In September, when the Supreme Court struck down a 19th century law criminalising homosexuality in India, there was widespread jubilation in the classrooms of Bombay International School (BIS). While the Std 11 and 12 students at the Babulnath outpost recall shedding a few tears of joy, the Std VI students proudly claim that they, in fact, had a role to play in the delivery of the landmark judgment. For, it was in March 2017 that 35 students from their class [then in Std V at the Churchgate outpost] had appealed to the government to do away with the draconian law. The document, containing signatures from parents, teachers and students, was sent to Humsafar Trust. They had also gone a step further and sent an email to principal Dr Cyrus Vakil to hire a transgender teacher.

A year later, the momentum is far from running thin. If anything, it is only gaining steam. And, a large part of this "silent revolution" can be attributed to a 15-member student collective titled Garv. A brainchild of former student Kabir Karamchandani, the support group was formed in February last year to address homophobia on school premises. "What prompted me was the casual and rampant use of homophobic language in everyday conversation. This can be especially challenging for young people as they're developing their identity. It was an issue that needed to be addressed," he tells us in an email interview. He then approached the teachers who were, by and large, supportive of the initiative. While some teachers did show resistance to have their students spoken to about these issues, Karamchandani says he was lucky enough to have the approval of the principal. While the 20-year-old may be miles away pursuing his higher education in Oberlin, Ohio, his legacy is being carried forward by a dedicated team of "woke" boys and girls. "Dad, this is gender stereotyping"