New Delhi
New Delhi, India’s capital city, presents itself like some untameable beast: rough and unpredictable. We have arrived the final stop of our journey as India descends into a state of emergency. We had to adjust our plans: many of our contacts in New Delhi are involved in protests against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The streets are consumed by more chaos than usual and internet access is sporadic – we are cut off several times a day, and discover that without it, it is almost impossible to find our way through this huge city. The protests are inescapable, and so we decide that we do not want to escape them. In an effort to cut to the heart of the chaos, we go directly to the University Jamia Millia Islamia in one of the Muslim quarters, where police officers brutally attacked students on 15th December last year. We pass a burnt-out bus and meet hundreds of students in front of the university, forming human chains and shouting slogans. We see policemen carrying sticks made of bamboo or plastic, and witness how mostly young men are taken away by the police in buses. A young woman in jeans tries to give a rose to a policeman – he does not accept it. The activity is frenetic and we go to bed exhausted, trying not to lose sight of the purpose of our project.
Pressing on with the project, we recognise how broad the ramifications of the CAA and NRC are, and their potential impact on the LGBTIQ community. If transgender people have discrepancies in their documents, perhaps because of a name change, they could become stateless. Other members of the community are vulnerable to similar situations, especially if they do not have access to their documents having abruptly cut ties with their families after coming out. In New Delhi we meet people with different perspectives, representing every generation, fighting together for equal treatment for different identities. They include Vikram, who as a sign of public protest wears a range of saris – clothing traditionally adopted by Indian women. They include Reyansh and Sandhra, who are protesting in favour of more shelters for people from the LGBTIQ community in Indian universities. In New Delhi we close the last chapter of our journey.
New Delhi
New Delhi, India’s capital city, presents itself like some untameable beast: rough and unpredictable. We have arrived the final stop of our journey as India descends into a state of emergency. We had to adjust our plans: many of our contacts in New Delhi are involved in protests against the CAA and the National Register of Citizens (NRC). The streets are consumed by more chaos than usual and internet access is sporadic – we are cut off several times a day, and discover that without it, it is almost impossible to find our way through this huge city. The protests are inescapable, and so we decide that we do not want to escape them. In an effort to cut to the heart of the chaos, we go directly to the University Jamia Millia Islamia in one of the Muslim quarters, where police officers brutally attacked students on 15th December last year. We pass a burnt-out bus and meet hundreds of students in front of the university, forming human chains and shouting slogans. We see policemen carrying sticks made of bamboo or plastic, and witness how mostly young men are taken away by the police in buses. A young woman in jeans tries to give a rose to a policeman – he does not accept it. The activity is frenetic and we go to bed exhausted, trying not to lose sight of the purpose of our project.
Pressing on with the project, we recognise how broad the ramifications of the CAA and NRC are, and their potential impact on the LGBTIQ community. If transgender people have discrepancies in their documents, perhaps because of a name change, they could become stateless. Other members of the community are vulnerable to similar situations, especially if they do not have access to their documents having abruptly cut ties with their families after coming out. In New Delhi we meet people with different perspectives, representing every generation, fighting together for equal treatment for different identities. They include Vikram, who as a sign of public protest wears a range of saris – clothing traditionally adopted by Indian women. They include Reyansh and Sandhra, who are protesting in favour of more shelters for people from the LGBTIQ community in Indian universities. In New Delhi we close the last chapter of our journey.