Tag: Activism | Varta Trust

This is a horizontally rectangular image with text extracted from the accompanying article printed in bold black on a bright yellow background. The extract says: “As the ‘Mahad Satyagraha’ enters its centenary celebrations, it is more important than ever to question our origin stories of mainstream articulations of queerness. Not necessarily to doubt or question the intentions of senior activists, but to expand our imagination beyond queer exceptionalism. After all, how do we separate the stigma of sexuality from the violence of caste? And silence or obfuscation of history is also violence, no less than non-acknowledgment or denial of queerness.” The significance of the colour yellow can be understood from the accompanying article.

Repetition with a difference / A what if origin story

By Sayan Bhattacharya

Can we reimagine the annual celebrations of queer pride beyond sexual stigma and instead draw inspiration from the history of anti-caste movements, asks Sayan Bhattacharya

In this night-time long shot photograph, a large group of protesters are gathered at Ranu Chhaya Mancha in Central Kolkata on March 15, 2026 to protest the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026. Some of them are standing on a platform holding a long horizontal banner that reads: "We are not a diagnosis. We reject Trans Bill 2026". The banner text is printed in bold capitalized letters on a black background. Several hashtags like #Rage and #Rise are printed below the text, and thought blurbs in Bengali like “Dhikkar”, “Parichay” and “Ladai” are scattered on both sides of the text on the banner. Several other protestors hold placards and posters related to transgender rights, and stand below the platform, facing a central speaking area. The slogans on the posters and placards say “We Reject Trans Bill 2026” and “Self-identity Is My Right”. Some individuals appear to be listening attentively to speeches being made in the speaking area, while others converse among themselves. A large soundbox can be seen placed next to the platform. The atmosphere suggests an organized demonstration. Several tall trees and a lamppost juxtaposed against the night sky form the backdrop. Photo credit: Meghjit Sengupta

Insight Mar '26

Recognition, struggle and politics of dignity

By Ayushman Roy, Meghjit Sengupta, Surjo Pramanik

The amended trans rights law is all about social injustice and disempowerment – Ayushman Roy, Meghjit Sengupta and Surjo Pramanik report on the recent protests against the law in Kolkata

This is a horizontally rectangular graphic that shows a banner prepared for a community protest planned against the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026 on March 15, 2026 from 5.00 pm at Ranu Chhaya Mancha in Central Kolkata. On a background of blue, pink and white stripes, the colours traditionally associated with transgender rights, the banner headline in bold black says “Transgender Communities Reject Trans Amendment Bill, 2026”. Below the headline are three hashtags ‘gather’, ‘agitate’, and ‘nogoingback’. Below the hashtags, the event date, time and venue are mentioned. A tagline at the bottom says “We are not a diagnosis. Our identities are not up for approval.” On the bottom right corner of the graphic, three fisted hands raised in protest and a red loudspeaker can be seen. Graphic credit: QT* Strategizing Group for Trans Bill 2026

Happenings, Vartanama Mar '26

Transgender communities reject Trans Bill 2026

By QT* Strategizing Group for Trans Bill 2026

Media advisory issued by a network of trans and queer individuals and collectives in West Bengal to oppose the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Amendment Bill, 2026

Quote: Writings about gender, sexuality, health issues, and human rights may not have a wide appeal, or the form of my writing may not have many takers. And then there are the digital distractions – why read when you can reel? Which is why the thought of fiction writing seems exciting. I could be writing about the same issues as before but presenting them differently, or I could be writing about the ‘intimate’ aspects of the same issues as before – aspects that are real but have not found space in my writing about real issues.

