In small-town India, book seri helps gay men e out of the closet | Rters

Contents:

• AUTHORS GET BOLD AS GAY LERATURE PICKS UP INDIA
• WHY A BOLLYWOOD MEMOIR HAS KICKED UP A STORM ABOUT BEG GAY INDIA
• GAY WRG INDIA - A FIRST COLLECTN OF QUEER POEMS BY SHALEEN RAKH
• IN SMALL-TOWN INDIA, BOOK SERI HELPS GAY MEN E OUT OF THE CLOSET
• 01THE MISTRY OF UTMOST HAPPSANDHATI ROYHOW N ONE GO WRONG WH ANDHATI ROY? AND WHEN SHE WR ABOUT AN INTERSEX CHARACTER G TO TERMS WH THEIR OWN SEXUALY, YOU KNOW ’S GOG TO BE A BETIFUL READ. IN THE MISTRY OF UTMOST HAPPS, AFTAB, BORN A MALE, TRANSNS TO ANJUM, AN TERSEX MLIM WOMAN WHO STRIV TO PROTECT HER MUNY AFTER WNSG MUNAL RTS. NOT ONLY IS THIS BOOK A MENTARY ON CURRENT DAY INDIA, BUT ALSO TACKL THE PLEX SUBJECT OF GENR INTIFITN. BUY HERE. 02KARIAMTA PATILWHAT BETTER WAY TO UNRSTAND SOCIETY THAN TO SEE A GLIMPSE OF A BETIFULLY PICTED STUNNG GRAPHIC NOVEL? IN KARI, TWO YOUNG LBIAN LOVERS ARE DRIVEN TO ATTEMPT SUICI. THEY SURVIVE, BUT ARE FORCED TO GO THEIR SEPARATE WAYS, AND THIS GRAPHIC NOVEL FOC ON THE STORY OF THE EPONYMO KARI. IT TELLS OF HER STGGL TABLISHG HER OWN INTY A TYPIL MORN CY, PRIMARILY HABED BY HETEROSEXUALS AND WHERE LBIANISM IS STILL NSIRED ABNORMAL. THIS BOOK IS A GREAT WAY TO UNRSTAND THE ISSU WH HETERONORMATIVY. BUY HERE. 03A LIFE APARTNEEL MHERJEENEEL MHERJEE’S MAN BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLISTG AND CROSSWORD AWARD-WNG WORK IS A LOT MORE THAN JT A ‘QUEER STORY’. IT IS LAYERED, PLEX, AND TRANSVERS ACROSS SECTNS OF SOCIETI AS WELL AS OF TIME. A YOUNG RWIK GO TO OXFORD TO STUDY, BUT SPENDS MORE TIME ‘CISG’ PUBLIC MEN’S TOILETS, MRS. GILBY LIV AN INDIA THAT IS TRANSNG OM COLONIAL LE TO PENNCE AND MRS. CAMERON ALS WH THE ATH OF HER GAY SON. COMBG MULTIPLE STORYL TO ONE STUNNG NOVEL, A LIFE APART, ALS WH ISSU OF COLONIAL INDIA, THE VLENCE FACED BY HOMOSEXUALS AS WELL AS THE PROBLEMS OF GAY SEX WORK CURRENT TIM, AMONGST OTHER TOPICS.BUY HERE. 04THE TTH ABOUT ME: A HIJRA LIFE STORYA. REVATHI & V. GEETHA (TR.)THE TOBGRAPHY OF A. REVATHI, A TRANSSEXUAL WOMAN WHO IS A LEADG ACTIVIST AND A STRONG VOICE FOR THE HIJRA MUNY, IS A MT-READ TO UNRSTAND THE ISSU FACED BY TRANSSEXUALS AND TERSEX INDIA. ASSIGNED THE MALE GENR AT BIRTH AND NAMED DORIASAMY, REVATHI WAS BULLIED MERCILSLY FOR HER FEME WAYS GROWG UP. IT ULTIMATELY DROVE HER TO N AWAY OM HOME, START LIVG WH THE HIJRA MUNY, UNRGO A PAFUL SEX-CHANGE OPERATN AND RORT TO SEX WORK TO MAKE ENDS MEET. SHE FALLY BE A FAMO ACTIVIST AND THIS BOOK TELLS OF THE PIABLE NDNS WHICH HIJRAS HAVE TO LIVE, THE SEXUAL ABE THEY FACE BY POLICEMEN, THE LACK OF EARNG OPPORTUNI AND THE PREJUDICE, SRN AND EVEN FEAR AFFORD TO THEM BY SOCIETY.BUY HERE. 05A MARRIED WOMANMANJU KAPURTHIS BOOK IS THE STORY OF ASTHA, A WOMAN WHO HAS HAD A TRADNAL ARRANGED MARRIAGE WH A LOVG AND RG BUT NSERVATIVE MAN. SHE HAS TWO CHILDREN AND IS HAPPY ENOUGH WH HER LIFE, BUT REALIS THAT SHE IS ATTRACTED