Celebrating ones identity with gay abandon

It took a sting operation to get several gay men record their personal testimonies before the Whistling in the Dark -21 queer interviews could really be written,says R Raj Rao,writer and professor of English at the University of Pune.

It took a sting operation to get several gay men record their personal testimonies before the Whistling in the Dark 21 queer interviews could really be written,says R Raj Rao,writer and professor of English at the University of Pune.

A gay writer,Rao celebrates his own identity but the other queer men like him are not that fortunate. And this is precisely why the book was conceived as a non-fiction work of art on the reality of gay men and women from India and abroad.

Cant we just celebrate gay love?, asks Rao,who along with Dibyajyoti Sarma has edited Whistling in the Dark 21 queer interviews. The book,published by Sage Publication,will be officially released at Oxford Book Store in Mumbai on May 6.

In 1999,a few former students and Rao got together to form the Queer Studies Circle,a support group that was concerned with the intellectual,cultural,social and political aspects of being gay in India. We felt that the gay movement had been hijacked and homosexuality was seen as synonymous with HIV/AIDS. This took away the focus on the celebration of gayness itself, Rao says.

So,at our meetings we encouraged people to talk about their personal history. We had people like autorickshaw drivers,masseurs and even people visiting us in Pune from countries like Canada,Spain,Sri Lanka,Mauritius and Iran, he says.

Some of our interviewees have been imprisoned for sex-based crimes and they spoke of their experiences in jails,notorious for the kind of things that go on there. These interviews were surreptitiously conducted in the manner of a Tehelka-type sting operation, says Rao.

Hence we employed various strategies to get them to talk,which included partying with them and taking them on overnight jaunts to hill stations like Matheran. While a majority of interviews in the book appear under assumed names,there are some like Christopher Benninger,Ram Naidu,Hoshang Merchant and Bindumadhav Khire who have readily agreed to being quoted and have spoken about their experiences.

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The aim was to present the life stories as they actually exist,without vetting or editing them in the interest of propriety, says Sarma. The writings encompass several issues that have troubled the community over the years.

These narratives go beyond the commonplace and conventional,providing a rare insight into the private lives of people,some of whom were (at some point of their lives) forced to live their true lives in hiding rather than leave themselves open to the ridicule of society and imprisonment.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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Celebrating ones identity with gay abandon

It took a sting operation to get several gay men record their personal testimonies before the Whistling in the Dark -21 queer interviews could really be written,says R Raj Rao,writer and professor of English at the University of Pune.

Celebrating ones identity with gay abandon