Marathi writers talk about tackling LGBTQi issues

Bindumadhav Khire is immensely popular in the LGBTQi circle as a pioneering author whose first selfpublished Marathi novel Partner 2005 explored the life of a single educated middle class gay man Inspired by Khires own life it marked a watershed moment in queer literature by being the first such account penned by an openly gay manWhat lent it gravitas was that it was written in a regional language I deliberately chose Marathi because I realised there was barely any literature on sexual minorities to talk about in the language apart for Vijay Tendulkars Mitrachi Goshta 1981 says the techieturnedactivist But publishers didnt quite buy into the narrative In fact when he approached them with the draft he was told to take it to the shady shops near railway stations where it could be sold alongside porn It was utter garbage they said he recalls Khire then did the next best thing He decided to self publishBindumadhav Khire PicMandar TannuToday he is the author of a string of books on queer issues including Antarang Samalingi MulaMulincha Atmakath Anthology of True Stories of Lesbians and Gays in 2013 Saptaranga a book on transgenders in 2013 Intersex Ek prathamik olakh A primary introduction to intersex in 2015While Khire decided to tap into his own resources Marathi playwright Zameer Kamble who set up Maharashtras first LGBT theatre group galvanised support from fellow theatrepersons when his draft of Off Beat was rejected by the state censor board The story is about a boy who comes out to his grandmother who is reluctant to accept him So Mahesh convinces her to join him and his group consisting of homosexual men transsexuals transgenders and hijras to try to understand their issuesVaishali RodeI wanted no metaphors in the story There were attempts in the past to say it in a more subtle way but I wanted the message to be loud and clear he says Turns out the Censor Boards reason for rejection was that homosexuality doesnt exist in Maharashtra It was funny he laughs After a year of lobbying he finally managed to release the play in 2009 Interestingly all actors were essentially nonactors from the community who were trained by KambleA literary shoutoutStories of struggle among queer regional writers to make works see the light of day come as no surprise in a country that only recently decriminalised homosexuality But things are looking up says Khire No wonder then that he was able to host the first LGBT Marathi literature festival through his NGO Samapathik Trust that works with issues of advocacy for queer communities last month The daylong event was peppered with poetry readings and workshops and participants from Mumbai Aurangabad and LaturDisha SheikhThat theres more acceptance is something that Mumbaibased journalist Vaishali Rode and author of Mi Hijadahellip Mi Laxmi realised when a publisher warmly welcomed her idea of writing a biography on transgender rights activist Laxmi Narayan Tripathi As a journalist I had been chasing her for an interview since 2000 but she would refuse each time But in 2009 when the Delhi high court decriminalised homosexuality the time seemed ripe says the Vile Parle resident As luck would have it Tripathi agreedTalking about his decision to go ahead with the book Arvind Patkar publisher of Manovikas Prakashan adds I felt it was a human rights story that needed to be told That she found support in her family which is rare for a transgender was something that people needed to knowThe book meant delving deep and excavating facts that Laxmi hadnt shared with anybody I realised that she was used to keeping things to herself so to get her to share her innermost feelings with me took time she says The book was in the writing for three yearsWriting for a causeFor many in the LGBTQi community writing while being an antidote to their suffering is also a medium to reach out to a larger audience It is the case with both Khire and Kamble and also applies to aspiring author Disha Sheikh a transwoman from Shrirampur Ahmednagar Writing has been the only constant in my lifeInitially I would only write about my feelings which I couldnt express otherwise she says The musings which were until then restricted to a notebook moved to Facebook three years ago after her break up with a guy who couldnt marry her because his family wouldnt accept it It happened due to societal pressure which is why I wanted to write on a platform where people who could see says Shaikh who has 3K followers on Facebook Today she is a poet TEDx speaker and a proud transwoman striving towards getting her work published She now writes on social issues including menstruation domestic violence and queer issuesWhen she started writing a column for a local newspaper she received both accolades and brickbats For all the congratulatory messages there was equal hate mail Some women wrote to me saying who has given you the right to talk about periods when you havent even experienced it They also wrote to the editor questioning his decision to rope in a transgender columnist but he stood his ground she says She too refused to let it get to her Today Sheikh is the agony aunt and literary guide to fledgling Marathi poetsKhire says he has been reaching out to gays and lesbians in smaller towns through his writing workshops The sessions organised through the grants that his nonprofit receives are held free of cost The age group ranges from 20 to 40 years The participants are taught how to approach facts and ways to identify and respond to homophobic articles This is followed by chronicling personal experiences In smaller towns and villages queer people are invisible he says To drive home the point he gives the example of his recent event where with much difficulty he managed to find one lesbian writer who was willing to share her experience Unfortunately she vanished on them It just goes on to show how much more difficult it is for women to come out he saysCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current 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