We have to keep fighting until Sec 377 becomes history

'Kya yeh mera beta hai'? Read the opening line of an invite of —'Ek Madhav Baug'— a critically acclaimed play, recited by actor Mona Ambegaonkar at an auditorium in Nagpur recently, that left the audience with one hard-hitting question; what if their son, brother, sister or a friend is LGBTQ? Will they accept them or simply push them away? This was the impact the play had on the audience, who lived a mother's journey into her gay son's closet and his self-acceptance.
The play was organised by Sarathi Trust, a community based organisation working for the rights and upliftment of the LGBTQ community. This was the third time, Ek Madhav Baug, a play written by late dramatist Chetan Datar was being staged in Nagpur but this year, the response was better compared t o the last ones. Actress Mona Ambegaonkar left an indelible mark on the audience with the solo recital. And everyone really appreciated the play.
When we caught up with the actress, she said, "I am humbled with the response in the city but this is just the beginning of the fight. We have
to keep fighting until Sec 377 becomes a history. It was good to see a decent turnout for the play in Nagpur but this is not enough to fight for equality. Countries around the world are recognising gay marriages and we are slashing funds for the outreach programmes."



We saw member of Sarathi Turst Anand Chandrani, Nikunj Joshi, Vidya Kamble among others at the play. Also present on the occasion were Father Thomas Ninan, MLA Dr Milind Mane here.