The Gay Parade - Live and let live

The day after my friend got married, hijras flocked his house. They demanded Rs. 50,000/- and threatened to dance naked if he didn't oblige. Well, he got away with Rs. 15,000/-

"Hijras have become a menace!"

How many of you have stopped for a minute to think - why are they like the way they are? Why have they resorted to mobbing? It's because of us! Lack of social acceptance has driven them to such extreme measures. In the royal courts, hijras occupied a very important position. The kings used to leave them in charge of their empire when they went out for battles. Now, the tables have turned. Reason? Leave that aside. We need these people back in our community. We are losing out on manpower and hurting the country's economy. We are poor enough!

Delhi Queer Pride Parade is a great effort to bring the queer community together and celebrate. 

Shortly after the Parade began, many let off their masks didn't quite mind to display their affection publicly. Though, it's rather unnecessary to do PDAs but its good in a way - it speeds up the process of bringing the queer community out of the closet. 

Masked supporters 

The parade was not only about gay rights. It was about protesting against every kind of torture and inequality.

There were people from all age, religious and ethnic groups. Everyone stood united and shouted slogans of "We are one. Hum sab ek hai".

Lollipop and masks were a hot favorite. (No idea why lollipops were so popular). I got one too. Everyone danced and enjoyed. There was no sign of remorse or anger on anybody's face in spite of the lack of social acceptance.

The organizer. In the first year of the parade, there were 7 people. In the second, around 600. This year, the figure crossed 2000! It was a remarkable achievement. 

Sunil Gupta. He is a famous photographer who has been shooting the queer community extensively.

Chikna (As Lily called him). There were more photographers in the Parade than there were participants.

"Oh mommy. I don't care. I love you"

It was great to see parents getting their kids to the Parade. Hope for a queer friendly future.

Freedom. Dismissal of Article 377 was celebrated with full vigor!  

There were banners all around! The traffic was stopped at many crossings. There were colorful flags and beautiful people wearing colorful dresses. It is the most colorful event I have ever participated in. 

All stood united and lit candles to pray for all those who have been subjected to violence

Pushkar Camel Festival, 2010

An experience is what I call the journey to the land of camels with people I had only heard about. The trip to Pushkar was a amalgamation of all kinds of feelings and experiences. From the loss of an expensive camera, iPod and phones to the acquisition of rare bank notes, we saw it all.

Pushkar lake, home to the only Brahma temple in the world

As we started, all doped with sleep, the 3.5 lakh camels and their poop is what kept us awake. I can't recall how many poos I stepped on and how many I ate (as baati of dal, baati, choorma is actually baked in camel poop). As we headed for the desert, we met a 12 year old local boy with a violin-like instrument who spoke to us eloquently in English and claimed to know many European languages (the claim was tested). He readily invited us for tea to his shack in the desert and shared his story. He was the eldest amongst the five siblings and the sole bread-winner for the family and thrived on tourism.

Natthu playing his late-father's instrument at his shack where he entertained us  not only with fine music and tea but a lot more

After the tea and local amusements, he took us around the city and finally to a place where we could hire bikes. We three hired a couple of bikes. I took the comfort of the pillion and trusted my faith on the biker.  The ride boosted our spirits and we headed for Ajmer, 20 km away. I tried my hands on the scooty too, only to pull the accelerator and never to leave it while looking for the brakes. Thankfully the woman I was about to hit was at a safe distance. We parked our bikes in an alley outside the dargah of Ajmeri Sharif and walked to the shrine.

Lily riding the scooty. She rides the scooty like I drive my car. May be that's why I could trust her and leave my hands off the support and get my hands on the camera

Slowly the weather began to change face. As we loaded ourselves with supplies, it started raining heavily. Riding the scooty became increasingly difficult in the mountainous stretch. We almost hit a big bus at a blind turn. So, we sought refuge in a dhaba and had our dinner. As the rain stopped for a while, we managed to slip away to the hotel where we figured that the glove box had been cleared off the bag which had the camera, iPod and a phone! Rest of the night saw us in the Police station.

A camel owner's family. Some of them are here to sell, some to participate, some are just accompanying their relatives. 

For the rest of the days, we were finding ways to recover the lost items. Ideas flowed, so did fun. We lolled on the sand in the warmth of the sun and talked to Camel owners from different parts of Rajasthan. Some came to sell the camels, some to participate in the camel events of the festival. Four amongst us left that night and four of us were left. Vigorous thumb fights and ghost story sessions followed. Finger shadow puppetry was the main attraction of the dark bedroom that night.

Jamura, a child prodigy in catching snakes. The most noticeable point in the picture is the clothes of the snake charmer. It's nothing like we urbans or foreigners picture them as. He is in denim jeans and shirt with no turban. But he still manages to drive the crowd crazy with his moves with the snake and the 'jamura'. He doesn't even own a 'been'. 

There isn't much to ask for when you make such great friends in such a short span of time. And about the Pushkar Camel Festival, it's not a fair worth missing!

Natthu sitting with us in the dunes overlooking the 3.5 lakh camels

Did God create us or Did we create God? - Happy Diwali

I came across this question few days back which was posted by my granddad on his facebook wall. And the answer seemed too obvious in the beginning, 'we created God because of our fear of the unexplained' but being a Physics students makes it more complicated.

There are well developed theories about how this universe began and might end. Well the popular one being, of course, the Big Bang Theory which says we all came from the full stop ending this sentence. We might end in a similar fashion as well to contract to the full stop only to start the process all over again. It's like a yo-yo. Well, this means that God is playing yo-yo with us.

Does this really prove that there is/are a/many God(s)? Can this mean that different religions have different Gods pulling the yo-yo of their world? What about Hindus? We have like millions of them. Don't they have a fight amongst themselves for whose turn is it next to pull the yo-yo?

Agreed that this is how the Universe is working but wait, "Who is pulling our Gods' yo-yo?" Now, give it a thought. It is like an infinite dimension where every dimension has its own right to form its own space. And we see only one dimension - our own! But does that mean we are on the lowest possible position in this chain? Don't we get to pull some strings? We definitely do. Human beings are living on this planet or at least in this part of the universe as if its their own. We kill and we rule! We demolish and we create- that makes us Brahma, Vishnu, Maheshwar rolled into one. For ants, birds, beasts, we are their GOD!

With the status of GOD, comes great responsibilities! Use is wisely.

P.S. Eating chicken is fair enough as even our Gods eat a hell lot of us everyday!

Happy Diwali Folks!

Unlike in most parts of the country, Diwali for Bengalis mean Kali Puja (Goddess of Death). There are sacrifices
and celebrations late at night. But even Bengalis put fourteen lamps in front of their house to celebrate the
return of Lord Ram to Ayodya from his fourteen year exile.

People worldwide are fond of crackers especially the ones which give a good show. This one's my favorite
I can jump on the fire

Goddess Kali on Shiva. I asked my mother why does the poor man have
a pot belly. She said, 'What else do you expect from a man who just
survives on Ganja (opium) and Chullu (Country liquor)?"

Our search for God will end with finding someone controlling our race. It might not end at all for we might end before our search does. It's not worth fighting for the cause of religion.