'Varta' Webzine

By Pawan Dhall

Snapshots of eights around us, as ‘Varta’ webzine completes eight years on August 1, 2021

By Shivalal Gautam

‘Sab Rab De Bande’ is an impressive debut film on a sensitive subject by queer activist Sukhdeep Singh, says Shivalal Gautam

By Varta Economic Inclusion Mentoring Forum

Varta’s economic inclusion mentoring forum for queer communities takes off

By Amrita Chanda

Amrita Chanda reports on a recent online interaction on the mental health needs of the caregivers of persons with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic

By Sudipa Chakraborty

Job fairs for queer aspirants in India need a rethink, says Sudipa Chakraborty

By Pawan Dhall

Pawan Dhall shares life-changing moments from the COVID-19 pandemic. Trigger warning // Hospital descriptions, death

By Pradosh Dash

What has changed for the transgender women in Odisha since the COVID-19 pandemic led to the crippling lockdowns of 2020? Pradosh Dash spoke to S. Lipsa Rao, a transgender community...

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

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

By Chand

West Bengal’s trans* and queer communities are formulating a policy and political participation advocacy plan. Chand takes us through the first step taken recently

By Heena

Heena reports on a recent Dol Jatra event in Kalyani organized by queer support forum Nadia Ranaghat Sampriti Society

By Sudipa Chakraborty, Pawan Dhall, Pradosh Dash

Transgender social worker Sudipa Chakraborty has had a harrowing time applying for Swasthya Sathi, West Bengal government’s ambitious health insurance scheme for one and all

By Pawan Dhall, Shivalal Gautam, Sudipa Chakraborty

Pawan Dhall has some random thoughts on education, gender bias and socio-economic exclusion – with inputs from Shivalal Gautam and Sudipa Chakraborty. Trigger alert: Suicide

By Debjyoti Ghosh, Jia Mata, Pawan Dhall

Excerpts from the report of a recent webinar on transgender rights in South Asia organized by Partners for Law in Development and Varta Trust

By Pawan Dhall

Yester-year stores for purchasing foodstuff and monthly provisions are making a comeback in the author’s retail therapy agenda

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