Note Worthy

being held in New York for two consecutive years. If the US edition had on stage biggies like Ram Sampath and Zila Khan,at the Lalit Hotel,Delhi,performing for the rights of the LGBT,on November 27,will be the likes of Rekha Bhardwaj,Papon,Alisha Batth and DJ Ma Faiza,among others.

“Art,in all forms,is an incredible transformative space and has been a means of great activism. Rock music has a long history of being a vehicle of social and cultural movement and folk has been used to protest. So a combination of rock,folk and Sufi seemed appropriate,” says Myna Mukherjee,director of Engendered,a transnational arts and human rights organisation that has organised the concert in collaboration with Queer Delhi. While actors like Imran Khan and Celina Jaitley have supported queer rights in the past,Mukherjee notes that it is a task to get celebrities at an event. “We approached several artistes,but very few of them agreed to make themselves available. The chosen artistes are very forward-thinking and they are performing at hugely subsidised rates,” says Mukherjee,adding that filmmaker Onir will also attend

the concert.

“In Delhi,a few years ago,the gay scene was pretty

much underground and not part of the mainstream. With Queer Delhi coming into existence,we have managed to push it to the mainstream,” says Mohnish Malhotra of Queer Delhi.

The artistes,meanwhile,are hoping to initiate a change through their music. “The aim of the artistes is to spread the message of love and equality through their performances. I feel great because it’s for a cause. Moreover,I don’t consider the LGBT community to be any different. I have many gay friends. Even using the word queer,according to me,is not justified,” says Bhardwaj. Papon,the Assamese crooner,adds,“Many of my friends are homosexuals and we discuss the cause. I believe everyone has the right to live the way they want to — what is a democratic country otherwise?”