Delhi is being blessed with not one but two literature festivals this year and it’s the second one that we’re more excited about. Say goodbye to blue skies because a rainbow is coming to town. The LGBTQIA+ community has a Christmas present for the capital city for the first time. The Rainbow Lit Fest is happening in Gulmohar Park on 7th and 8th December to tackle lack of inclusivity in the literature. For this purpose, there will be no bar to entry except that you must register on their website. This will be one of the first queer literature festivals of this grand scale in the country.
What is it
Crowdfunded, this lit fest is about to prove that the queer community will not live in the background any longer. Rainbow Lit Fest: Queer and Inclusive aims to create a platform for deserving artists who have been pushed behind and pulled down because of biases in the industry. It’s time to remove the lines between queer authors and mainstream work. This lit fest is all about creating a common ground for all communities to be integrated into one and coming out stronger.
Who’s who
Delhi always does everything big. While queer lit fests have been mushrooming across the country, this one will be the biggest ever. Filmmakers such as Nandita Das, Tanuja Chandra, Suhail Abbasi will talk about their queer experiences. Writers like Devdutt Pattnaik and Nemat Sadat will also take the stage. Lawyer Anand Grover and transgender professionals like Rudrani Chettri, Simran Sheikh and many others have been invited to speak at the queer lit fest. Is Delhi India’s Most Queer-Friendly City?
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It has been reported that the fest will see screenings of critically acclaimed films such as Faraz Ansari‘s award-winning Sisak, Marathi film U for Usha, Tanuja Chandra‘s Monsoon Date starring Konkona Sen Sharma as well as a 12-minute documentary called BomGay by late director Riyadh Wadia. You can check the schedule available on their website to see which sessions are family-friendly and who’s coming when.
What’s more
Puppeteer Varun Narayan will take our breath away with an age old Indian artform. No fest in Delhi is whole without the sound of music and Rainbow lit fest has nailed the lineup. Nizami Brothers are coming ya’ll! Delhi favourites Manzil Mystics and The Original Knockoffs will also play at the event. Leave it to the queers to throw the best party ever!
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Hang-ups like us vs them is dividing our nation. That’s what this 2-day fest will strive to remove. This is not a queer lit fest in its capacity of topical discussion. Expect scathing political criticism in all verses of life. A queer lit fest is not a place to only talk about queerness. It is a place to learn that queerness is nothing more than a sexual preference or gender. It does not define the entire existence of any human being. Yes, queer experiences will be shared. Other experiences about literally everything else will also be shared. We can’t wait for Delhi to get more colourful. This is one weekend we’re not missing out on. First time things tend to have that effect on us. If you want to find out what freedom feels like, you’ll be standing right next to us!
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Deets
Where: Gulmohar Park, Delhi
Dates: December 7 – December 8