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

This photograph is a daytime long shot of the ‘Budapest Pride 2025’. Literally, a sea of people dressed in diverse colours, carrying queer pride banners and rainbow umbrellas can be seen approaching and walking across a bridge in the heart of Budapest. The walkers are moving away from the camera, with one or two facing the camera to take photographs. Bright sunlight shines on the walkers as they march past tall buildings on either side of the road, on to the bridge. Dense greenery can be seen on the far side of the bridge forming an imposing green backdrop. Photo credit: European Greens – Andras Mayer, sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Vartanama Dec '25

Power in hope

By Mahua Seth

Mahua Seth on the emergence of queer resilience in response to the setbacks that marked queer lives in 2025 across the world

This is a close-up shot of a feedback board put up at the ‘Rongdhonu Mela’, an inclusive queer-trans and disabled flea market and festival organized at Taltala Ground, Kolkata by Sappho for Equality on November 22-23, 2025. On a large white chart paper pasted on a wooden wall structure, people attending the festival have written appreciative comments or drawn rainbows and flowers as a symbol of their This is a close-up shot of a feedback board put up at the ‘Rongdhonu Mela’, an inclusive queer-trans and disabled flea market and festival organized at Taltala Ground, Kolkata by Sappho for Equality on November 22-23, 2025. On a large white chart paper pasted on a wooden wall structure, people attending the festival have written appreciative comments or drawn rainbows and flowers as a symbol of their appreciation. The feedback board itself looks like a colourful installation at the festival. The comments include statements like “This carnival is so fun”, “Wanna come back next year”, and “Thank you for giving us wings”. The feedback provides a glimpse of sorts into what queer worldmaking looks like. Photo courtesy Sappho for Equality and Nilanjan Majumdar

Commentary Nov '25

On queer self-determination (part 4)

By Meera, Aritra C.

Mental health professionals Meera Dhebar and Aritra C. conclude their conversation on queer worldmaking across time periods and cultures

Quote: I am reminded of my training days where queerphobia, casteism, and ableism were so rampant that it was hard for me to gulp it down day after day and pretend as if there was nothing wrong. At this time, there was no singular event to signify the change I experienced. But it was life-changing for me in the sense that I stopped looking at the training curriculum as unbiased. I could zoom out and look at the curriculum critically, which is often difficult as we remain strongly enmeshed within the training system.

Commentary, Insight Sep '25

On queer self-determination (part 3)

By Meera, Aritra C.

Mental health professionals Meera Dhebar and Aritra C. continue their conversation on queer worldmaking across time periods and cultures

This illustration includes text extracted from the accompanying article superimposed on a vertically rectangular image of a musty grey wall, scarred and pockmarked in places. The image is symbolic of the wall described by the author in their article. The text extract says: "Together, the writings made a wall that refused erasure. Not aesthetic, but insurgent. Not decoration, but documentation. A manifesto of madness, queerness, resistance, and everything else the law school had no vocabulary for.” Background image credit P R on Unsplash

My Story Aug '25

The wall that held me

By Risha

Risha writes about their relationship with a scarred wall full of personal and political writings in their university hostel room

Quote: What then are our expectations from life? I mean, apart from wanting Section 377, IPC to be struck off; apart from wanting recognition from our ‘straight’ fellow humans; apart from rights, space and privacy . . . What is it that each of our personal selves yearns for? Can we classify our desires into two broad divisions of love and sex? Does social sanction hold a lot of importance for us?

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

This image is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The mid-range photograph shows filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh smiling, looking at and speaking to someone outside the frame. Other people can be seen in the background, suggesting it to be a public occasion. The filmmaker seems to be seated on a chair. He is wearing spectacles, a head wrap, and a scarf, all black in colour, paired with a grey-brown patterned shirt. The accompanying text says: “For me, Rituparno was a crossing, a journey between borders. Not India, not Bangladesh. Not man, not woman. Not familiar, not foreign. Somewhere in between, a new way of understanding emerged. What connected us wasn’t language or geography, but a shared longing. A shared desire to become.” Photo credit: Bollywood Hungama via ‘Wikimedia Commons’

My Story Jul '25

Rituparno Ghosh: Seen, unseen, and known in my own way

By Tara Asgar

In Rituparno Ghosh and his cinematic work Tara Asgar finds a shared longing to become something beyond binaries

This photograph shows a long-shot of an evening sky taken from the window of the south-western corner room that the author occupies in his new home on the third floor of a building. The sky outside is a deepening blue-velvet, with some clouds in the horizon tinged with the light pink and orange of a setting sun not visible in the photograph. A silhouetted pine tree occupies centre stage against the sky, with more trees and the upper floors and rooftops of buildings in the neighbourhood visible in the background. Some of the buildings are silhouetted against the sky, while one of them has windows lit from inside. In the foreground are the awning and the horizontal railings of the author’s window. The railings are placed quite wide apart and add to the drama of the view rather than interrupt it. The photograph conveys a sense of evening calm before the darkness takes over. Photo credit: Pawan Dhall

