Tag: Privileges | Page 3

Graphic shows a multi-coloured word cloud in the shape of a star. The word cloud has been created with text from the poem that this graphic represents. The star-shaped word cloud is placed on a background with hues of red, blue and purple colours. The typeface used for the text in the word cloud is similar to the cursive handwriting of a child. Graphic credit: Pawan Dhall

Poetry Mar '20

A child’s plea

By Ananya Kar

The child in this poem is each one of us. Do we have the answers to this child’s plea?

Quote: ‘Nupi Maanbi’ cannot be dismissed as a ‘creation’ of modern law or as an identity imported from a foreign context. The existence of multiple genders in Manipuri society is reflected in the historical records written in Meitei Mayek (pre-modern Manipuri) script . . . Thus Nupi Maanbis have the right to identify themselves as women or trans women not only in the context of post-colonial Indian law, but also in terms of the existence of gender plurality in traditional Manipuri society. The quote text is superimposed on a faded photograph of a Manipuri newspaper article to provide context and a design element to the illustration. Artwork credit: Pawan Dhall.

Commentary Sep '19

Attempts at erasing trans cultures in Manipur

By Santa Khurai

Santa Khurai on trans women in Manipur being denied their traditional space in the Lai Haraoba festival

This photograph is representative of some of the thoughts expressed in the article around the futility of the approach of liberal academics and activists in responding to current socio-political challenges. It shows a round dinner table inside what appears to be a dimly lit dining room in a convention centre. The table is set out for a meal with wine glasses, knives, forks and napkins on the table, and 10 chairs around it. The table also has a jug of water, salt and pepper containers, and a couple of lit candles. To the right of the table is a French window that shows some plants and daylight outside. The window has ceiling high curtains on one side. Right behind the table is a large rectangular mirror with an ornate frame mounted on the wall. The mirror reflects a corner table lamp, chandelier and other elements of the dining room. It also reflects the author who is clicking the photograph on his mobile phone camera. There is no other human visible in the photograph. In all likelihood, the dining room will soon witness participants in a conference indulging in animated conversations over a lavish meal. In time, the room will empty out and fall silent, the conference too will draw to a close with several resolutions and promises, but little may change in relation to the problems deliberated on during the conference – all quite symbolic of the phenomenon of arguments and counter-arguments inside an echo chamber, which has little or no impact on the world outside. Photo credit: Sayan Bhattacharya

Vartanama Aug '19

Comfort of echoes in a chamber

By Sayan Bhattacharya

Sayan Bhattacharya points at the inefficacy of queer activisms in India in the face of larger socio-political challenges

This illustration is a collage of English newspaper and webzine headlines published in Assam on the issue of the updating of the National Register of Citizens and how the updating process has failed to include trans individuals in the state in the citizenship list. Some of the headlines read ‘503 Transgender People in Assam Voter List’, ‘Determination of Citizenship through Lineage in the Assam NRC Is Inherently Exclusionary’, ‘NRC Assam: No State for Transgender Persons?’, ‘Assam NRC Draft – SC May Take Up Plea of Transgenders on Aug 16’ and ‘Gender, Address Dilemma for Assam’s Third Sex in Draft NRC’. Among the publications represented in the collage are ‘The Telegraph’, ‘Newslaundry’, ‘The Times of India’ and ‘Hindustan Times’. Collage credit: Pawan Dhall, Shivalal Gautam

Insight, VCR Diary Jul '19

Multi-layered exclusions for trans persons in Assam NRC process

By Shivalal Gautam

Look at the NRC exercise from trans persons’ points of view, urges Shivalal Gautam

Vartanama Jan '19

‘Lyadh’!

By Pawan Dhall

What better way to avoid a tedious editorial than to write about 'lyadh'?

The photograph shows a daytime long shot of the pond and park mentioned in the article – as taken from the author’s first floor window. A large leafy tree dominates the centre of the photograph. Adjacent to it are more trees and behind it is the water body surrounded by still more trees and houses, including a few multi-storied buildings. The reflection of the trees and houses can be seen in the water. Green algae cover the water surface near the edges of the pond. The large tree is inside the narrow park mentioned in the article – more like a sliver of an enclosure with a tiled ground and bounded by a blue-white iron railing on all sides. Inside the enclosure, to the right of the large tree, is a marble topped bench covered by an arched shelter made of green, yellow and blue fibre glass material. This is one of the benches on which the incidents narrated in the article occurred. The enclosure has a small gate opening on to the lane on which the author’s house stands. Next to the gate a small black car is parked, and next to the car is a lamp post. No human being can be seen in the photograph anywhere. Photo credit: Shampa Sengupta

Vartanama Oct '18

Far away from the madding crowds?

By Shampa Sengupta

Shampa Sengupta stayed away from 'pandal' hopping but had a room with a view this Durga Puja

This main illustration is a poster of the film ‘S.D. Saroj Dutta and His Times’. A black and white photograph of Saroj Dutta, communist intellectual and revolutionary associated with the Naxalbari movement, occupies centre space in the poster. The edges of the photograph are stylized like that of a postage stamp, with a white border framing the photograph on all sides. Saroj Dutta seems to have a rather serene look on his face. The initials ‘S.D.’ in large font coloured red are printed on the bottom left of the poster. The top right corner carries the graphic of a circular rubber stamp with the name of the film printed along the circumference and the duration mentioned in the centre (115 minutes). The poster background has a partial hand drawn outline map of India, with places where the Naxalbari movement had its bases handwritten in Bengali – in particular Naxalbari itself and Srikakulam. Several other bases of the movement in eastern India are marked on the map with small star-like jottings. More Bengali handwritten text in the background, above Saroj Dutta’s head, says that the Naxalbari movement aims to show a way forward to the downtrodden masses in society. Text printed below Saroj Dutta’s photograph prominently mentions the names of the filmmakers Kasturi Basu and Mitali Biswas. Other film credits follow in smaller text in three lines. The poster also mentions that the film is in Bangla with English sub-titles. Poster courtesy: Facebook page of ‘S.D. Saroj Dutta and His Times’

Vartanama May '18

Cinema of questioning the world order

By Pawan Dhall

The summers just got that much more intense with some gripping cinema!

