Tag: Queer Relationships | Page 2

Vartanama Jul '23

Tensions of the past and future

By Pawan Dhall

An imperfect digest of ‘Varta’ webzine’s journey through a decade of climaxes, anti-climaxes, and explorations for a social G-spot

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 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

Printed Word, Vartanama Feb '23

In search of an ideal world, or at least a better one

By Pawan Dhall

Sharif D. Rangnekar’s new book 'Queersapien' takes you through a self-reflective account across countries, cultures and issues

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 illustration shows a copy of the reply received from the LIC against the application filed by queer couple Suchandra Das and Sree Mukherjee under the RTI Act, 2005. The couple had asked if it was possible for them to nominate anyone who was not related to them by birth, consanguinity, marriage or adoption as a nominee for their insurance policies. The reply clearly states that there is no illegality in nominating any person, including a stranger or a legal entity. This part of the reply has been highlighted in the illustration in red colour. The reply also has details pertaining to other minor queries filed in the RTI application. The reply, dated April 26, 2022, is printed on the official letterhead of the LIC and carries details such as the name and signature of the LIC official concerned and the address of the LIC office in Delhi. The residential address of Suchandra Das and Sree Mukherjee has been redacted for reasons of confidentiality. Copy of reply courtesy Suchandra Das and Sree Mukherjee

Advice - Rights and Laws Oct '22

Clearing the mist on banking and insurance nomination rules

By Kaushik Gupta

Queer individuals in India can designate their partners or friends as nominees and successors for their bank accounts and insurance policies. Kaushik Gupta elaborates

This is a group photograph taken at the end of an event organized at Deshaj Café and Store on June 4, 2022 to mark the completion of 100 monthly issues of ‘Varta’ webzine in April 2022. The photograph shows 13 individuals standing or sitting in three rows, smiling and facing the camera. The individuals include Varta Trustees, members, staff members, and well-wishers, representing a mix of different genders and sexualities. In the background can be seen the café’s book racks, wall hangings and a wall-mounted television set. In the forefront, to the right edge of the photograph, a few pieces of the cake cut on the occasion can be seen kept on a side table. Photo credit: Swati Das

Happenings, Insight Aug '22

Words and art from the heart

By Swati Das

A round-up of events organized to mark 100 monthly issues of ‘Varta’ webzine by Swati Das

This is a graphic that shows the following quote written inside a heart shape: “I believe in true love, and there doesn’t have to be just one.” Two similar other heart shapes can be seen behind the first one, partially visible and placed in an assymetrical manner, giving the impression of there being several heart shapes. The heart shapes are filled in with different hues – light blue, peach and yellow – and have colourful, porous or dotted borders. The quote presented in the graphic has been borrowed from a website called Quotes Gram. Graphic artwork credit: Pawan Dhall

Vartanama Jun '22

Of life and many loves

By Debjyoti Ghosh

Debjyoti Ghosh elaborates on a webinar he moderated on polyamory on June 17, 2022 – with inputs from Arkadeepra Purkayastha

This graphic is a colourful collage of a number of film stills from the songs and films mentioned in the accompanying article. Clockwise from top left, there are stills from Aga Bai (Aiyyaa), Girls Like to Swing (Dil Dhadakne Do), Mann Kyon Mehka Ri Mehka (Utsav), Khwab Bankar Koi Ayega (Razia Sultan), Raat Akeli Hai (Jewel Thief), Haye Haye Yeh Majboori (Roti Kapada Aur Makaan) and Aga Bai (Aiyyaa) again. The collage is made of cuttings from computer printouts of the film stills. It is placed on an off-white background, with a few hand-drawn pastel sketches in black on the edges of the collage. On the top left, there is a sketch of an unspooling film reel, and at the bottom right, there is a sketch of a movie camera. Graphic credit: Souvik Rakshit

Cinemascope, Insight May '22

‘Aa jaane jaan . . .’

