Pride, politics, poetry: an online queer fest to attend this weekend

This weekend, December 5 and 6, will see the second edition of the Rainbow Literature Festival take place in a digital avatar, called Digital & One, thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year’s inaugural edition, Delhi’s first queer literature festival, was a resounding success. Its feted speakers’ list included the likes of Supreme Court advocate Menaka Guruswamy, Anjali Gopalan of the Naz Foundation, National Award-winning filmmaker and scriptwriter Apurva Asrani, debut novelist Nemat Sadat, filmmaker Ghazal Dhaliwal, and writer-publisher Urvashi Butalia among many others, setting the bar high for this year’s sophomore edition.

“Our collective view was to celebrate a year since the Rainbow Literature Festival took birth,” says festival director Sharif D Rangnekar, author of Straight to Normal: My Life As A Gay Man. “By mid September, I kicked off work on Digital & One. With pretty much no staff to help, I created the initial design and shot off emails to prospective speakers, many of whom responded soon, ensuring that by the third week of October I had all the panels in place.”

As events went virtual this year, many festivals found themselves with access to speakers they would not normally have been able to include if it were an on-ground event. It’s no different for Digital & One, whose keynote speakers are Dr Bibek Debroy (author, economist and chair of the prime minister’s Economic Council) and Dr Shashi Tharoor (author and MP). “This is probably the first time that leaders and thinkers of this stature are addressing a queer-centric event,” says Rangnekar. “Given Dr Debroy’s work, we can expect to hear his views on India’s liberal past and how he views gender fluidity. His thoughts may tie in with a growing assumption and belief that we lost much of our culture due to colonial rule. Dr Tharoor, meanwhile, is expected to share his thoughts on what our next steps should be and why each of us who belong to this nation must have equal rights as we are all citizens of India. He will also talk about queer presence in politics and the path forward.”

Other speakers of note include the activist Dhiren Borisa; filmmaker Faraz Arif Ansari; singer-songwriter Jay Anand; filmmaker, painter, animation artist and visiting faculty at NID, Pradipta Ray; Chef Ritu Dalmia; Sakshi Juneja, founder and editor of Gaysi; queer activist and trans* advocate Santa Khurai; Vivek Sahni, the co-founder and CEO of Kama Ayurveda; Vyjayanti Vasanta Mogli, founding member of the Telangana Hijra Transgender Samiti; and Akhil Katyal and Aditi Angiras, whose anthology of queer poetry The World That Belongs To Us (featuring the works of luminaries such as Hoshang Merchant, Ruth Vanita, Suniti Namjoshi, Kazim Ali and Rajiv Mohabir, among others) emerged as one of the year’s most profound reads, centred as it was on contemporary queer poetry.

Three queer Indie artists, Smruti Jalpur, John Oinam and Leon D’Souza are also scheduled to perform, with out-gay comedian Navin Noronha finally closing the show on Sunday.

With an exhausting schedule packed with amazing speakers addressing a series of important issues and giving voice to the concerns of the LGBTQIA+ community, there’s a lot planned for the two-day event. To help you decide, here’s our pick of a few key panels:

Day 1, Saturday, December 5

11.30am: Keynote address by Dr Shashi Tharoor

1pm: The Past, The Present Continuous – Does History Matter?: How the past and present will shape the future, viewed in the context of pride and politics.

2pm: Divide, Minus, Equal To?: Queer folx in India have multiple identities. Being queer is just one of them. This discussion seeks to create dialogue and greater understanding and awareness on intersectionality—of sexuality, community, religion, caste, disability and more.

6.35pm: Diasporic Connections – Influences Over Space And Race: A look at the influence of the art, film, music and dance, through the lens of the queer diaspora.

9.05pm: Transiting Change In A Metro: A conversation between transgender activist Abhina Aher and her ‘daughter' Mahi Gupta, who works at the Noida Sector 50 metro station, which also employs other trans* folx, shedding light on how the trans* community creates its own family and what it takes to get a job in an often unkind society when you are trans*.

Day 2, Sunday, December 6

11.30am: Keynote address by Dr Bibek Debroy

12.05pm: In Search Of An Ideal Film

Bollywood hasn’t been particularly kind to queer folx. From caricatures to stereotypes, the Hindi film industry has often relied on one-dimensional and often unfair portrayals of LGBTQIA+ characters. So where do we go from here?

17.05pm: Is Home Where The Hurt Is?

For some people, home is a safe space. But for many, especially queer folx, it can be a dangerous place. This year, the pandemic has relegated us to our homes. For those who consider them sanctuaries, it’s been a respite. But for others, it can be a difficult time.

6pm: Instinctive Leadership: Shaping The Workplace Culture

The importance of inclusion in the workplace. Is D&I a buzzword? Do companies put their money where their mouth is? All this and more, plus why an inclusive workplace is actually a happier one.

7.10pm: Poetic Justice

The role of poetry, and how and why it inspires us and shapes the world.

For the complete schedule and to register, visit Rainbowliteraturefestival.com. Registration closes at 5pm on Friday, December 4

Also read:

LGBTQ+ Indians on navigating self-isolation, love and mental health in the time of the coronavirus

5 queer Indian influencers you should be following on Instagram