Mahesh Natarajan's first book Pink Sheep is all about being gay and normal in India and does not try to push any issue under the pink carpet

There is nothing queer about being queer is what Mahesh Natarajan says in his first book Pink Sheep. Natrajan, a software engineer with a degree in management and a counselor at present, brings in a collection of 18 stories, which are set in a matter of fact tone with a narrative that looks at alternative sexuality as a natural phenomenon.



The characters of all the stories are people you meet everyday. Their lifestyle, emotions and approach towards life are hardly different from any heterosexual individual. In fact, Pink Sheep may act as an eye opener for all those, who consider gay men to be a group of effeminate beings wearing bright clothes and always talking about life being unjust.

However, Pink Sheep is not an intellectual masterpiece, written in simple language, it talks about how being gay is a part of life and changes nothing else. Natarajan, who has grown up in various towns in Tamil Nadu, successfully brings out what happens when the realisation that you are different dawns upon you and your parents.

But thankfully, there is no melodrama in describing how small town middle class educated parents react to their only son being a homosexual thus making Pink Sheep a subtle, sensitive, balanced and enjoyable read. In a free flowing chat, the city-based Natarajan spoke to us about being the pink sheep of his family and being your average Joe next door.u00a0

Why have you stressed so much on how small town parents accept being queer?
Maybe somewhere, I am a small town boy at heart. While a large number of gay/ lesbian people (and more so for transgenders) have enormous challenges with coming out, it is also true that there is a lot more acceptance than one sees - it is just that in keeping with our Indian culture, the acceptance is understated, mellow and deeply personal. For many people, the simplicity of our faith in the goodness of our gods and the steadfastness of our love is enough to know that our children are being true to themselves, being who they are and that their being gay is not a commentary on one's parenting skills.