Tag: Queer Feminism | Varta Trust

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

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 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

This photograph shows a close shot of the dialogue ‘Queer Worldmaking in the Face of Conversion Therapy’. Moderator Meghjit Sengupta (centre) and panellist Aritra Chatterjee (to Meghjit’s left) look on as panellist Dr. Meera Dhebar makes a point during the dialogue held at Kalinath Angan in South Kolkata on January 18, 2025. 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. Photo credit: Pawan Dhall

Happenings, Insight Feb '25

Queer worldmaking as a form of resilience

By Meghjit Sengupta, Surjo Pramanik

Meghjit Sengupta and Surjo Pramanik report on a dialogue on mental health perspectives from Canada and India organized by the Varta Trust mental health peer counsellors support group

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 horizontal rectangular image is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph is to the left and it shows the flame of a fire burning in the dark. The flame is emerging from pieces of firewood. The rising flame is a yellow-orange in colour, while reddish embers can be seen below the firewood. Nothing else is visible as the darkness surrounds the fire. The accompanying text says: “If rules, heteronormative or any other kind, are to apply to desire, whom to desire, how to desire and furthermore, how to act on that desire, then the very essence of desire is stripped away. It restrains the fluidity of desire. However hard one may try, our desire in its unrestricted form cannot be wished away. It is there, sitting, waiting patiently, simmering beneath the surface, making its presence felt; waiting for the person to take cognizance.” Photo credit: László D. on Unsplash

Commentary, Insight Oct '24

Meandering desire

By Dr. Sankalpa Satapathy

Dr. Sankalpa Satapathy asserts that our desires run like a subterranean river and can survive all forms of censorship

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’

This graphic shows a poster made for the promotion of the film ‘Don’t Interrupt While We Dance’. On a scarlet red background, the name of the film in large stylized lettering in yellow and white is juxtaposed against the images of a gun and a dancing human figure, arms splayed. Several pairs of angry eyes symbolizing the damning eyes of the State or a repressive society, stare on in the backdrop, behind the lettering. The name of the filmmaker Anureet Watta is mentioned at the bottom of the poster. Poster design by Sharannya Eledath Mukherji and illustration by Yathaarth Yadav

Cinemascope, Insight Sep '24

How can we be gentle if we aren’t very angry?

By Anureet Watta

‘Don’t Interrupt While We Dance’ is a film about queer and trans joy interrupted by the State, police, and shadows of violence and scrutiny that have always been cast on...

Quote: News channels air yoga shows to promote positivity. Harness your inner potential, says your favourite superstar. Universities are asked to present the shining glorious history of the nation state to inculcate positivity about the country. Health gurus ask you to consume avocado and chia seeds and quinoa for unleashing your inner efficient innovator. Therapy speak has become commonsensical. The joke goes I am ready to date you if you can pay for my therapy post our breakup. The catalogue is never ending, but scratch the surface only slightly and the edifice falls apart like your nearest shining airport or the Parliament.

Vartanama Jul '24

On the compulsion to be happy

By Sayan Bhattacharya

Amidst the unending stream of ‘happiness’ being thrust on us from every quarter, Sayan Bhattacharya strikes a necessary discordant note

Quote: Tamil Nadu’s draft gender and sexual minority policy does not simply make a claim for marriage equality for queer persons but nudges the State to reimagine the family beyond kinship and marriage. By doing so it focuses on the functional conceptualisation of the family, namely what families should do, as opposed to the form of the family, namely what families should look like. A functional approach thus seeks to centre values of mutual care, love and dependence as definitive of a family, as opposed to only marriage and biological relatedness. The draft policy thus marks an entry into a radical possibility of family law expanding beyond its narrow normative foundations.

Insight May '24

Queering the family: Tamil Nadu shows the way

By Namrata

Namrata writes about the developments around the Deed of Familial Association in Tamil Nadu and how it can lead to recognition of queer relationships

This illustration is a combination of a photograph and text extracted from the accompanying article. The photograph shows the author Rituparna Borah participating in the ‘Delhi Queer Pride’ in 2009. She is walking under a mammoth six-coloured rainbow pride flag, holding up the flag with her hands, smiling and looking sideways towards the camera, though not at the camera. The sunlight filtering through the flag is lighting up all the colours. In the background, towards the bottom left edge of the photograph, several other pride walkers can be seen. The accompanying text says: “I am not claiming here that there will be no fights or power dynamics, yet I hope that we can solve our issues not by calling out but with chai, samosas, tears, hugs and then some drinks! I still believe that we can create a reality where intersecting marginalized identities are part and parcel of queer-trans feminism(s), and no one has to prove how marginalized they are to get the rights they deserve.” Photo courtesy Voices Against 377

