Category: Insight | Page 3

The graphic shows a flag created for the global mental health movement by The Pete Foundation, Louisville, USA in 2020 in collaboration with several mental health organizations / care providers, artists, designers, advocates, and community members in the US and elsewhere. The graphic, a horizontal rectangle, shows arcs of different shades of green and yellow radiating outwards from the lower left corner of the rectangle. It begins with a dark shade of green, followed by lighter ones and finally a yellow band. Green is the colour for mental health awareness, and forms the base of the flag. The design reflects a shift from dark to lighter colours, representing the various states of our emotional or psychological life, and the collective efforts to bring the topic of mental health out of the darkness and into the light. Image sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Insight Nov '22

Well-being through a queer affirmative lens (part 1)

By Dr. Srabasti Majumdar

Srabasti Majumdar dwells on what queer affirmative therapy means and its significance for the well-being of queer people

Quote: The right to be recognized in one’s own name, the right to one’s bodily autonomy, the right to be a citizen in one’s own gender identity are basic rights in any functioning democracy. Despite the rich, albeit mired, history of transgender identities, and their inclusion and exclusion, in the Indian subcontinent, today, we are dealing with an issue that can make or break people. It can give transgender people the freedom to fly and claim each and every right possible in their own identity, or else it can entwine their lives into a bureaucratic nightmare.

Insight, Vartanama Oct '22

Trans identities lost in a bureaucratic haze

By Debjyoti Ghosh

Why does West Bengal have such a poor rate of transgender identity certification? Debjyoti Ghosh raises pertinent questions

Insight, Policy Matters Sep '22

Challenges in meeting queer community needs during the COVID-19 pandemic

By Susanta Pramanik, Jia Mata, Pawan Dhall

Excerpts from an analysis of the role played by community based organizations in working with queer people in India during the COVID-19 crisis and the challenges faced by the organizations

This is a group photograph taken at the end of an event organized at Deshaj Café and Store on June 4, 2022 to mark the completion of 100 monthly issues of ‘Varta’ webzine in April 2022. The photograph shows 13 individuals standing or sitting in three rows, smiling and facing the camera. The individuals include Varta Trustees, members, staff members, and well-wishers, representing a mix of different genders and sexualities. In the background can be seen the café’s book racks, wall hangings and a wall-mounted television set. In the forefront, to the right edge of the photograph, a few pieces of the cake cut on the occasion can be seen kept on a side table. Photo credit: Swati Das

Happenings, Insight Aug '22

Words and art from the heart

By Swati Das

A round-up of events organized to mark 100 monthly issues of ‘Varta’ webzine by Swati Das

Quote: “What is particularly troubling about the 2021 anti-trafficking Bill is that consent is not a defence when it comes to raids and rescues, thus enabling law enforcement to mirror trends under the ITPA where persons who are voluntarily in the sex trade are picked up and forcibly placed in protection and rehabilitation homes against their will.”

Insight Jun '22

Anti-trafficking Bill must be reconsidered (again)

By Namrata, Shreyashi

Namrata and Shreyashi on the problem areas in the latest version of the anti-trafficking Bill – with inputs from Archit Krishna and Kaushik Gupta

This graphic is a colourful collage of a number of film stills from the songs and films mentioned in the accompanying article. Clockwise from top left, there are stills from Aga Bai (Aiyyaa), Girls Like to Swing (Dil Dhadakne Do), Mann Kyon Mehka Ri Mehka (Utsav), Khwab Bankar Koi Ayega (Razia Sultan), Raat Akeli Hai (Jewel Thief), Haye Haye Yeh Majboori (Roti Kapada Aur Makaan) and Aga Bai (Aiyyaa) again. The collage is made of cuttings from computer printouts of the film stills. It is placed on an off-white background, with a few hand-drawn pastel sketches in black on the edges of the collage. On the top left, there is a sketch of an unspooling film reel, and at the bottom right, there is a sketch of a movie camera. Graphic credit: Souvik Rakshit

Cinemascope, Insight May '22

‘Aa jaane jaan . . .’

By Jia Mata, Lipikor

Jia Mata and Lipikor on portrayals of female desire in Bollywood films and songs

This visual is a photograph of a sketch drawn on a ringed note pad with plain off-white paper. The sketch shows an orange barrel full of yellow-green toxic waste with the label “Warning!!! Toxic relationships!!” The barrel also has a sign of a heart with cross-bones along with the hazardous waste symbol. The sign is placed in the centre, between the two lines of text mentioned. The toxic waste is overflowing from the top of the barrel and there are several red flags sticking out of the barrel with labels like “Insecurity”, “Gaslighting”, “Controlling”, “Isolating” and “Lack of Respect”, all telltale signs of toxic relationships. Artwork and photograph credit: Debjyoti Ghosh

Insight Apr '22

Logging out of toxic relationships

By Jia Mata

Jia Mata on social norms, toxicity in queer relationships, and what can be done to make things better

This illustration is a combination of a photograph of Karthik, a Bangalore-based software developer and the interviewee in the accompanying article, and a quote attributed to him in the article. The photograph shows a bespectacled Karthik smiling cheerfully at the camera. He is wearing a white t-shirt with a stylized rainbow-coloured image of a clenched human fist. The image is accompanied with text that says #PRIDE, also in rainbow colours. Karthik is holding on to a crutch with his right hand. The background behind Karthik shows a blurred office environment. The accompanying quote says: “This is called ‘inspiration porn’ in the disabled community. People have set the bar so slow, just because they have disabilities it doesn’t mean they’re doing great things by just living their lives. The name comes from the fact that people try to derive inspiration from people with disabilities without understanding basic problems like lack of resources and support that is preventing us from doing extra stuff. We won’t have inspiration porn if there are more narratives about disabled people just living their lives.” Photo courtesy Karthik

Insight, People Mar '22

Disability, representation and pride

By Eishita

Karthik, a Bangalore-based software developer, opens up to Eishita on disability, sexuality and queer pride

Insight, Printed Word Feb '22

‘Bhalo Na Basar Galpo’

By Dr. Tirthankar Guha Thakurta

Dr. Tirthankar Guha Thakurta reviews Sudipto Pal’s same-sex yet universal love story of ‘not being in love’

Advice - Disability, Insight Jan '22

Is horizontal reservation ensuring jobs efficiently for the disabled?

