsplash

Insight Nov '24

Queer allies in need of allies

By Mahua Seth

Mahua Seth points out the importance of allies within the larger family fold for parents of queer individuals

This horizontal rectangular image is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph is to the left and it shows the flame of a fire burning in the dark. The flame is emerging from pieces of firewood. The rising flame is a yellow-orange in colour, while reddish embers can be seen below the firewood. Nothing else is visible as the darkness surrounds the fire. The accompanying text says: “If rules, heteronormative or any other kind, are to apply to desire, whom to desire, how to desire and furthermore, how to act on that desire, then the very essence of desire is stripped away. It restrains the fluidity of desire. However hard one may try, our desire in its unrestricted form cannot be wished away. It is there, sitting, waiting patiently, simmering beneath the surface, making its presence felt; waiting for the person to take cognizance.” Photo credit: László D. on Unsplash

Commentary, Insight Oct '24

Meandering desire

By Dr. Sankalpa Satapathy

Dr. Sankalpa Satapathy asserts that our desires run like a subterranean river and can survive all forms of censorship

This graphic shows a poster made for the promotion of the film ‘Don’t Interrupt While We Dance’. On a scarlet red background, the name of the film in large stylized lettering in yellow and white is juxtaposed against the images of a gun and a dancing human figure, arms splayed. Several pairs of angry eyes symbolizing the damning eyes of the State or a repressive society, stare on in the backdrop, behind the lettering. The name of the filmmaker Anureet Watta is mentioned at the bottom of the poster. Poster design by Sharannya Eledath Mukherji and illustration by Yathaarth Yadav

Cinemascope, Insight Sep '24

How can we be gentle if we aren’t very angry?

By Anureet Watta

‘Don’t Interrupt While We Dance’ is a film about queer and trans joy interrupted by the State, police, and shadows of violence and scrutiny that have always been cast on...

This photograph shows a scene from the re-enactment of the skit ‘Koti Ki Atma’ at Café Adda Ghar, Kolkata on November 4, 2023. Three actors are acting out a scene before a small invited audience. The play is being performed in an open but small and intimate part of the café, lit with a few overhead lamps and other sources of light not visible in the photograph. A black cloth background and a few props form the backdrop behind the actors who are facing the camera. Some of the members of the audience visible in the photograph, half a dozen or so (of the total 40-45), are seated close to the actors on plastic chairs, and have a bemused look as they watch the play up close. A video camera can be seen on the left edge of the photograph recording the play. A photographer, with her camera in hand, is also among the audience, standing just next to the people seated. Darkened tall glass panes forming one of the walls of the café can be seen behind her. A poster of the café menu is pasted on one of the glass panes. Photo credit: Suchandragraphy

From the Archives, Insight Jul '24

Remembered sexual futures

By Diksha Sanyal

Diksha Sanyal summarizes a study on the art and cultural advocacies undertaken by queer community groups in West Bengal in the 1990s and 2000s. The study has been co-developed by...

Quote: Tamil Nadu’s draft gender and sexual minority policy does not simply make a claim for marriage equality for queer persons but nudges the State to reimagine the family beyond kinship and marriage. By doing so it focuses on the functional conceptualisation of the family, namely what families should do, as opposed to the form of the family, namely what families should look like. A functional approach thus seeks to centre values of mutual care, love and dependence as definitive of a family, as opposed to only marriage and biological relatedness. The draft policy thus marks an entry into a radical possibility of family law expanding beyond its narrow normative foundations.

Insight May '24

Queering the family: Tamil Nadu shows the way

By Namrata

Namrata writes about the developments around the Deed of Familial Association in Tamil Nadu and how it can lead to recognition of queer relationships

This photograph shows a mixed-gender gathering of people inside a room at the newly opened Community Art Space in Moirang Lamkhai. Around half a dozen people are seated on colourful rugs and carpets, along the walls of the room. One person, seated with folded legs on a carpet in the centre of the room, seems to be acting out a scene and rendering a dialogue while the others look on. The light grey walls of the room are lit with sunshine streaming in through a window in the far end of the room. A few posters on the Community Art Space adorn the walls. On the far end of the room, an empty three-seater wooden sofa and a foldable chair are placed along the wall. A whiteboard with some writing is placed on the ground along a wall to the left of the photograph. Photo courtesy Matai Society

Insight, Manipur Relief Apr '24

At the juncture of cultures, solidarities and differences

By Saki

Saki reports on the birth of a new creative space for queer-trans people in Moirang Lamkhai junction, which already has a rich history of bringing diverse people together

This image is a sketch of Arvey Malhotra’s face drawn by Rimu Panda and posted on Instagram along with a line that says “Sweet soul, we are all sorry.” In the sketch, a youthful Arvey is looking at the reader, gently smiling and holding up his hands to show nails painted in different patterns and colours. Arvey was a jewellery and nail paint artist. He is wearing a red ring on the ring finger on his left hand. He has a thick mop of hair and is bearded. He is wearing a light brown pullover jacket. The artist has drawn a small white halo above Arvey’s head to the left side of the image. The sketch has a pleasing background of hues of pink, yellow and orange. The image has been slightly edited by the author of the article Mihir Seth

