GURUGRAM/DELHI: There is something other about February 14 this year, for it marks the primary Valentine’s Day after the Supreme Court declared Section 377 unconstitutional, and lifted the colonial-era ban on same-sex relationships.
But whilst the legislation has modified, and Bollywood tries to set love unfastened in ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ (which boldly pushes the envelope with its lesbian protagonist), social media continues to be filled with hateful tweets and homophobic posts.
However, Gurugram-based virtual company Korra is spreading the love with Loveisintheair, an intrepid marketing campaign that seeks to replace each and every hateful tweet/post with a loving one.
Each click on on a hate post, on www.loveisintheair.in, turns right into a message of affection. In turn, the symbolic unlock of a love balloon by influencers, and the company’s employees is helping dispel the atmosphere of negativity and hatred. “We wanted to do something mild but tough on at the moment. To in reality make a change — that, in reality, hate can just become love by the simplest of acts. After all, it’s the day to fill the world with most effective love,” Gaurav Nabh, Korra’s CEO, advised TOI.
On the weekend prior to Valentine’s Day, the LGBTQ community celebrated ‘Gaylentine’s Day’ at a South Delhi café. Here, a flight of chessboard stairs led to a room bursting with revelry, through which mingled greater than 100 singles — non-binary, poly, hetero, homo, trans and immediately other folks, amongst others. The partitions were embellished with queer characters from DC and Marvel comics, which shared space with upcoming Indian illustrators whose artwork displayed desi wit and familiarity —‘My Chacha is gay’, learn one among them. Matchmaking video games, gender-neutral washrooms and a queer-themed menu further enhanced the night’s vibe.
Divya Dureja, curator and host of Gaylentine’s, explains the thought that went into the birthday party.
“A staggering number of LGBTQ-identifying people go through loneliness and medical despair. It stems from a loss of inclusivity in society, and loss of get admission to to spaces where one can safely mingle with different participants of the queer community,” explained this performance poet.
By creating an area welcoming to all consumers, no matter their sexuality, Dureja was once advocating the idea that of Heterotopia, as elaborated by thinker Michel Foucault. “It’s the other of utopia, by which we will be able to be ourselves, unregulated – versus the perfect world.”
Indeed, as social media and dating apps seek to erase the boundaries that separate race, gender and sexuality, many have opened their doorways to the LGBTQ community. Like Bhopen Chinghtham and Pooja Moirangthem, husband-wife house owners of ‘What A Comic Show’ (the Gaylentine’s venue), and common hosts of ‘What A Pride Night’.
“We have a lot of friends from the community who feel it’s a secure place. And our bouncers, photographers and group of workers are all sensitised – it seems like a area celebration right here!” says Pooja.
In their very own tactics, Korra, Dureja and ‘What A Comic Show’ are making space for a society that’s more inclusive and accommodating.
But whilst the legislation has modified, and Bollywood tries to set love unfastened in ‘Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga’ (which boldly pushes the envelope with its lesbian protagonist), social media continues to be filled with hateful tweets and homophobic posts.
However, Gurugram-based virtual company Korra is spreading the love with Loveisintheair, an intrepid marketing campaign that seeks to replace each and every hateful tweet/post with a loving one.
Each click on on a hate post, on www.loveisintheair.in, turns right into a message of affection. In turn, the symbolic unlock of a love balloon by influencers, and the company’s employees is helping dispel the atmosphere of negativity and hatred. “We wanted to do something mild but tough on at the moment. To in reality make a change — that, in reality, hate can just become love by the simplest of acts. After all, it’s the day to fill the world with most effective love,” Gaurav Nabh, Korra’s CEO, advised TOI.
On the weekend prior to Valentine’s Day, the LGBTQ community celebrated ‘Gaylentine’s Day’ at a South Delhi café. Here, a flight of chessboard stairs led to a room bursting with revelry, through which mingled greater than 100 singles — non-binary, poly, hetero, homo, trans and immediately other folks, amongst others. The partitions were embellished with queer characters from DC and Marvel comics, which shared space with upcoming Indian illustrators whose artwork displayed desi wit and familiarity —‘My Chacha is gay’, learn one among them. Matchmaking video games, gender-neutral washrooms and a queer-themed menu further enhanced the night’s vibe.
Divya Dureja, curator and host of Gaylentine’s, explains the thought that went into the birthday party.
“A staggering number of LGBTQ-identifying people go through loneliness and medical despair. It stems from a loss of inclusivity in society, and loss of get admission to to spaces where one can safely mingle with different participants of the queer community,” explained this performance poet.
By creating an area welcoming to all consumers, no matter their sexuality, Dureja was once advocating the idea that of Heterotopia, as elaborated by thinker Michel Foucault. “It’s the other of utopia, by which we will be able to be ourselves, unregulated – versus the perfect world.”
Indeed, as social media and dating apps seek to erase the boundaries that separate race, gender and sexuality, many have opened their doorways to the LGBTQ community. Like Bhopen Chinghtham and Pooja Moirangthem, husband-wife house owners of ‘What A Comic Show’ (the Gaylentine’s venue), and common hosts of ‘What A Pride Night’.
“We have a lot of friends from the community who feel it’s a secure place. And our bouncers, photographers and group of workers are all sensitised – it seems like a area celebration right here!” says Pooja.
In their very own tactics, Korra, Dureja and ‘What A Comic Show’ are making space for a society that’s more inclusive and accommodating.
Their V-Day message: Turn hate into love
![Their V-Day message: Turn hate into love]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
February 14, 2019
Rating:
