Journalism of Courage
What was earlier a synonym for oddity and aberration became an umbrella term for the gamut of alternative sexuality. The word queer has come a long way,so much so that it now classifies a genre of literature. In the city,while some authors challenge the perceptions of a society biased in favour of heterosexual behaviour,there are those who only focus on the telling of a story.
The term queer literature is important because it must forge an aesthetic of its own, says R Raj Rao,a city-based writer. Rao has written volumes of poetry and books on homosexuality. Poems from his collection Bomgay (2006) went on to become a film by the same name.
An established genre of literature in the Western world,queer literature is gradually emerging in India too. But,as Rao puts it,In this country,the issue gets fore-grounded. Though he has no issues with the classification of subjects,Rao is emphatic that the writers responsibility is to the art of writing not the activism it effects.
But Bindumadhav Khire,author of queer fiction and non-fiction,believes otherwise. Since he disclosed about his orientation to his family and friends,Khire has been dedicated to the cause of spreading awareness about queer sub-cultures and their de-stigmatisation.
Khire wrote his first book
Partner (2004)in English,a work of fiction about a homosexual man coming out to a homophobic society. I drew much from my own experiences while writing the book, admits Khire.
During his early years of activism,he noticed that the people he was trying to reach out to didnt know English. I would often come across people from the queer communities in rural Maharashtra and wanted to cater to them as well, he says.
Khire then began putting together non-fiction pieces in Marathi into anthologies such as Indradhanu (2008),Manachie Gunti (2013),Saptasanga (2013) and Antaranga (2013). They sought to educate on topics such as forms of sexuality,transgender communities,parents of gay children and true stories.
People from queer communities often feel seclusion and an absolute lack of expression. The stories in these anthologies have been contributed by queer people. These books tell the readers that they are not alone, says Khire.
One such contributor to Khires anthologies is writer-playwright Zameer Kamble,who had first written a play about himself called Off Beat,which is a musical in Marathi. Kamble deals with facets of homosexuality such as acceptance,stigma,coming out,finding partners and the law. He has also written the script of a short film called gay_lonely on finding oneself thrown by loneliness into the virtual world. Often assuming the role of a philosopher on human sexuality,he says,I am interested in the psychology of sexuality and the determining factors of human sexuality.
Like Rao,Kamble isnt an activist and seeks to challenge the norm. He also challenges the very concept of sexuality itself,which,he thinks,is a grey area and often misunderstood. Is sexuality the only point of connection between two human beings? he asks,seeking a bifurcation between eroticism and sexuality. He adds,If gender is a performance,then sexuality is a third rate performance.
