Rainbow shines bright on DU’s horizon

The fest by Bharati College’s queer collective, Iris, featured workshops, movie screening, open mic and more.

When young voices come together, their force can bring about a change. That’s what made the students of Delhi University chant, “We come together, we move apart, we remain queer,” when they got together at Bharati College, for the three-day fest, Horizon.

The event welcomed all those who feel marginalised due to their gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical ability, and language. (Photo: Manish Rajput/HT)

The rainbow might take time to make an appearance in Delhi skies, but at this fest organised by Iris, the queer collective of Bharati College, it sure made its presence felt. The event welcomed all those who feel marginalised due to their gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, physical ability, language and immigration status. The celebrations kick-started with a seminar by Rituparna, from the NGO Nazariya foundation, followed by the screening of India’s first silent queer love story, Sisak (2017) by Faraz Arif Ansari.

The bonding event encouraged everyone to make friends with other LGBTQIA+ folks. (Photo: Manish Rajput/HT)

An open mic event, on the second day, provided a safe space for queer performers. “Ye paap punya ka karam nahin, iska hai koi dharam nahin,” recited Mrinal Priyadarshini, a BA programme student, who shared that it was his second such event after coming out to his parents. On the same day, a bonding event encouraged everyone to make friends with other LGBTQIA+ folks. “We often forget that this month is not only for protest, but also celebration.” said Mehak, a student at Bharati College.

Curated by ManoShala, a drama-based therapy workshop, was part of the final day line-up. The agenda was to address the stress and anxiety in the queer community. Shruti Garg, a therapist who identifies as queer, said, “Queer collectives are doing a great job with such events. These exercises and collectives really help people feel like they belong.”

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