Kolkata
Kolkata is the fourth-largest city in India and is located in the very east of the country. The British left their mark on the old trading city: buildings from colonial times and old yellow cabs like in old English movies. The streets are lined with trees and in the pubs – wood-panelled like they can be found in the UK – whiskey and fried fish are served.
Visiting this place is mandatory for the purpose of our trip. In 1999, India’s first small Pride event, the “Friendship Walk”, took place in Kolkata. Since 2005, the community has celebrated Rainbow Week every year.
While we are in Kolkata the political mood of the country shifts, and public debate revisits a familiar concern – abuse and sexualized violence. Protests are taking place in larger cities. The situation has been exacerbated by the death of a 27-year-old vet, who was raped by four men, doused in petrol and burned alive.
The police shot four men without a court hearing shortly afterwards. At dusk we visit one of these protests and talk to demonstrating women there. Their presence on the street at dusk is unusual, as are the strength of their remarks. In India many women tend to be quiet, frugal, apolitical. They demand more security and equal rights for all, for queer people, not only for women, but also for children, for Muslims and for minorities.
One week before we reached Kolkata, the right-wing conservative BJP government under Narendra Modi passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the subject of a great deal of criticism in Western media as well as within the Indian population. It is intended to facilitate faster citizenship for refugees who fled from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014 due to persecution. Muslims, one of the largest groups, are excluded. In the evening we see men with burning torches demonstrating on Park Street in the heart of the city – they want to defend themselves. The next day, local media outlets carry reports of rioting and death. The scenes frighten us. For the first time, this colorful trading city seems dark and threatening.
Kolkata
Kolkata is the fourth-largest city in India and is located in the very east of the country. The British left their mark on the old trading city: buildings from colonial times and old yellow cabs like in old English movies. The streets are lined with trees and in the pubs – wood-panelled like they can be found in the UK – whiskey and fried fish are served.
Visiting this place is mandatory for the purpose of our trip. In 1999, India’s first small Pride event, the “Friendship Walk”, took place in Kolkata. Since 2005, the community has celebrated Rainbow Week every year.
While we are in Kolkata the political mood of the country shifts, and public debate revisits a familiar concern – abuse and sexualized violence. Protests are taking place in larger cities. The situation has been exacerbated by the death of a 27-year-old vet, who was raped by four men, doused in petrol and burned alive.
The police shot four men without a court hearing shortly afterwards. At dusk we visit one of these protests and talk to demonstrating women there. Their presence on the street at dusk is unusual, as are the strength of their remarks. In India many women tend to be quiet, frugal, apolitical. They demand more security and equal rights for all, for queer people, not only for women, but also for children, for Muslims and for minorities.
One week before we reached Kolkata, the right-wing conservative BJP government under Narendra Modi passed the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), the subject of a great deal of criticism in Western media as well as within the Indian population. It is intended to facilitate faster citizenship for refugees who fled from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan before December 2014 due to persecution. Muslims, one of the largest groups, are excluded. In the evening we see men with burning torches demonstrating on Park Street in the heart of the city – they want to defend themselves. The next day, local media outlets carry reports of rioting and death. The scenes frighten us. For the first time, this colorful trading city seems dark and threatening.