This event in Chennai will celebrate writer and queer activist Hoshang Merchant’s life and works
The Hindu
Friends of the activist come together to converse, critique and contextualise queer experiences
The rich body of Hoshang Merchant’s work is a landscape to dream, defy and love for writers and lovers of the arts. A fierce voice in India’s gay liberation movement, Prakriti Foundation and Alliance Francaise of Madras have organised an event on August 16 that aims to celebrate the writer through a panel discussion and a coronal of songs.
With a panel featuring the writer himself and others like musician S. Anand, academic Giridhar Rao and poet-performer Joshua Muyiwa, Celebrating Hoshang Merchant is an event that commemorates the manifold pockets where the movement continues or discontinues inhabiting the pockets of caste, class, gender and identity in the landscape of today.
Writer and academic Akhil Katyal is deeply inspired and informed by the works of Hoshang, who is a friend. He outlines, “The joy, lucidity, and perspicacity with which Hoshang writes has breathed life into the world. He has already created a context for queer love, joy and grief. So, writers and queer writers who come after him find that they already have a home to enter. In that sense Hoshang’s work is very crucial.”
On the other hand, panelist Joshua believes that Hoshang is not celebrated enough. “Hoshang started for so many of us -- in the queer community, the task of tabling and translating so many diverse, discovered and undiscovered voices from across time, and highlighting, platforming and turning the lens onto the work of other queer Indian writers. And so, celebrating him is celebrating the long, living history of queer writing in India.“
The poet-performer believes that the event is therefore timely and a reminder that with respect to gay liberalism in India there is still a long road ahead. Concludes Joshua., “And within that context, this event is a symbol of queer resistance and resilience; mischief and joy; sharp wit and intelligence.”
The event will be held at Alliance Francaise of Madras on August 16 from 6pm. Entry is free for all.
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