By Jia Mata, Lipikor

Jia Mata and Lipikor on portrayals of female desire in Bollywood films and songs

This illustration is a poster of the film ‘Gay India Matrimony’. On a deep-yellow background sprinkled with multi-coloured hearts and stars, the name of the film is presented in stylized text in English and Hindi inside a heart shape created by a wedding garland. The garland is white with patterns of green and red. Dangling from the lower end of the garland are the symbols for love between two women and between two men, and another that depicts transgender identity. The film credits are provided at the bottom of the poster in English and Hindi. Poster artwork credit: Abhro Banerjee

Cinemascope Apr '22

Queering the marriage story pitch

By Karthik Hebbar

Karthik Hebbar reviews 'Gay India Matrimony', a documentary film by Debalina, one of India’s most exciting queer filmmakers

This visual is a photograph of a sketch drawn on a ringed note pad with plain off-white paper. The sketch shows an orange barrel full of yellow-green toxic waste with the label “Warning!!! Toxic relationships!!” The barrel also has a sign of a heart with cross-bones along with the hazardous waste symbol. The sign is placed in the centre, between the two lines of text mentioned. The toxic waste is overflowing from the top of the barrel and there are several red flags sticking out of the barrel with labels like “Insecurity”, “Gaslighting”, “Controlling”, “Isolating” and “Lack of Respect”, all telltale signs of toxic relationships. Artwork and photograph credit: Debjyoti Ghosh

Insight Apr '22

Logging out of toxic relationships

By Jia Mata

Jia Mata on social norms, toxicity in queer relationships, and what can be done to make things better

Insight, Printed Word Feb '22

‘Bhalo Na Basar Galpo’

By Dr. Tirthankar Guha Thakurta

Dr. Tirthankar Guha Thakurta reviews Sudipto Pal’s same-sex yet universal love story of ‘not being in love’

This lead graphic has text that says: “Queer cohabitation requires diverse support systems and services in addition to the protection that the law of the land extends to queer couples. These systems and services must address the socio-cultural barriers that the queer couples are bound to encounter. It’s unlikely that queer cohabitation can succeed just on islands of legal approval surrounded by a sea of family and social disapproval.” The text in black is superimposed on a background that shows a random spread of numerous heart shapes, some interlinked or coupled, others lying single and asunder, in different angles. The heart shapes are in a mix of steel grey, light blue and sea green colours, and form a striking backdrop to the text. Graphic credit: Pawan Dhall (graphic based on Clip Art by Microsoft Office)

Insight Aug '21

In the matter of queer relationships – court approval vs. social disapproval

By Diksha Sanyal

What is life like for Indian queer couples who win court approval of their right to cohabit? An analysis by Diksha Sanyal with inputs from Pawan Dhall

This photograph is a striking long shot of the early morning sky taken from the balcony in Mayuri’s home. A major part of this vertical oriented photograph consists of silver-white clouds flecking a blue sky like a carpet right up to the horizon, where a rising sun has painted the sky in hues of orange and pink. A few buildings and trees can be seen in the near distance, somewhat still in the dark, with a number of hills rising behind them in the far distance. The entire scene is one of morning calm symbolizing peace and positivity. Photo credit: Mayuri

Coronavirus Diary, Insight, People Oct '20

Lockdown takeaways: Achieving higher ground

By Rudrani Rajkumari

In this second paired narrative of queer lives during the lockdown in Assam, Shivalal Gautam tells us how two queer women negotiated multiple trials and reached a better place in...

The graphic shows a circular word cloud formed with terms and expressions used in the accompanying article. For example, ‘domestic violence’, ‘marriage’, ‘coercion’, ‘family violence’, ‘eviction’, ‘threats’, ‘police’, ‘queer’ and so on. The text in the word cloud is in a light colour and stands against a background of deep blue. The circular word cloud is itself placed on a black rectangular shape with fuzzy outlines, and this rectangle is placed on a background made up of the rainbow pride flag colours. The word cloud, the rectangle and their colouration are meant to symbolize a reality check when it comes to the experiences of queer people in India even after decriminalization. Graphic credit: Pawan Dhall

Advice - Rights and Laws Sep '20

Stay home, stay safe?

By Diksha Sanyal

COVID-19 lockdowns may eventually go, but domestic violence against queer persons not quite so. Diksha Sanyal offers some legal solutions

Tagged Under: Queer Relationships

Tensions of the past and future

Flow of love and life

All this marriage (equality) talk!

Marriage equality – petitions, pushback and politics

In search of an ideal world, or at least a better one

Decriminalized but not destigmatized

Clearing the mist on banking and insurance nomination rules

Words and art from the heart

Of life and many loves

‘Aa jaane jaan . . .’

Queering the marriage story pitch

Logging out of toxic relationships

‘Bhalo Na Basar Galpo’

In the matter of queer relationships – court approval vs. social disapproval

Lockdown takeaways: Achieving higher ground

Stay home, stay safe?

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