Queer Reading & Conversations - 06th Nov

As part of Bangalore Pride events, Radio Active CR 90.4 MHz, Jeeva and Ondede, organized an event,  queer book reading and conversations at Radio Active office. Around 15 people have come. Akkai Padmashali, Kabir and a few others read exerts from the books about Queer activists.They read through the passages from three different books and steer conversations around theme “Love in the Times of Hate”.

Quotes from a few books they read are here:

“What fools they are who run after men,

It’s absurd to burn oneself up like a candle for men,

It’s absurd to burn oneself up like a candle for men!

When one women clings to another, such is the happiness

They never want to part or let their desire decrease...:”

- Same Sex Love in India Edited by Ruth Vanita and Saleem Kidwai

“Who hasn’t been in love? At least once in their lifetime...People think only a man and a woman can 

make a couple…But, the truth is, anybody can fall in love with anybody. A man can fall in love with 

man; a woman can fall in love with a woman. But society doesn’t accept such love,” Rakhi Sawant of Sindh.

- Alternative Realities by Nighat M. Gandhi

“We’ve got to be as clear-headed about human beings as possible, because we are still each other’s 

only hope.”

- James Baldwin

As Baldwin says, indeed we are each other’s only hope and love flames it. A poem of love, a story
about lovers is powerful to challenge the prevailing hatred and wars. Hala Mohammad, Syrian poet
says: A poem of love can have an effect, can help you feel beauty!

A few photos from the event:

More photos at RadioActives facebook page.

The audio files of the event can be downloaded from here.

For more details about the work Jeeva and Ondede are doing for Queer community, Please write to Umesh to  jeevabng@gmail.com