TO WOMEN WHEN SHE ENUNTERS A YOUNGER WOMAN WHO IS A SOCIAL ACTIVIST. ASTHA STGGL TO E TO TERMS WH HER SEXUALY BUT ULTIMATELY REALIS SHE N ONLY BE TLY HAPPY WHEN SHE IS WH THE WOMAN SHE LOV, EVEN IF MEANS FYG SOCIETAL AND FAIAL EXPECTATNS. GIVEN WE LIVE A UNTRY WHERE MANY PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIV WHOUT EVEN REALISG THEIR SEXUAL PREFERENC AND NEEDS, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT READ.BUY HERE. 06THE MAN WHO WOULD BE QUEENHOSHANG MERCHANTTHIS TOBGRAPHIL FICTN, WRTEN THE FORM OF LYRIC SAYS, TELLS THE STORY OF HOSHANG MERCHANT, AN OUT AND PROUD GAY MAN, WHO HAS HAD TO AL WH DYSFUNCTNAL PARENTS, UNACCEPTG SISTERS AND REJECTN OM LOVERS BEE THEY WERE SRED TO E OUT OF THE CLOSET. VIVIDLY SCRIBG HIS SEXUAL ENUNTERS, MERCHANT DON’T SHY AWAY OM TELLG HOW IS- BE THE ISSU RELATED WH BEG OUT A SOCIETY THAT IS PRIMARILY HETEROSEXUAL OR THE NEED FOR CLANSTE AFFAIRS FOR FEAR OF SOCIETAL BACKLASH. THIS BOOK PATS AN ACCURATE BUT YET BETIFULLY WRTEN PICTURE OF WHAT IS TO GROW UP GAY INDIA.BUY HERE. 07SAME-SEX LOVE IN INDIA: A LERARY HISTORYRUTH VANA (ED.) & SALEEM KIDWAI (ED.)IT IS FOOLISH TO THK THAT ‘GAY LERATURE’ IS A NSTCT OF MORN TIM. AS FAR BACK AS 2,000 YEARS AGO, WRGS THAT AL WH HOMOSEXUALY AND GENR FLUIDY HAVE BEEN FOUND. IN SAME-SEX LOVE IN INDIA, VANA AND KIDWAI LLATE AND ED LERARY WORKS OM ANCIENT INDIAN EPICS SUCH AS THE MAHABHARATA, RELIG TEXTS SUCH AS THE RIG VEDA, AND EVEN PRENT-DAY LERARY FICTN. THE WORKS RANGE OM MEMOIRS, BGRAPHI, SHORT STORI, EXCERPTS OM NOVELS AND EVEN LETTERS, AND ALL NTA HOMOSEXUAL THEM. THIS BOOK WILL PROVE THAT ‘QUEERNS’ IS A PART OF INDIAN TRADN AND THE TABOO ASSOCIATED WH IS A RELATIVELY MORN PHENOMENON. BUY HERE. 08MY MAGIL PALACEKUNAL MHERJEEIN MY MAGIL PALACE, RAHUL AND ANDREW ARE LEADG A NTENT LIFE AS A UPLE SAN FRANCIS, BUT RAHUL SUDNLY BE WHDRAWN AND PENSIVE. ANDREW DISVERS THAT RAHUL IS BEG FORCED TO ‘TERVIEW’ GIRLS FOR AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE AT THE BEHT OF HIS PARENTS. ANDREW ASKS RAHUL TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HIM AND A CLOSETED LIFE ONCE AND FOR ALL, BUT IS NOT AN EASY CISN. RAHUL THEN PROCEEDS TO TELL ANDREW ABOUT HIS GROWG UP YEARS, ABOUT HIS STGGL WH ACCEPTG HIS OWN SEXUALY, AND THE DIFFICULTY OF GROWG UP GAY 1970S INDIA. NOT ONLY WILL THIS G-OF-AGE STORY TOUCH YOUR HEART, BUT YOU WILL ALSO APPRECIATE HOW FAR INDIA HAS E OM BEG A PLETELY HOMOPHOBIC SOCIETY TO CRIMALISG HOMOSEXUALY.BUY HERE. 09
• ENGENRG INTI: GAY AND LBIAN CHARACTERS CONTEMPORARY INDIAN ENGLISH YOUNG ADULT FICTN

AUTHORS GET BOLD AS GAY LERATURE PICKS UP INDIA

” It is an tobgraphil acunt of his life as an out and proud gay man India and his views on LGBTQIA+ muny’s reprentatn media, medil scienc and law. Therefore, her work is centred on the Amerin gay rights movement and why should not jt rally for acceptance but for a change the entire societal stcture.