Insight, Vartanama Mar '24

The paradoxical need for queer death

By Mihir Seth

Death by suicide among queer youth should galvanize action to address the global mental health crisis, argues Mihir Seth

This illustration is a combination of a vertically oriented photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph shows an evening time long-shot of the city of Aizawl spread across a hillside. The hillside is bedecked with the lights from the houses appearing like jewels. The cloudy sky above the city is filled with shades of violet and blue as the distant horizon is lit up with the last of the sunlight. The entire scene is breathtaking even as it is poignant. The accompanying text says: “I finally saved up a good sum and planned to return to Manipur directly from Aizawl. There was so much heartbreak as I looked back at my stay in Mizoram – there had been much beauty amid the chaos. Before I left, I offered a small sum of money to my Kuki neighbours. They too were from Imphal and their mother was battling cancer. The old woman thanked me and said, ‘God be with you till we meet again.’ This moment made everything that I’d been through worth it for I was filled with purpose and love.” Photo credit: Saki

Insight, Manipur Relief Feb '24

Homecoming again, for healing

By Saki

Saki concludes his account of the communal conflict in Manipur – he returns home after four life-changing months to engage in work that heals others and him

This illustration is a combination of a horizontally oriented photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph shows a daytime mid-range shot of a large duck crossing a forest pathway with six of its ducklings. The parent bird can be seen to the extreme right side of the photograph facing left, while the ducklings are walking ahead of or next to the parent bird. One of the ducklings is ahead of the rest, striding confidently away. The pathway is partially lit up with sunlight, while the rest is under the shadow of trees. The extracted text says: “I want to tell all the parents that your responsibility is to ensure your children are safe and loved. Nothing else. You do not have to decide what career your children should pursue, or who they should love or marry, if at all they want to marry. Your children, queer or not, will find their way through life.”

Insight Jan '24

Taking marriage off the checklist of parental duties

By Mahua Seth

Can we look at parenting with wonder and curiosity instead of compulsively controlling our children’s lives, asks Mahua Seth

This illustration is a combination of an artwork created with pen ink and water colour, and text extracted from the accompanying article. The artwork shows the close-up of a young man sitting on one edge of a small brown wooden boat and talking on his mobile phone, holding it against his right ear. The boat is floating in the middle of a deep blue lake, surrounded by mountains and trees. The sky above the mountains is blue-grey. While visually striking, the scene also strikes a somber note. The accompanying text says: “My Aunt Rosemary insisted that I call her so that she could understand what I needed, but I had to carefully plan for the simple act of making a phone call. I couldn’t afford to be heard speaking in Mizo by the neighbours in Thanga, and I had to row out into the lake and make the call from open water where I’d be safe. I shared my plight with my aunt and she reminded me that she’d asked me to live in Mizoram earlier as well.” Artwork credit: Souvik Rakshit

Insight, Manipur Relief Dec '23

Fractured geographies and minds

By Saki

Saki, a young student of history, continues his account of the communal conflict in Manipur and the conflict in his mind when he was compelled to leave the state

This photograph is an example of fine-art photography, consisting of several intersecting frames within an overall frame created by the unpainted red-brown brick walls of a poor household, lit up only with daylight from outside. To the left of the photograph is a woman dressed in a patterned cotton saree, worn in a style common in Bengal, wearing ‘shankha-pola’ in her hands, and leaning against a wall, which seems to be at the entrance of her house. She is looking down at the camera as the photographer seems to be seated on the floor. Her face is shrouded in half-light and she seems to have a grim demeanour. A younger person is seated on the floor next to her holding up a vertically rectangular frame that seems to be made of glass. The person is not visible, only a part of their head and hands holding up the frame are visible in the photograph. The frame shows the portion of an open window with an ornate grill design. Greenery is visible outside the window. Inside, just below the window and next to an unpainted brick wall, food is cooking in a pan placed on a mud ‘chulha’. A ladle is placed in the pan. Next to the ‘chulha’ seems to be a pile of twigs and wood shavings, possibly for use in the ‘chulha’. An interesting interplay of light, shadow and subdued colours dominates the photograph. Photo credit: Debalina

Insight, Policy Matters Nov '23

Domestic violence and disabled women – reflections from the field

By Dr. Nandini Ghosh

Domestic violence and lack of access to legal redress still pose serious challenges to the wellbeing of disabled women in India, says Dr. Nandini Ghosh

Tagged Under: Insight

Storytelling through zines

Zenia, ‘Item’ and the future of the (western) queer dream

Reclaiming ‘whore’

Queer worldmaking as a form of resilience

Crisis in crisis intervention centres for women?

Queer allies in need of allies

Meandering desire

How can we be gentle if we aren’t very angry?

Remembered sexual futures

Queering the family: Tamil Nadu shows the way

At the juncture of cultures, solidarities and differences

The paradoxical need for queer death

Homecoming again, for healing

Taking marriage off the checklist of parental duties

Fractured geographies and minds

Domestic violence and disabled women – reflections from the field

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