Insight Feb '18

Why is there still biphobia within the queer community?

By Shruti Janardhan

Gay men and lesbians need to question their own biphobia even as they fight compulsory heterosexuality argues Shruti Janardhan

My Story Feb '18

Match-making between dating and disabilities

By Ishan Chakraborty, Prosenjit Pal

Ishan Chakraborty narrates his experience of attending an innovative meet-up in Kolkata that aimed to help people with disabilities find friends and dates

The photograph is an image from the 2009 film ‘Eden Is West’ (‘Eden à l'ouest’) directed by Greek-French filmmaker Costa Gavras. It is a long shot of a medium-sized motorized boat full of people standing or sitting on the edges, presumably undocumented immigrants. As the boat crosses a calm sea, it leaves behind a wake in the water. In the background the sky is aglow with the sun setting behind distant mountains. The entire scene is one of melancholy. The film ‘Eden Is West’ is a drama centred around the undocumented immigrants living in the European Union. The image has been used in a representational sense here. Photo courtesy: Google Images

Travel Travel, Vartanama Jan '18

No Eden anywhere?

By Sayan Bhattacharya

When I was asked to write the 'Varta' editorial for this month, I was in a fix. How does one write about yet another year ending and another beginning?

The graphic shows an illustration, which is captioned “Look before you pee!?!” It is borrowed from a cartoon series published in the January to July 1997 issue of ‘Naya Pravartak’, a queer journal published in the 1990s by Counsel Club, one of India’s earliest queer support groups (1993-2002). The cartoon, done in an exaggerated style, shows a man using a urinal in a public toilet. The man is looking to his right towards a second man in the adjacent urinal. Distracted, the first man doesn’t realize that he has not been aiming right and has splashed on a third man to his left. The third man is aghast, but the first man remains oblivious. The cartoon also shows a little birdie sitting on a window ledge above the urinals and looking down with a puzzled expression, while the sun outside is peering in and having a good laugh at the comedy of errors inside the toilet. The cartoon artwork (done with black ink on paper) was by Ranjan, while the ideas thinktank behind the cartoons consisted of Navonil, Pawan, Peter, Rana, Shane and other members and friends of Counsel Club. The illustration is accompanied by a quote from the article text that says: “In this discussion on inclusive, safe and universally designed toilets, men, especially those with the privileges of money, heterosexuality, cisgender identity and absence of any major disability, can’t afford to be disinterested bystanders. Not only are many of them policy and decision makers charged with responsibility for greater good, but they can also get mugged in a toilet, heckled by other men stronger than them, or slip, fall and break a bone in a badly designed toilet. They could also be harbouring the pisser’s block from younger days, and as we know, retention of any kind (whether it’s urine or power without responsibility) is bad for health!”

Vartanama Dec '17

Toilets: Inclusive, safe and universally designed

By Pawan Dhall

To pee or not to pee – in a public toilet! Till this day any decision in this regard has sometimes to be taken even before I have left home.

This main photograph shows an exhibition match that was played between the Empowering Trans Ability (ETA) and Women Football Association teams in Manipur earlier these summers (year 2017). The match, played in a village ground near Imphal, was part of the ‘Village Level 7-A-Side Open Football Tournament’ organized every year by ETA. This match was the only one played in the women’s leg of the tournament. The photograph shows an ETA player dribbling and moving ahead with the ball near the opponent team’s ‘D’ area and penalty box. The player is being shadowed by a rival team member, while another rival tries to block their way. There are six other players from both teams in the vicinity. A line referee can be seen in the background, as also a few spectators (some with umbrellas) seated on the sidelines or walking on a lane next to the playground. A few soldiers seated in an army jeep or standing next to it – an omnipresent sight in Manipur – are among the spectators. The sidelines are marked by small coloured flags hoisted on bamboo poles. In the distant background are fields, trees and hills merging into a grey-blue sky. ETA’s players are dressed in maroon and black striped t-shirts, white shorts and light green socks, while their opponents are in an orange combination. ETA, a queer support forum, aims to empower lesbians, bisexual women and trans men in Manipur through football tournaments like these. Photo credit: ETA

Clickhappy! Aug '17

Kick-off for gender equity

By Oinam Hemba

Oinam Hemba, founding member of ETA, a community group of trans men, lesbians and bisexual women in Manipur, presents glimpses from a unique football contest

Vartanama Nov '16

Keep the fire burning

By Pawan Dhall

In childhood I remember using an assortment of toys to construct entire cities complete with houses, offices, markets, hospitals and roads busy with humans, animals and cars. Some of these...

Commentary Nov '16

Privilege 101: Your handy primer to oppression and privilege

By Asmita Ghosh

Asmita Ghosh wants us to acknowledge and push back our social privileges, often invisible to our own eyes but painfully evident to those denied the same This article was originally published on Feminism...

Tagged Under: Privileges

A child’s plea

Attempts at erasing trans cultures in Manipur

Comfort of echoes in a chamber

Multi-layered exclusions for trans persons in Assam NRC process

‘Lyadh’!

Far away from the madding crowds?

Cinema of questioning the world order

Why is there still biphobia within the queer community?

Match-making between dating and disabilities

No Eden anywhere?

Toilets: Inclusive, safe and universally designed

Kick-off for gender equity

Keep the fire burning

Privilege 101: Your handy primer to oppression and privilege

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