Commentary Aug '23

In loving memory of discourse

By Rituparna Borah

Rituparna Borah wishes for yesterday once more in debates and dialogues around gender and sexuality – her thoughts for the future on ‘Varta’ webzine completing 10 years

This illustration is a combination of a graphic and an extract from the accompanying article on marriage equality in India. The graphic shows a floral photo frame (orange flowers interspersed with green leaves), but the space for the photo is empty. This is symbolic of the assertion in the article that everyone should be free to fill up this space in the way they find it meaningful – the photo in the frame need not be one of marriage. The extract from the article says: “Of all the petitions on marriage equality being heard by the Supreme Court, the one that stands out is Rituparna Borah & Others Vs. Union of India, which has been filed by four queer-feminist activists and three anonymized couples. The prayers in it go beyond the legal recognition of same sex / same gender marriages. It argues that rather than just rule on the constitutional validity of marriage equality, the court should also grapple with the issue of family diversity as well as protect queer people who face violence from natal families, those who may not want to get married but should be entitled to other rights traditionally emanating from marriage, and those who want to get married, but do not have support from their families.” Graphic credit: OpenClipart on ‘Wikimedia Commons’

Insight, Policy Matters Apr '23

Marriage equality – petitions, pushback and politics

By Namrata, Shreyashi

Namrata and Shreyashi trace the developments in the marriage equality litigation and bring to light issues and claims from queer activists that go beyond marriage equality

This graphic shows a stylized black and white pencil doodle sketch on paper. It shows the facial side profiles of two gender indeterminate individuals looking closely at each other, their eyes locked in a steady gaze, lips not far apart, noses drawn as inverted sevens touching each other, and a heart symbol placed between their foreheads with the curved part of the heart highlighted as the number three. Both individuals have ear tops shaped with different symbols of sexual orientation and gender identity. In effect, the sketch symbolizes Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code and celebrates its reading down by the Supreme Court on September 6, 2018. Right above the sketch is a line that says “Love knows no gender”. The sketch has been modified with Adobe Photoshop filters in such a way that the right half of the sketch is shaded in grey and the left half in white. The two colours roughly overlap with patches of grey on white and vice versa, and flow into each other diagonally towards the centre of the sketch. The rectangular shape of the sketch has a rainbow coloured outline. This graphic is a throwback to a doodle protest campaign launched by ‘Varta’ webzine on the first anniversary of the apex court’s 11.12.13 verdict on Section 377. The doodles were published in the December 2014 issue of ‘Varta’. Graphic credit: Debjyoti Ghosh

Insight Sep '18

When the Constitution came out in flaming rainbow colours!

By Debjyoti Ghosh

Debjyoti Ghosh on Section 377 finally being read out of queer lives in India

This visual is a collection of six photographs that show different scenes from the symposium ‘Queering Mental Health’ organized at Seva Kendra Calcutta Training Centre on August 4, 2018 as ‘Varta’ webzine’s fifth birthday event. The photographs are placed in a grid. Clockwise from top left: Varta literature on display at the symposium; panellists Sudha Jha and Kaushik Gupta; audience interaction during the symposium – a young woman asks a question as other participants look on; panellists Dr. Madhurima Ghosh, Shilpi Banerjee, Shampa Sengupta and Mohit Ranadip; panellists Dr. Chilka, Dr. L. Ramakrishnan, Rituparna Borah and Sayan Bhattacharya; and ‘Varta’ birthday cake – a heart shaped cake with red gleaming icing all over, a “Happy Birthday” plastic prop placed on the top surface, and Varta’s name and a smiley drawn out in yellow icing just below the prop. The photograph of the cake takes up maximum space in the grid, with other equal sized photographs placed above it and to its right. Photo credits: Jia Mata (first two and the last photograph) and Kaushik Gupta (remaining photographs).

Happenings, Insight Aug '18

Symposium on queering mental health

By Jia Mata

Jia Mata was at 'Varta’s' 5th birthday event focussed on queer perspectives on mental health

Happenings Dec '16

Kolkata pride calls for laws that respect human rights

By Kolkata Rainbow Pride Festival

The 15th edition of the ‘Kolkata Rainbow Pride Walk’ is planned for December 11, 2016 – exactly three years since the infamous Supreme Court of India verdict on Section 377,...

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: Queer Feminism

Storytelling through zines

Zenia, ‘Item’ and the future of the (western) queer dream

Queer worldmaking as a form of resilience

Notes on hoping taken from teenage queer fiction

Meandering desire

Where do we go to look for queerness in Kolkata?

How can we be gentle if we aren’t very angry?

On the compulsion to be happy

Queering the family: Tamil Nadu shows the way

In loving memory of discourse

Marriage equality – petitions, pushback and politics

When the Constitution came out in flaming rainbow colours!

Symposium on queering mental health

Kolkata pride calls for laws that respect human rights

Privilege 101: Your handy primer to oppression and privilege

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