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

This illustration is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph shows a scene from the dialogue ‘Queer Worldmaking in the Face of Conversion Therapy’ that took place at Kalinath Angan, Kolkata on January 18, 2025. Moderator Meghjit Sengupta (centre) and panellist Aritra C. (to Meghjit’s left) look on as panellist Meera Dhebar makes a point during the dialogue. 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. The accompanying text says: “Because sometimes in this very cis-heteronormative and heteropatriarchal world steeped in discourses of othering, a few moments of solace in being seen can provide enough joy to carry us through the moments of isolation and disconnection.” Photo credit: Pawan Dhall

Commentary Jun '25

On queer self-determination (part 1)

By Meera, Aritra C.

An e-conversation series between mental health professionals Meera Dhebar and Aritra C. on queer worldmaking across time periods and cultures

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

Creations, Insight May '25

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 is a medium range indoor photograph of the launch ceremony of ‘Kink and Sex Work: A VAMP Institute Report’. The report launch was one of the highlights of ‘Kink Con 24’. Several people can be seen standing in a row, holding up a copy of the report, and facing the camera with a smile. From left to right are kink-affirmative psychologist and report co-author Pompi Banerjee; an anonymous member of the Kinky Collective who has covered their face with the report; feminist activist and report co-author Jaya Sharma; sex worker rights activist Aarthi Pai; theatre artist Mallika Taneja; sex worker rights activist Meena Seshu; and sex educator Leeza Mangaldas. A cinema screen and conference signage can be seen mounted on a wall behind the people mentioned. A few people in the audience can be seen seated while facing away from the camera. The conference room is illuminated gently with a mild golden glow. Photo courtesy Kinky Collective

Happenings Mar '25

On the right to one’s body and desires

By Pompi Banerjee

How sex workers navigate kinky desire and consent in their work was among the central themes of ‘Kink Con 2024’, writes Pompi Banerjee

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 daytime photograph shows 13 of the pilot Queer Kolkata Heritage Walk participants, a mix of genders and ages, posing for the camera below a gazebo at the Park Circus Maidan in South Kolkata on July 2, 2024. The gazebo was the starting point for ‘Friendship Walk ‘99’ on July 2, 1999, the 25th anniversary of which was observed through the heritage walk. Most of the participants, four of them ‘99ers’, are wearing bright yellow t-shirts designed for the occasion with the slogan “Bound by friendship, united in pride” emblazoned on the front side. There are brights smiles and laughter on their faces as they stand on the marble steps and platform of the gazebo, and look at the camera or at each other. Blue jeans, shorts, shoes, shoulder bags, and colourful umbrellas of the walkers compliment the bright green of the grass and shrubs behind the gazebo. The asbestos roof of the gazebo has an interesting pattern of blue, gray and rust, which stands out against the overcast sky. The pillars of the gazebo holding up the roof are coloured bottle green. Someone’s bedding and other personal possessions, possibly a street dweller’s, can be seen on the platform behind some of the walkers. Photo credit: Partha Banerjee

Happenings, Vartanama Sep '24

Where do we go to look for queerness in Kolkata?

By Mihir Seth

Mihir Seth reflects on the pilot Queer Kolkata Heritage Walk held on July 2, 2024 to mark the 25th anniversary of ‘Friendship Walk ‘99’

Tagged Under: Activism

Repetition with a difference / A what if origin story

Recognition, struggle and politics of dignity

Transgender communities reject Trans Bill 2026

On fiction writing and fictionality

Power in hope

On queer self-determination (part 4)

On queer self-determination (part 3)

The wall that held me

Random thoughts 30 something years ago

Rituparno Ghosh: Seen, unseen, and known in my own way

‘Kalbaisakhi’ and the crow

On queer self-determination (part 1)

Storytelling through zines

On the right to one’s body and desires

Queer allies in need of allies

Where do we go to look for queerness in Kolkata?

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