Amid the hustle and bustle near the Kempegowda Metro Station, the colours of the rainbow gradually unfurled under the Sunday afternoon sun.
Around 1.45 pm, with a few minutes for this year’s Pride March to kick off, colourfully attired people started to arrive at the entrance of Chikka Lalbagh, the starting point. Old friends greeted each other in delight, exchanged hugs and introduced others they had brought along.
“I’ve been coming for the Bengaluru Pride for four years now, and I never miss a chance to dress up,” said Sidharth, who’s gay. “Earlier, I only used to wear a piece
or two of jewellery; now I go all out.”
Ram Rao, a Chennai-based Bengalurean, was in the city for the march for the second time, all decked up in his aunt’s bright pink sari. “My 12-year-old niece was very particular that she should be the one to do the mehendi designs for me,” he said, holding out his palms. “I’m gay and I believe that gender is a fluid concept, so I deliberately kept my beard.”
He chose to wear a sari because he feels transgenders are looked upon with distrust and fear. “I’ve only been in this sari for an hour, but coming in the cab, I felt quite scared because of the way people were looking at me. I’d really like to dress up in women’s clothes more often but I feel too intimidated,” he confided.
For Dev, a bi-sexual from Chennai, the Bengaluru Pride is a “happy pilgrimage, rather like going to Tirupati or Sabarimala is for others”. “We get together not merely as a community, but more as a family. We spread awareness in the hope that people will be more accepting of the identities of the LGBTQ (Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transsexual-Queer) people in their families,” he says.
He clarified that what the community seeks from the society is not monetary support, but love and affection. Suraj Manikandan, who identifies as gay, chipped in: “After all, India is such a diverse country, and all of us think and feel differently. But, at the end of the day, we are all from the same bowl of humanity.”
Mini, an architecture student participating in the march for the first time, admitted she wasn’t always supportive of the queer community.
“Over the last couple of years, thanks to the internet, that has changed. Now, I’m in full support of the cause,” she explained. Chennai-based Johnson, who was in the city for the Pride, sported a wreath of roses around his head. He was also handing out pink ones to everyone in sight. “This (The Pride March) is our way of showing our power, raising our voice against Section 377,” he said.