By Amrita Chanda

Amrita Chanda elaborates on the situation of horizontal reservation for persons with disabilities in public sector employment

This rectangular graphic contains text that says: “In effect, the proposed amendment has divided adult Indian women into two categories for whom the chasm of choice, autonomy, and education widens everyday. Women in the first section are financially empowered and can marry at any age according to their wish. Coming from rich households, they can access several opportunities and some degree of financial independence. Women in the second section have little to no access to education, especially secondary education, as they belong to poorer households. These factors make women in this section statistically more likely to have a child marriage. But if they marry before 21, the marriage will not be legally recognised as per the proposed amendment.” The text is presented against a background that has patterns and colours symbolic of wedding decoration, clothes and festivities (primarily different shades of oranges and reds). The background design is borrowed from the MS Power Point software.

Insight, Policy Matters Dec '21

Can increasing women’s marriageable age alone enhance their life options?

By Sankalpita Mullick, Sudhasri Yadavalli

Sankalpita Mullick and Sudhasri Yadavalli analyse the controversial Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021

This graphic consists of two thought clouds placed next to each other inside a horizontal rectangle. The first cloud on the left says “You must be aware about protecting your OTP – onetime password.” The second cloud on the right is much larger and says “But what about safeguarding your ORTP – online right to privacy?” The text in both the clouds is in a bold typeface. The smaller cloud has text in black, while the bigger one has larger text in red. The clouds are coloured in different shades of yellow and placed against a striking blue and lavender background. Graphic credit: Pawan Dhall

Insight, Policy Matters Nov '21

Is digitization the new bed fellow for anti-queer discrimination?

By Brindaalakshmi K.

The author wants to alert queer people in India against an uncritical embracing of digital inclusion

This graphic is a combination of an extract from the accompanying article and the visual of a New Year’s greeting card, one among 3,000 such letters and cards that Kolkata-based Counsel Club, one of India’s earliest queer support groups (1993-2002), used to receive in the 1990s and early 2000s. The greeting card has three flaps. The central one is empty and the extract text, printed on a yellow vertical rectangle that looks similar to the postcards issued by India Post, is placed on this empty space. The flap to the left of the rectangle shows a pretty bouquet of flowers growing out of a pink heart. The flap to the right of the rectangle is a cut-out of an enchanting forest and a white dove flapping its wings. The text placed on the central flap says: “To me it is important to construct historical narratives that do not present queer identities and experiences as monolithic. By including personal documents and narratives, archives allow us to tell not one history, but multiple histories. Stories contained in the archives can provide leverage and evidence for activists as they bear witness to the pain and discrimination faced by queer people. The Counsel Club Archives definitely changed and expanded the way that I understand queerness in the context of my own hometown, Kolkata.” Graphic credit: Pawan Dhall

From the Archives, Insight Oct '21

Accessing a shared past for a shared future

By Yashita Kandhari

Yashita Kandhari on her experience of discovering and getting involved with a queer archiving initiative in her hometown Kolkata

This photograph is a daytime mid-shot that shows the author Meghna Mehra seated on a stage for a book reading session during a queer art event in Delhi. She has a book open on her lap, held with her left hand, and a microphone in her right hand. She smiles as she speaks looking at the audience, which is not visible in the photograph. The backdrop includes a rainbow pride flag; red, white and yellow balloons; a standee flex banner for the event; and a couple of tall house plants – all placed against a glass wall. Some more greenery and cars can be seen parked beyond the glass wall, outside the event venue. The event in question is ‘The QUART Project – Red Festival 2.0’ held in 2018. Photo courtesy The QUART Project

Insight, My Story Sep '21

Getting to know the asexuality spectrum

By Meghna Mehra

Meghna Mehra talks about issues around asexuality through her personal account of coming out as asexual

This lead graphic has text that says: “Queer cohabitation requires diverse support systems and services in addition to the protection that the law of the land extends to queer couples. These systems and services must address the socio-cultural barriers that the queer couples are bound to encounter. It’s unlikely that queer cohabitation can succeed just on islands of legal approval surrounded by a sea of family and social disapproval.” The text in black is superimposed on a background that shows a random spread of numerous heart shapes, some interlinked or coupled, others lying single and asunder, in different angles. The heart shapes are in a mix of steel grey, light blue and sea green colours, and form a striking backdrop to the text. Graphic credit: Pawan Dhall (graphic based on Clip Art by Microsoft Office)

Insight Aug '21

In the matter of queer relationships – court approval vs. social disapproval

By Diksha Sanyal

What is life like for Indian queer couples who win court approval of their right to cohabit? An analysis by Diksha Sanyal with inputs from Pawan Dhall

Quote: I have more than 20 years of experience as a transgender social worker in West Bengal. It was a different matter that there was no match between my work area or experience and the openings available in the job fair. But it was disappointing to realize that the vast majority of my community members would probably never even come close to availing these opportunities.

Coronavirus Diary, Insight Jun '21

Something unfair about job fairs

By Sudipa Chakraborty

Job fairs for queer aspirants in India need a rethink, says Sudipa Chakraborty

Tagged Under: Insight