While their poetry, boldly rife wh homoerotic metaphors, often drew the ire of those who saw as an afont to relign, the poets were so eply immersed the thro of passn that they barely registered the external queer poetry is a ccial chapter that is often glossed over durg a ep dive to India's rich lerary history, poet Hoshang Merchant's Yaraana—India’s first gay anthology—published 1999 was stmental creatg more room for queer exprsn.

WHY A BOLLYWOOD MEMOIR HAS KICKED UP A STORM ABOUT BEG GAY INDIA

Yami Krishnan, 21A stunt at Ashoka Universy Haryana, Krishnan's first poem tled ‘An Enchanted Gla’ was spired by Enid Blyton before the famo children's thor was flagged as a racist and sexist homophobe. A book that is very personal yet needs to be read by the public for the social impact ’ll have, the book reunts the abrasive homophobia and jabs that the thor and people om the LGBTQIA+ muny have often faced. This brilliant novel ptur the vibrant gay culture of the cy through the voice of a 40-year old journalist, Yudi and the relatnship he shar wh Mild Mahadik, a Dal boy.

A heart wrenchg read, one that’s filled wh his sire to lead a normal life, away om rampant homophobia and the hypocrisy of society, the narrative is sure to draw you pletely! Amta Patil is said to be one of India’s first Graphic wrers and her first graphic novel Kari explor a gay female protagonist who seems to explore lonels, life and love a btlg cy.

GAY WRG INDIA - A FIRST COLLECTN OF QUEER POEMS BY SHALEEN RAKH

By 2003, R Raj Rao’s novel, “The Boyiend” had an creasgly self-aware, assertive dience, even though the police uld still e creakg, lonial laws to prosecute and homosexual men. Over the next few years, wrers like Neel Mherjee (“A Life Apart”) and Rahul Mehta (“Quarante”) would explore the plexi and nuanc of gay relatnships their wrg. “Conversatns around gay rights and liv of gay men are mostly limed to urban spac, and visibly limed to ‘upper ste’ gay men om the English-speakg populatn, ” says Moulee, Edor of ‘Queer Chennai Chronicl’ and Curator of Queer LFt, Chennai.

The voic of workg-class gay men and Dal-Bahujan gay men are siled, even by the media, which looks for the ‘ial’ urban gay man who they thk reprents the muny. What a gay man or woman unrgo vari om one regn to another India and this alone brgs a sense of uniquens to their stori, which need to be shared. Close01/7LGBTQ+ Books by Indian Authors for a h, new perspectiveIt has been a year sce the Supreme Court scrapped part of Sectn 377 of the Indian Penal Co that crimalized homosexualy, creeg that nsensual sex between same-sex partners is not crimal.

IN SMALL-TOWN INDIA, BOOK SERI HELPS GAY MEN E OUT OF THE CLOSET

It also has personal acunts om those not law, to give a more round Hachettereadmore03/7​​So Now You Know: Growg Up Gay India by Vivek TejujaThis slim book is a great glimpse to the life of a gay man India. It's a memoir which the thor tells, how he realised he was gay young but when he disvered the social perceptn of what he was, how he tried to be anythg but. Filled wh personal and profsnal stori this book is a great take on the importance of Wtlandreadmore05/7​Gay Ins of India by Hoshang Merchant and Akshaya K.

Cholate, a 1924 short story by Hdi wrer Pany Bechan Sharma, examed homoerotic sir while Lihaaf, a 1942 short story by Urdu wrer Ismat Chugtai, subtly explored lbianism.

