A special National Anthem on I-Day: LGBTQIA+ community finds a ’Humsafar’

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Aug 15, 2019 : When the Supreme Court repealed Section 377 on September 6th 2018, it delivered the truest sense of freedom to millions of LGBTQIA+ people within the country. It finally granted them constitutional equality. This year’s Independence Day may be the nation’s 73rd, but it is the Pride community’s first. To commemorate this, prominent community members and a few of the petitioners who worked towards this landmark judgement have come together to present their own rendition of our nation’s National Anthem, Yahoo reported.

 

To celebrate this, Interactive Avenues – A Reprise network Company, which is the digital arm of IPG Mediabrands India, joined hands with The Humsafar Trust, one of Asia’s first and the largest organisations working for LGBTQIA+ health and rights, to create a special National Anthem film.

The film, which has been scripted, conceptualised and created by Interactive Avenues, features prominent LGBTQIA+ advocates and activists from NGOs and advocacy bodies like The Naz Foundation, KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents, Umang LBT Group, and The Humsafar Trust, amongst others. The video’s narrative presents a colourful and artistic interpretation of the most popular symbol of India’s unity and diversity – the National Anthem penned by Rabindranath Tagore.

On August 15, India’s largest cinema chain, PVR, will be playing this national anthem film across 250 screens in 8 metros during every movie show in these theatres.


About The Humsafar Trust:

The Humsafar Trust (HST) was founded in April 1994 by reputed journalist, Ashok Row Kavi, along with Suhail Abbasi and Sridhar Rangayan to reach out to LGBTQIA+ communities in Mumbai and its surrounding areas. After many efforts, it became the first openly gay community-based organisation to be allotted space in a municipal building in Mumbai.

Humsafar is home to LGBTQ+ Communities, which work towards achieving human rights & promoting health & well-being through community ownership & engagement.

Humsafar advocates social & legal reform with a research based approach to create an enabling environment that promotes acceptance of the community.

The Trust has addressed various issues faced by the community like coming out to self and family, relationships, legal issues and handling crisis situations with families, cheaters, extortionists, blackmailers and violence arising out of the existence of Section 377.