Tag: Oppression | Varta Trust

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

The graphic shows a charcoal grey flag bisected diagonally from the top left corner to the lower right corner by five parallel stripes in red, pale gold, pale grey, light blue, and green, with each element symbolizing different aspects of the disability experience. All six standard flag colours imply that disability spans borders between states and nations; the black field stands for mourning for victims of ableist violence and abuse; the diagonal band implies cutting across the walls and barriers that separate disabled people from society; the red stripe stands for physical disabilities; the gold one for cognitive disabilities; the white stripe for invisible and undiagnosed disabilities; the blue stripe for psychiatric disabilities; and the green stripe for sensory disabilities. The graphic shows the visually safe Disability Pride Flag, an evolution of the ‘lightning bolt’ Disability Pride Flag. The redesigned flag is safer for people with visually-triggered disabilities and more accessible to people with colour blindness. Flag design credit: Ann Magill

Poetry Feb '25

On disabled resistance and community

By Nu Misra

Disabled persons do not need to be pathologized, patronized or pitied, says Nu Misra

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...

Quote: Rape is a non-consensual act. There is no iota of enjoyment in the act. When one is asked to ‘enjoy’ rape in case of its inevitability, the ground on which the definition of rape stands, collapses. It no longer remains rape. It becomes an act of sexual intimacy where the parties involved feel safe and respected, and work with each other in harmony to derive and provide pleasure from the act and from each other. None of these conditions hold true for rape.

Commentary Jan '24

Stop trivializing rape

By Dr. Sankalpa Satapathy

Dr. Sankalpa Satapathy questions regressive social attitudes around sexual assault that persist even in ‘progressive circles’

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

This illustration is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph shows a set of six colourful drawings made by children living in one of the trauma response centres for conflict-affected children and youth run by Matai Society in the Bishnupur district of Manipur. The centres are run in association with various relief camps. The drawings display a diversity of imaginations of their creators – a house and a tree beside it, a lust tree with heart signs and a child on a swing hanging from the tree, abstract representation of flowers, hearts, fish, and gift boxes, and even a ship sailing on a blue sea under a blue sky with the sun shining bright. The drawings have been created with pencil colours, crayons, and sketch pens on chart papers. The accompanying text says: “The conflict has lasted beyond four months now. During these excruciating days, many local clubs, youth groups, and NGOs have been running relief camps to host the masses that have become homeless. Most of the displaced hail from the hill-valley buffer area. Despite the goodwill and support from various government and non-government agencies and donors, these camps are struggling to make ends meet because of the sheer numbers of people affected. So many have lost their homes, many others their close ones.” Photo courtesy Matai Society

Insight, Manipur Relief Sep '23

Hope amid loss, pain and anxiety in Manipur

By Matai Society

Matai Society reports on the situation in and around the Bishnupur district of Manipur months into the communal conflict in the state and lists the urgent relief requirements

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

Quote: Bilkis’ trauma is that of others as well – irrespective of gender and religion. Whether we like it or not, we’re all connected. Incidents of unimaginable cruelty have happened against women and numerous other vulnerable social groups in the past as well, continuously and often invisibly adding on to our collective trauma. There’s not just a pile up of ‘cases’ in our courts of law, but a mountain of pain building up in our society.

Vartanama Aug '22

On violence, trauma, justice and healing

By Pawan Dhall

What could it be like to burn in hell – for the collective conscience of an entire society?

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 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 photograph is symbolic of the subject matter of the article. It shows a somewhat dispiriting aerial view of Kolkata city at dusk time. The photograph has been taken from the rooftop of a city high rise. The right hand side of the photograph has the setting sun, and the sky is filled with an overpowering haze of dust. The sprawling city below is a mix of buildings, some of them high-rises in the horizon, and some trees as well, but there is little to cheer about the scene. In the forefront, from the point where the photograph was shot, is a rooftop security rail made of a steel netlike structure that cuts through the left and lower parts of the photograph. The security rail seems to jag through the photograph, creating an impression of dissonance. Photo credit: Pawan Dhall

Vartanama Apr '21

Against gratitude

By Sayan Bhattacharya

Sayan Bhattacharya questions the normalization of inequity all around us – something we must not give up on if humanity has to continue breathing

Insight Apr '21

Farewell, dear fairy!

By Chintan Girish Modi

Chintan Girish Modi remembers Gaurav Probir Pramanik whose actions ensured that homophobic behaviour at the leadership level in a leading Indian corporate did not go unpunished

This photograph shows the cover of the book ‘Launda Dancer: Anyo Hijrer Bhinna Bhuban’. On a white background, the name of the book is printed on top in a bold red and black typeface, which resembles a casual hand writing style. Below the book title there is a stylized sketch of a Launda dancer putting on make-up in preparation for a dance performance. The sketch lines are in black on a light brown background that looks like paper. The author’s name Niloy Basu is printed below the sketch to the right. All the text on the book cover is in Bengali. A yellow sticky note can be seen jutting out of the top of the book on its left side. The photograph shows the book placed on a table with a pair of spectacles and a small Shantiniketan style cloth bag lying next to it. Photo credit: Dr. Kaustav Bakshi

Insight, Printed Word Jan '21

Sex, commerce and queer rural India

By Dr. Kaustav Bakshi

Dr. Kaustav Bakshi reviews social researcher Niloy Basu’s new book ‘Launda Dancer: Anyo Hijrer Bhinna Bhuban’, an important addition to queer literature in Bengali

Cinemascope Jul '20

Living on in death

By Debjyoti Ghosh

Debjyoti Ghosh reviews Leonard Cortana’s short documentary 'Marielle’s Legacy Will Not Die'

This illustration shows two photographs – on the left is a threat letter received by Joyita Mondal on December 7, 2018 apparently from a Hindu politico-religious outfit located in Joyita’s neighbourhood in Islampur. In gist, it says Joyita as a trans person has been a bad influence on Islampur, that she should leave the Thana Colony area, failing which there could be drastic consequences. The letter is unsigned and ends with the slogan ‘Jai Shri Ram, Bharat Mata ki Jai’. The letter is written in Bengali with orange coloured ink on plain white paper (no letterhead used). More details on the letter content available in the article below. To the right of the threat letter is a complaint filed by Joyita at Islampur Police Station also on December 7, 2018. The complaint was against persons unknown for threatening Joyita through the anonymous letter. The complaint was also written in Bengali – on the letterhead of Dinajpur Natun Aalo Society, a queer support organization headed by Joyita. Photographs courtesy Joyita Mondal

Insight, People May '20

Story of a trans warrior – 10 years done, more to come (part 3)

By Pawan Dhall, Vaaswat Sarkar

A rambling conversation with Islampur-based trans rights activist Joyita Mondal who not long ago had to change houses under threats of violence, but emerged stronger from the ordeal

The photograph shows a young Launda dancer from West Bengal posing for the camera somewhere in Bihar before a performance. She is seated in a graceful pose on a wooden stage, dressed in a bright mauve ‘ghagra-choli’, and smiling at the camera while forming a love sign with her hands. Her face has been blurred to maintain confidentiality. The stage is well lit and has a decorative covering. Sound and light equipment for the stage can be seen piled up behind the dancer. Another dancer can be seen twirling on the stage – only partially visible to the right side of the photograph. Photo courtesy Joyita Mondal

Coronavirus Diary, Happenings May '20

Missing in the migrant story, silenced in the ‘atmanirbharta’ clamour

By Joyita Mondal, Pawan Dhall

Joyita Mondal speaks to Pawan Dhall on the precarious situation of Launda dancers from North Bengal stranded in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh because of the lockdown

Tagged Under: Oppression