01THE MISTRY OF UTMOST HAPPSANDHATI ROYHOW N ONE GO WRONG WH ANDHATI ROY? AND WHEN SHE WR ABOUT AN INTERSEX CHARACTER G TO TERMS WH THEIR OWN SEXUALY, YOU KNOW ’S GOG TO BE A BETIFUL READ. IN THE MISTRY OF UTMOST HAPPS, AFTAB, BORN A MALE, TRANSNS TO ANJUM, AN TERSEX MLIM WOMAN WHO STRIV TO PROTECT HER MUNY AFTER WNSG MUNAL RTS. NOT ONLY IS THIS BOOK A MENTARY ON CURRENT DAY INDIA, BUT ALSO TACKL THE PLEX SUBJECT OF GENR INTIFITN. BUY HERE. 02KARIAMTA PATILWHAT BETTER WAY TO UNRSTAND SOCIETY THAN TO SEE A GLIMPSE OF A BETIFULLY PICTED STUNNG GRAPHIC NOVEL? IN KARI, TWO YOUNG LBIAN LOVERS ARE DRIVEN TO ATTEMPT SUICI. THEY SURVIVE, BUT ARE FORCED TO GO THEIR SEPARATE WAYS, AND THIS GRAPHIC NOVEL FOC ON THE STORY OF THE EPONYMO KARI. IT TELLS OF HER STGGL TABLISHG HER OWN INTY A TYPIL MORN CY, PRIMARILY HABED BY HETEROSEXUALS AND WHERE LBIANISM IS STILL NSIRED ABNORMAL. THIS BOOK IS A GREAT WAY TO UNRSTAND THE ISSU WH HETERONORMATIVY. BUY HERE. 03A LIFE APARTNEEL MHERJEENEEL MHERJEE’S MAN BOOKER PRIZE SHORTLISTG AND CROSSWORD AWARD-WNG WORK IS A LOT MORE THAN JT A ‘QUEER STORY’. IT IS LAYERED, PLEX, AND TRANSVERS ACROSS SECTNS OF SOCIETI AS WELL AS OF TIME. A YOUNG RWIK GO TO OXFORD TO STUDY, BUT SPENDS MORE TIME ‘CISG’ PUBLIC MEN’S TOILETS, MRS. GILBY LIV AN INDIA THAT IS TRANSNG OM COLONIAL LE TO PENNCE AND MRS. CAMERON ALS WH THE ATH OF HER GAY SON. COMBG MULTIPLE STORYL TO ONE STUNNG NOVEL, A LIFE APART, ALS WH ISSU OF COLONIAL INDIA, THE VLENCE FACED BY HOMOSEXUALS AS WELL AS THE PROBLEMS OF GAY SEX WORK CURRENT TIM, AMONGST OTHER TOPICS.BUY HERE. 04THE TTH ABOUT ME: A HIJRA LIFE STORYA. REVATHI & V. GEETHA (TR.)THE TOBGRAPHY OF A. REVATHI, A TRANSSEXUAL WOMAN WHO IS A LEADG ACTIVIST AND A STRONG VOICE FOR THE HIJRA MUNY, IS A MT-READ TO UNRSTAND THE ISSU FACED BY TRANSSEXUALS AND TERSEX INDIA. ASSIGNED THE MALE GENR AT BIRTH AND NAMED DORIASAMY, REVATHI WAS BULLIED MERCILSLY FOR HER FEME WAYS GROWG UP. IT ULTIMATELY DROVE HER TO N AWAY OM HOME, START LIVG WH THE HIJRA MUNY, UNRGO A PAFUL SEX-CHANGE OPERATN AND RORT TO SEX WORK TO MAKE ENDS MEET. SHE FALLY BE A FAMO ACTIVIST AND THIS BOOK TELLS OF THE PIABLE NDNS WHICH HIJRAS HAVE TO LIVE, THE SEXUAL ABE THEY FACE BY POLICEMEN, THE LACK OF EARNG OPPORTUNI AND THE PREJUDICE, SRN AND EVEN FEAR AFFORD TO THEM BY SOCIETY.BUY HERE. 05A MARRIED WOMANMANJU KAPURTHIS BOOK IS THE STORY OF ASTHA, A WOMAN WHO HAS HAD A TRADNAL ARRANGED MARRIAGE WH A LOVG AND RG BUT NSERVATIVE MAN. SHE HAS TWO CHILDREN AND IS HAPPY ENOUGH WH HER LIFE, BUT REALIS THAT SHE IS ATTRACTED TO WOMEN WHEN SHE ENUNTERS A YOUNGER WOMAN WHO IS A SOCIAL ACTIVIST. ASTHA STGGL TO E TO TERMS WH HER SEXUALY BUT ULTIMATELY REALIS SHE N ONLY BE TLY HAPPY WHEN SHE IS WH THE WOMAN SHE LOV, EVEN IF MEANS FYG SOCIETAL AND FAIAL EXPECTATNS. GIVEN WE LIVE A UNTRY WHERE MANY PEOPLE LIVE THEIR LIV WHOUT EVEN REALISG THEIR SEXUAL PREFERENC AND NEEDS, THIS IS AN IMPORTANT READ.BUY HERE. 06THE MAN WHO WOULD BE QUEENHOSHANG MERCHANTTHIS TOBGRAPHIL FICTN, WRTEN THE