With his head held high

A track titled ‘Head Held High’ was released recently as a dedication to the gay movement in India. This first-of-its-kind track revolves around the confusion, dilemma, pain and affirmation of a gay individual.

It’s more of a story and yet filled with messages which could contribute to the human rights movement in India and elsewhere.

Sharif D Rangnekar, the writer of the song, spoke to Metrolife on what inspired him to come with the poignant lyrics. “There aren’t many English songs composed out of India. So for a song like this to get so many views is amazing. In a day or two, over 8, 200 people had viewed the song,” he says.

Terming the track as a “sense of responsibility”, he says, “It has been amazing to see how sensitively people have responded to it. Besides, writing it didn’t take long.” A journalist for over ten years, Sharif soon realised that he had a penchant for writing poetry and songs. He generally gets an idea and goes with the flow and within minutes, a song is ready! “Even this didn’t take me more than half an hour,” he notes.

Lamenting at the condition of the gay community in India, he says, “It’s sad that the community lives in fear and isolation. In fact, there are many who regret being gay just because of the abuse they face. Then there are many who even get married because of the social stigma associated with being gay,” he notes. Even the notion that the society has of ‘a couple’ bogs them down, according to him.

“The whole idea of a couple is a man and a woman. In such a situation, you start challenging what you see. Even when you find true love, you want to share it with everyone especially your parents. In such a situation, you first face confusion, then clarity and then you start finding yourself in others,” he answers.  And it’s not just in India that the song was received well.

 “Many gay people in Vancouver appreciated it. There were groups in Tampa and the London School of Economics who loved it. In fact, one young gay person even termed it is an anthem. Even on Twitter, people like Raghu Dixit retweeted it!”

He explains that songs like these come out of “love and passion” and that there are two more songs he is working on. And of course he is strictly against Section 377. “It’s important to contribute to the movement,” he sums up.