Tag: Homophobia | Varta Trust

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 close-up shot of some of the books mentioned by the author in the accompanying article. One lot of five books are kept in a not-so-neat vertical pile on the author’s study table. These include T. J. Klune’s ‘In the Lives of Puppets’, ‘The House in the Cerulean Sea’ and ‘Somewhere Beyond the Sea’, Aiden Thomas’ ‘Cemetery Boys’, and Mason Deaver’s ‘Wish You All the Best’ right on top of the pile. Lex Croucher’s ‘Gwen & Art Are Not in Love’ is placed reclining on the pile on the right- hand side. To the pile’s left is the cover page of Andrew Joseph White’s ‘Hell Followed with Us’ visible on a Kindle e-reader. An open laptop, pen stand, and photo frame can be seen crowding the same study table as the books. In the background are two almirahs and a door ajar. Photo credit: Mihir Seth

Printed Word, Vartanama Jan '25

Notes on hoping taken from teenage queer fiction

By Mihir Seth

Mihir Seth finds the strength to go on in queer stories of trials, tribulations and hope

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...

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 daytime photograph shows around half a dozen parents and other family members of queer persons smiling brightly and walking behind a large banner of Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents at the ‘20th Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk’ held on December 17, 2023. The author is also among these parents. A few individuals walking behind them are holding up two placards in Bengali that translated into English say: “So what if they are trans or gay, they are our children.” The photograph has been taken at a point on Park Street, from where a part of the Maa flyover can be seen behind the walkers. A popular furniture store Wood Junction can be seen on the right side of the photograph, while several tall trees are visible on the left side. The background behind the parents is a mish-mash of hundreds of other walkers, hoardings, traffic lights, and overhead cable wires. The sky above is a clear greyish blue. Photo courtesy Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents

Vartanama Feb '24

Why I walked with the banner of Sweekar

By Mahua Seth

Mahua Seth walked as an ‘out’ parent of a queer child at the ‘20th Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk’ and loved every moment of it

This illustration is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph is of a large blackboard with a light brown wooden frame. At the lower edge of the blackboard, the wooden frame has a ledge on which some chalk and a duster are placed. Text extracted from the accompanying article has been placed on the blackboard image in a typeface to simulate the image of text written with white chalk on a blackboard. The text says: “What can discussions on sexuality in a classroom do? I believe that when we confront sexual difference in the classroom, we learn to understand and respect diversity. Queer perspectives and narratives of pride and suffering open a space not just for acceptance but critical self-understanding. Queer lives are so precarious that even a space bound by a timetable can be liberating. Being acknowledged and validated in a classroom may engender a hope to survive outside it, and sometimes, it is survival that is at stake.” Blackboard image courtesy Cliparts.co via ‘Wikimedia Commons’

Insight, Vartanama Aug '23

For that sliver of hope

By Zaid Al Baset

Making educational institutions inclusive spaces for everyone is an uphill battle, but Zaid Al Baset is not giving up yet – his forecasts on inclusion as ‘Varta’ completes 10 years

This illustration is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph, a daytime selfie shot, shows the author Mahua Seth with her son Mihir Seth on a holiday trip. Mother and son, both bespectacled, are all smiles as they look into the camera. Behind them is a sweeping expanse of mountains marked with patches of vegetation, reflecting the bright sunlight. The sky above is a hazy blue marked with cotton white clouds. The accompanying text says: “It became clear to me that we need to build more awareness across every section of society. The Nigerian Igbo communities got it right when they said “It takes a village to raise a child.” We need to work with the parents, of course, but also the uncles, aunts, teachers, coaches, colleagues and neighbours. Photo credit: Mahua Seth

My Story Aug '23

Building a better future with safe spaces, empathy and hugs

By Mahua Seth

As ‘Varta’ webzine turns 10, Mahua Seth imagines a more caring and affirming future, not just for queer people but also their parents and families

Quote: Somewhere amid all these positives, I also expect queer people with disabilities to be more visible, do well in life, and not be silenced in both queer and disability communities. Homophobic, transphobic and ableist people will still be around, but they may well be pushed to the fringes. A decade hence we may sit down and compare the predictions made by various authors on the pages of Varta and calculate the percentage of those that have come true.

