While Pride Festival is increasingly celebrated worldwide, India is catching up with the phenomenon. From several brands adding the colour band of rainbow to their logos to holding marches, walks and parades, the Pride festival commemorates the hardships confronted by the precursors of the LGBTQ community and celebrates their presence, dignity and self-respect.
On 12th September afternoon, hundreds of LGBTQIA+ community members and allies came together to participate Tripura’s first ever Queer Pride Walk followed by a cultural evening organized by ‘Swabhiman’, a social-welfare society. With colourful banners, posters, flags and in extravagant attire, many danced to the dhaak beats throughout the march from Umakanta Academy’s playground to Swami Vivekananda Maidan, Agartala.
In an interview, the Swabhiman President, Sneha Gupta Roy said, “Swabhiman, with the help and support of everyone has finally manifested Tripura’s first ever Pride Walk. This is to solely sensitize and spread awareness amongst people about the existence of LGBTQIA+ community and their right to a discrimination-free, democratic way of life. We ask to be recognized and accepted as equal as other citizens of the country and exercise constitutional rights.”
Asserting the need to constitute a Transgender Welfare Board in the state that safeguards the rights of the queer community, Gupta Roy added “The society must accept us as we are. We too are a part of the society and hence, not to be discriminated against. The reason behind social prejudices, discrimination and injustice appropriated against us is remarkably, the lack of awareness. We too have the right to live life with respect and dignity and to do that, the Central government must work towards the skill development of the community and generate employment opportunities that can prevent the members of the community from resorting to unethical means of income and hence be socially marginalized.”
The Queer Pride Festival was followed by a cultural evening and Queer Met Gala Fashion Pride ‘Satrangi’ hosted at Rabindra Satabarishiki Bhavan. The programme was presided over by Swabhiman President Smt. Sneha Gupta Roy, MLA of Teliamura constituency and present Government Chief Whip of Tripura Legislative Assembly, Smt. Kalyani Roy, Smt. Anindita Roy, proprietor of Mauls Boutique, Mumbai-based queer activist and celebrity Pooja Sharma as the special guest and society’s Secretary, Sidhharta Gope. Members of the Swabhiman, distinguished guests, elite guardians and members of the LGBTQIA+ community enthusiastically attended the function. The cultural programme was based on the theme of ‘Satrangi’, meaning seven colours of the rainbow which were meant to represent togetherness, since LGBTQIA+ people come in all races, ages and genders and serve as a symbol of LGBTQIA+ pride which continues to unite people of the LGBTQIA+ community. The programme encompassed an array of cultural events including solo song, solo dance, dance drama, a fashion show by members of the queer community and a performance by the state’s renowned rock band ‘Dabanol’.
“It is our and everyone’s responsibility to come together in wholeheartedly accepting them as mere humans and be an inclusive society. The Pride festival is an initiative to spread awareness about the LGBTQIA+ community and the government will certainly take necessary steps towards their development as full-fledged citizens”, the MLA said in her valuable speech.
The cultural evening was concluded with a touching speech of the special guest Pooja Sharma who emphasised on the ordeals regularly faced by the LGBTQIA+ community and urged for the queer to be accepted with dignity and loved for who they are by the society.