Sourojeet Paul
Hi, Sourojeet here. I’m photographer based out of Kolkata,India.Recently I’ve developed a photoeassy on the lgbtq community of india and pride walk celebration.I’ll be highly obliged if you allow me a little space on your prestigious magazine. Sending you the story with some of the images.Please have a look.
About The Collection
“It is my body and my wish… be gone demons.”
The individuals of LGBTQ community have been relentlessly persecuted by society for their sexual orientations and method of pleasures.They’ve always been a prey of the tyrannical gaze of the society and even in the 21st century they face social taboos and judgemental behaviour.
The work looks closely at the LGBT community in eastern India,often projecting a world devoid of restrictive laws and social taboos that the community regularly comes up against.For a community whose voice is often marginalised
Homosexuality in India has been a subject of discussion from ancient times to modern times. Hindu texts have taken positions regarding the homosexual characters and themes Rigveda,one of the four canonical sacred texts of Hinduism says Vikriti Evam Prakriti (meaning what seems unnatural is also natural),which some scholars believe recognises homosexual dimensions of human life, like all forms of universal diversities.Historical literary evidence indicates that homosexuality has been prevalent across the Indian subcontinent throughout history, and that homosexuals were not necessarily considered inferior in any way until about 18th century during British colonial rule.
The Arthashastra, an ancient Indian treatise on statecraft, mentions a wide variety of sexual practices which, whether performed with a man or a woman, were sought to be punished with the lowest grade of fine. While homosexual intercourse was not sanctioned, it was treated as a very minor offence, and several kinds of heterosexual intercourse were punished more severely
Homophobia is prevalent in India.Public discussion of homosexuality,bisexuality and trans orientation in India has been inhibited by the fact that sexuality in any form is rarely discussed openly. There may be much higher statistics for individuals who have concealed their identity, since a number of Indians,categorising in lgbtq community are living in the closet due to fear of discrimination.
Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), dating back to 1861, makes sexual activities “against the order of nature” punishable by law and carries a life sentence. Before striking down the colonial-era law several organisations have expressed support for decriminalising homosexuality in India, and pushed for tolerance and social equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. India is among countries with a social element of a third gender, but mental, physical, emotional and economic violence against LGBT community in India prevails.
Lacking support from family, society or police in every moment of their life. They are treated like untouchables and also neglected in getting proper health care facilities,basic education,secuirity.Many gay rape victims do not report the crimes.They’ve always been a prey of the tyrannical gaze of the society,Their views and ideology about sexual preferences often contradicts with the mass and they are mobbed and lynched publicly taking up the law and order in the hands of the public. Various Hindu organisations, based in India and abroad have supported decriminalisation of homosexual behaviours.
While there’s always a univocal unity of religious leaders in expressing their homophobic attitude.Usually divisive and almost always seen tearing down each other’s religious beliefs,but this time leaders across sections came forward in decrying homosexuality and expressing their solidarity with the judgment of decriminalisng the colonial period law in 2018.
On the other hand the majority of Indians bearing the same stereo typical mentality were dead against of the decrying of the law.According to their verses Homosexuality is a crime according to scriptures and is unnatural. People cannot consider themselves to be exclusive of a society… In a society, a family is made up of a man and a woman, not a woman and a woman, or a man and a man. If these same-sex couples adopt children, the child will grow up with a skewed version of a family. Society will disintegrate. If we are to look at countries in the West who have allowed same-sex marriages, you will find the mental tensions they suffer from.