FORM OF LYRIC SAYS, TELLS THE STORY OF HOSHANG MERCHANT, AN OUT AND PROUD GAY MAN, WHO HAS HAD TO AL WH DYSFUNCTNAL PARENTS, UNACCEPTG SISTERS AND REJECTN OM LOVERS BEE THEY WERE SRED TO E OUT OF THE CLOSET. VIVIDLY SCRIBG HIS SEXUAL ENUNTERS, MERCHANT DON’T SHY AWAY OM TELLG HOW IS- BE THE ISSU RELATED WH BEG OUT A SOCIETY THAT IS PRIMARILY HETEROSEXUAL OR THE NEED FOR CLANSTE AFFAIRS FOR FEAR OF SOCIETAL BACKLASH. THIS BOOK PATS AN ACCURATE BUT YET BETIFULLY WRTEN PICTURE OF WHAT IS TO GROW UP GAY INDIA.BUY HERE. 07SAME-SEX LOVE IN INDIA: A LERARY HISTORYRUTH VANA (ED.) & SALEEM KIDWAI (ED.)IT IS FOOLISH TO THK THAT ‘GAY LERATURE’ IS A NSTCT OF MORN TIM. AS FAR BACK AS 2,000 YEARS AGO, WRGS THAT AL WH HOMOSEXUALY AND GENR FLUIDY HAVE BEEN FOUND. IN SAME-SEX LOVE IN INDIA, VANA AND KIDWAI LLATE AND ED LERARY WORKS OM ANCIENT INDIAN EPICS SUCH AS THE MAHABHARATA, RELIG TEXTS SUCH AS THE RIG VEDA, AND EVEN PRENT-DAY LERARY FICTN. THE WORKS RANGE OM MEMOIRS, BGRAPHI, SHORT STORI, EXCERPTS OM NOVELS AND EVEN LETTERS, AND ALL NTA HOMOSEXUAL THEM. THIS BOOK WILL PROVE THAT ‘QUEERNS’ IS A PART OF INDIAN TRADN AND THE TABOO ASSOCIATED WH IS A RELATIVELY MORN PHENOMENON. BUY HERE. 08MY MAGIL PALACEKUNAL MHERJEEIN MY MAGIL PALACE, RAHUL AND ANDREW ARE LEADG A NTENT LIFE AS A UPLE SAN FRANCIS, BUT RAHUL SUDNLY BE WHDRAWN AND PENSIVE. ANDREW DISVERS THAT RAHUL IS BEG FORCED TO ‘TERVIEW’ GIRLS FOR AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE AT THE BEHT OF HIS PARENTS. ANDREW ASKS RAHUL TO CHOOSE BETWEEN HIM AND A CLOSETED LIFE ONCE AND FOR ALL, BUT IS NOT AN EASY CISN. RAHUL THEN PROCEEDS TO TELL ANDREW ABOUT HIS GROWG UP YEARS, ABOUT HIS STGGL WH ACCEPTG HIS OWN SEXUALY, AND THE DIFFICULTY OF GROWG UP GAY 1970S INDIA. NOT ONLY WILL THIS G-OF-AGE STORY TOUCH YOUR HEART, BUT YOU WILL ALSO APPRECIATE HOW FAR INDIA HAS E OM BEG A PLETELY HOMOPHOBIC SOCIETY TO CRIMALISG HOMOSEXUALY.BUY HERE. 09

His only sire is to lead a peaceful existence wh digny and at least ignore, if not stop, the rampant homophobia he is faced wh equently sce his youth.

ENGENRG INTI: GAY AND LBIAN CHARACTERS CONTEMPORARY INDIAN ENGLISH YOUNG ADULT FICTN

Hoshang Merchant is nsired as the first openly gay poet of pennt India and Yaraana, eded by him, is perhaps the first gay anthology published the untry. Image source, AFPImage ptn, Karan Johar is one of Bollywood's most fluential directorsBollywood director and talk show host Karan Johar's tobgraphy has kicked off a loud bate on beg gay India, wr Sudha G Tilak. Which is why I Karan Johar will not say the three words that possibly everybody knows about me, " Johar says the tle of his memoir, An Unsuable Boy, is a play on A Suable Boy, the novel by award-wng Indian thor Vikram has publicly spoken up agast a dranian Indian law that crimalis homosexualy.

However, Johar's memoir, -thored wh journalist Poonam Saxena, do not do Bollywood's buddg filmmakers, activists and Twterati have e down on him sayg he has only trivialised beg gay his films.