Live-in relationships, emotional infidelity, inter-faith alliances... we often shy away from a healthy discussion of such topics. Perhaps we are too polite or non-confrontational when it comes to speaking our mind. Or we pretend to be in agreement when we really are not. “The problem in our society is that we are generally averse to conflict and disagreement. We think to disagree is to disrespect,” says Sahithya Jagannathan, TV anchor and model.

Often, when people raise questions of a sensitive nature, they are asked to take the conversation elsewhere. So where can one find a safe zone for open dialogue? This is what came to mind when Siddharth Ganeriwala was at a panel discussion that his event management company, Aura, was coordinating a few months ago.

The idea is to have conversations without turning the process into a conflict. attendees will have opportunities for discussions, debates and q&a sessions, to air differing points of views -- Rajiv Choudhry, experiential facilitator of Taboo

Ganeriwala heard a speaker brush off a question on a sensitive topic with, “I’m not sure this is the right forum to discuss this; perhaps questions like these are meant for more private, one-on-one kind of conversations.”

Clearing the air

Sitting at a city café during our interview, he acknowledges the statement as the genesis of Taboo, an initiative that premiered in Colombo last month, and is now coming to Chennai. “The more I thought about how that speaker chose not to address the proverbial elephant in the room, the more I was convinced about the need for a platform to discuss issues that are labelled taboo,” he says.

People are often scared to voice their views. It’s important to create platforms for them. I think a collective consciousness can help create a sense of solidarity and an open environment for social expression -- Amitash Pradhan, actor and panelist

The half-day event on March 2 will take place at SPI Cinemas, across three screens: Seasons, Six Degrees and Serene. Speakers include Sahithya Jagannathan (live-in relationships), MK Harris (modern-day untouchability), Dr Tara Srinivasan of SCARF (mental health), restaurateur Tarun Mahadevan (on inter-faith alliances) and cosmetologist Jayanthi Ravindran (survival of the prettiest).

Although Ganeriwala is the catalyst of the forum, credit also goes to Success Gyan (seminar organiser), and Leeba Raj, Minnie Abraham, Rajiv Choudhry and Aarti Madhusudan, the curators at Aura.

Everyday niggles

Speaking about the 12 topics that will be addressed by 40 speakers — from emotional infidelity to stay-at-home dads — Aarti Madhusudan, Founder, Governance Counts (an initiative that helps strengthen boards of NGOs), says, “We zeroed in on these issues based on a collective intuitive process and how some of them rankled us, either directly or through experience in our circles of friends, family, etc.”

The initiative is an opportunity for reflection and introspection. sometimes, unwittingly, we harbour habits that we need to think about deliberately, [then] address and perhaps change for the better -- MK Harris, partner-founder of Fruit Shop on Greams Road, and panelist

Also safety [during the discussions] will come from the idea that everyone has a point of view and [can] speak about a topic that resonates with them.”

On March 2, entry at ₹200 (redeemable at food counter). Details: facebook.com/letsbreaktaboos