A giant rainbow decorated the room at Cafe Square, Nungambakkam, marking “Rainbow of Hope”, an evening of discussion and open mic poetry organised by Poetry Couture, under the theme of diversity.
Over fifty people settled into the cosy area and waited for the event to commence. The evening began with a panel discussion that brought to light recent events in the city that have oppressed freedom for the community.
Malini Jeevarathnam, an independent filmmaker and LGBTQ activist, and Siva Kumar, who is part of Nirangal (a community for LGBTQ), spoke about their experiences while fighting for basic freedom of the community.
Rev. Krubha Lily Elizabeth brought out the religious side of the argument and defended the stance of activists citing lines and quotes from the Bible .
Shivapriya Ganapathy, who is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Language and Lesbian Feminism at the University of Madras, said, “People will be people, and they are all human, no matter what. We only have to accept their views”.
The speakers also touched on topics of women’s rights, feminism and the need for equality for all sectors of society.
In the poetry session that followed, Sharada Vijay’s I Refuse, about a woman’s rights in society, to be respected and not objectified, stood out. Her powerful lines, “I am not your mother, or your sister and I don’t need to be... Just let me be, just me”, left the audience spell bound. Poems about the freedom to love, heartbreak and equality of rights were also read out.
“Your sorrows become smaller when you put them down on a piece of paper, and your happiness is magnified. Talking about LGBTQ rights is important because it makes a case to just let people be, let go, stay happy and in love”, said Nandhitha Hariharan, one of the organisers of the event.