My Story Aug '23

Cautious predictions for 2033 CE

By Rajib Chakrabarti

On ‘Varta’ webzine completing 10 years, Rajib Chakrabarti writes about the changes he expects to see for queer people and persons with disabilities a decade from now

Printed Word Jul '23

Flow of love and life

By Jia Mata

Jia Mata reviews software professional and queer community worker Souvik Ghosh’s debut fiction ‘Probaho’

This is a close-up indoor shot of a pile of six mid-sized ‘motichoor’ laddus placed on parchment paper on a black plate. The gorgeous and mouthwatering orange colour of the laddus is marked with specs of green, red and white condiments. The background of the photograph is blurred to enhance the appeal of the laddus. Main photo credit: Priyam1307 via ‘Wikimedia Commons’

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

This is a graphic that stylistically presents a small extract from the accompanying poem in bright colours and patterns that may be reminiscent of youthfulness. The extract says: “Invisible minorities in every land, many will try to dress like the rest, to be like the rest, as if there’s no difference between them and us. Inscrutably deprive others to save themselves.” Graphic artwork credit: Pawan Dhall

Poetry Mar '23

A few will be different

By Rajib Chakrabarti

Rajib Chakrabarti on adolescence and queerness

Quote: In a somewhat predictable turn of events, the ‘apology’ owed to queer Indians and their families is still trying hard to ‘come out’ from the pages of the verdict into day-to-day life – even when the Supreme Court itself is trying to set a progressive example for the rest of the polity to follow. The central government’s unwillingness to accept the Supreme Court’s recommendation for the appointment of advocate Saurabh Kirpal as a judge of the Delhi High Court is a case in point.

Vartanama Jan '23

Decriminalized but not destigmatized

By Pawan Dhall

The central government’s discomfort about queerness in the judiciary throws up many more uncomfortable questions

This is a panel of two daytime photographs placed one above the other. Both photographs are long shots of the lane near the author’s childhood home in Palm Avenue, Kolkata where the cricket match described in the article was played. Both photographs show about 50 feet of a narrow lane lined by two or three-storied houses on both sides, interspersed with small trees and shrubs. Many houses have iron grills and gates on the ground floor. The lane is quite evenly paved, and is just broad enough for two cars to pass side by side. Several cars are parked half on the road, half on the pavement, which exists on only one side of the road. There is little gap between the houses on the lane, which gives a sense of congestion and everything being boxed in. The photographs have been taken from the turning point at either end of the lane. Photo credits: Pawan Dhall

Vartanama Dec '22

When badminton outplaced cricket

By Pawan Dhall

The author recalls winning a cricket match to secure space for playing badminton near his childhood home in Kolkata

The graphic is a symbolic amalgamation of the key issues discussed in the accompanying article. Upfront in the graphic is a flag created for the global mental health movement by The Pete Foundation, Louisville, USA in 2020 in collaboration with 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. In the background to this flag is the rainbow flag, a popular symbol adopted by the queer rights movements worldwide. The mental health movement flag is superimposed on the rainbow flag such that the second flag provides only a narrow but distinct rainbow-coloured border to the first flag. Overall, the graphic attempts to represent the issue of queer affirmative therapy or queer affirmative counselling practices. Images for both flags sourced from Wikimedia Commons

Insight Dec '22

Well-being through a queer affirmative lens (part 2)

By Dr. Srabasti Majumdar

Srabasti Majumdar explains how queer affirmative therapy takes into account the inter-dependence between mind and body in ensuring well-being for queer people

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

This photograph is a close-up shot of the front cover of the book reviewed in the accompanying article. The book titled ‘Amar Bhitor Bahire’ has been written by Kolkata-based queer and HIV activist Jaydip Jana in Bengali. The upper half of the cover has the name of the book and author written in large point size. The text is in white and stands out against a stylistic representation of the rainbow pride flag colours in the background. Below the text is a sideways silhouette of an individual who seems to be sitting down in a contemplative posture with their chin resting on their right hand. A rainbow friendship band adorns their right wrist. A half-filled silver ‘sindur daan’, with the lid off and some ‘sindur’ scattered outside, is juxtaposed against the silhouette. In the photograph, the book itself is placed flat, but at an angle, on a surface covered in an attractive green and white fabric. Photo credit: Pawan Dhall

Printed Word Nov '22

Ins and outs of a queer memoir

By Jia Mata

Jia Mata reviews Jaydip Jana’s debut book ‘Amar Bhitor Bahire’, a new addition to contemporary queer literature in Bengali

Tagged Under: Homophobia

On queer self-determination (part 1)

Notes on hoping taken from teenage queer fiction

Remembered sexual futures

The paradoxical need for queer death

Why I walked with the banner of Sweekar

For that sliver of hope

Building a better future with safe spaces, empathy and hugs

Cautious predictions for 2033 CE

Flow of love and life

All this marriage (equality) talk!

A few will be different

Decriminalized but not destigmatized

When badminton outplaced cricket

Well-being through a queer affirmative lens (part 2)

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

Ins and outs of a queer memoir

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