Farhad Karkaria and Navin Noronha on being hosts of India’s only queer podcast and a no holds barred approach to their conversations

Navin Noronha, who is also known as India’s first openly gay comedian, launched Keeping It Queer in 2016.

Closer home, Noronha, who is also known as India’s first openly gay comedian, launched Keeping It Queer in 2016. “I was already working with IVM on a podcast, and was producing and co-hosting a show with Cyrus Broacha. As a stand-up comedian, which is something I pursue in the evenings, I offer a humourous and queer perspective on things. So IVM and I decided to start a show that would offer a space to talk about all things queer in fun way,” says Noronha. Next year, he roped in Karkaria, a digital media marketer, as co-host.

“What we’ve wanted to do with the show is not just talk about our experiences as gay men, but open the conversation up to other members in the community. Some of our guests have talked about love and rejection, but also abuse, and you realise that you can’t be flippant about these subjects,” says Noronha. “The show has been a learning experience for us as well, especially when we interact with some of our guests who have gone through so much, or the work they do for the community,” says Karkaria.

Noronha brought Farhad Karkaria on to the show for a segment called Culture Vulture: it begins after the guest interviews and consists of recommendations for queer content in pop culture.

The two men share an easy camaraderie, as they trade insults, bitch about former friends and talk about TV shows. In the second season of the podcast, Noronha brought Karkaria on to the show for a segment called Culture Vulture: it begins after the guest interviews and consists of recommendations for queer content in pop culture. Recently, the topics on the show have taken a serious turn. “We had a segment on comedy and #MeToo, where we examined the scene and talked about if and how we can separate art from the artiste. As hosts, not all topics are easy to talk about. One of my recent challenges was during an interview with a non-binary guest: I kept forgetting their preferred pronoun and I understood in that moment what they might possibly experience on a daily basis and that I cannot be complicit in misgendering them,” says Noronha.

They’ve kicked off the third edition during Pride Month, talking about the history of Pride. The duo have no holds barred approach to their conversation, especially around queer dating and sexual practices. “The objective is to tell the stories of our lives. A lot of things will sound icky but gay people have long been at the receiving end of sexualised slurs. We’re taking the words that were meant to hurt us and turning them on their heads. We’re the only Indian queer podcast so why should we be censored?” says Noronha