Queer Azaadi Mumbai (QAM) : Pride March, 29th Jan 2011

QAM March – Saturday, January 29, 2011

MARCH…… with Mumbai’s queer and straight supporters, family and friends on the 29th January, 2011 from August Kranti Maidan to Girgaum Chowpatty.

Time : 3PM (Assemble @ AK Maidan) to 6PM

Make your travel plans , apply for that leave, get your gear ready to flaunt it out in the Mumbai Pride March!

Please check out our QAM Facebook page and QAM blog for regular updates.

DONATIONS

Donations to take care of the expenses are welcomed.
You may have seen the donation box at the various GB events.

It is now possible to Donate ONLINE as well.

Click on the “Make A Donation” button and pay thru PAYPAL

DONATIONS are also collected at the following physical locations:

Ø Azaad Bazaar Store timing 1pm-9pm*
16th/33rd Road Bandra (West),
Opp Mini Punjab,
in the same lane as KFC ,
Mumbai

Ø The Humsafar Trust/Center for Excellence (CEFE)
Riviera CHS, Flat 1, Ground Floor
15th Road, Near RBI Colony
Santacruz Mumbai 400 050

Ø at GayBombay hosted events (prior to the Azadi march)
Please donate generously.

THE BACKGROUND

On 16th August 2005, Mumbai witnessed a large-scale protest demonstration at Flora Fountain by several queer community groups and individuals. The activists erected a temporary structure and gave out leaflets and queer publications, and got many ordinary citizens to sign a petition for queer rights. The activists also carried placards, shouted slogans, sang songs of queer azaadi and held a candlelight vigil in memory those we had lost.

28th January, 2011 : Queer Ink Open Mic Special

28th January, 2011 : Panel Discussion on Gay Marriage

On Saturday, January 29^th, 2011 Queer Azaadi Mumbai (QAM) returns to Mumbai with a march by Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender individuals and groups, along with families, friends and supporters, to celebrate being part of this city, and to call on the government to give us the same rights guaranteed to all under the Indian constitution, whose promulgation we celebrate on Republic Day, January 26^th.

The March will be from August Kranti Maidan to Girgaum Chowpatty, a route with great historical significance in our national freedom struggle. We will be meeting in August Kranti Maidan from 3 pm onwards, and starting the March at 4 pm.

Among the rights that queer people are calling for is the right to marry and enjoy the stability and protection of family life. Marriage is deeply engrained in Indian culture. Single people are looked at with suspicion or pity. Even strangers feel able to ask you casually if you are married, and feel sorry for you if you say you are not. When most gays and lesbian children come out to their families, the one biggest fear that their parents have is how will they manage without a long term partner.

Marriage also has practical aspects. Without marriage gays and lesbian couples cannot open a joint bank account, cannot apply for a home loan to buy a house together, cannot take out life insurance policies or make wills in each other’s benefit. If they work in companies which have employee family benefits, they usually cannot extent them to their same sex partner. If either of them falls sick and has to go to hospital, the partner does not have automatic rights to visit them.

28th January, 2011 : Performance by Dancing Queen

Come 28^th January 2011 the stars in the sky above the amphitheater at the famous Carter Road, Bandra will have to shine harder to been seen, cos here come the Dancing Queens!

With the “jatkas” and “matkas” to shame the leading Sirens, yet the “grace” and “aada” to match the eternal Screen Queens…The people Mumbai brace yourself for this Visual treat!

Dancing Queens is coming together of 20 male dancers who impersonate as women and perform dance numbers of all time famous Diva’s of Hindi Cinema. The first performance of Dancing Queens was done as a fund raiser for Queer Azaadi Mumbai 2009. The show was supported by various Community Based Organisations and friends. But backed by ever growing vocal popular support, Its time for everyone to see the Diva’s put their Best foot forward to support this year’s Queer Azaadi March.

Performing the best of the folk dances, come with Family and friends , to witness the performance that will give the Munni’s and Sheila’s a run for their money. And oh yeah, its all for FREE!

Location : The Amphitheater, near café Coffee Day on Carter Road

Date : Friday, 28^th January 2011

Time : 7:30 pm onwards

27th January, 2011 : Queer Gear for the Straight Ear

Where: Carter Road Promenade – Amphitheatre, Khar, Mumbai
When: 27-JAN-2011, 7 pm – 9 pm

Queer Who All:

• Kkris & Shor Bazaar
• Alisha Batth & Alisha Pais
• Anand Bhaskar & MH04

Listen to Mumbai’s best Queers and Queer supporter bands playing for QUeer Azaadi Mumbai’s Pride week this January.

An openly gay man and rock musician, Kkris and his group of queer-friendly Rockers have been playing in Mumbai for quite some time.

Shor Bazaar’s gigs include songs like “Savita Bhabhi” sung to India’s one and only ‘sex-icon’ on cartoons, who inspired the senses and sensual
desires of every straight man and lover. Their numbers are peppy and occasionally also comprise Hindi songs suited to younger audiences. Shor Bazaar is a five-member
band conceptualized / formalized / broughttogetherized in September’07.For more, visit Shor Bazaar at http://bazaarshor.blogspot.com/

Alisha Batth is the country’s budding Lesbian Punk performer. Although her lingua franca is English, her roots are in the North-East of India. And Alisha Pais is her ‘partner-in-crime’. They’re known to charm everyone with their vibrance, duo-dynamics and husky, yet sex vocal chords! Watch them sing Fiona Apple or Etheridge with a whiff of pink. Carter Road’s definitely gonna sway to these notes!

26th January, 2011 : Ek Madhavbaug & Dancing Queens

Ek Madhavbaug & Dancing Queens will be performed on 26^th January 2011 as part of QAM Pride Week Celebrations and Fund raiser.

Venue : SNDT University Auditorium, Juhu Tara Road, Mumbai

Time : 5.00 pm to 9 pm

Suggested Donation : Rs. 150 /- for the entire evening. Entire amount collected will be utilized towards meeting Pride Walk Expenses.

Seating capacity : 125 seats

Ek Madhavbaug is one of the pioneering Marathi language plays written on homosexuality and acceptance of the Gay community. The poignant play tells the story of a 21 year old youth coming to terms with his sexuality. The play is seen from the view point of his mother. The Mother discovers that her son is Gay and through his diary, relives his journey of discovery of his own sexuality.  The play strikingly brings out the emotions of a mother and son and will leave no soul untouched through its intensity and heartfelt content.

Chetan Datar had performed the original Marathi Play at the Humsafar Trust in 1998 and since then it was a dream that we shared with Chetan to translate the play into the hindi language and provide it a larger platform

The performance reading is done by actress Mona Ambegaonkar. She has given award winning performances and is still remembered for her work in television serials like KADAM, CID and AMBER-DHARA. Her films include MANGAL PANDEY, WHITE NOISE, and amongst her plays are KASTURI, RADHA-NIVAS, SITA-SURPANAKHA & SANDRA AND WHATEVER YOU SAY.

The hindi version of the play was first performed at Kashish Mumbai International Queer Film Festival 2010 at PVR Juhu in April 2010 to packed audiences and received standing ovation from the audiences

Do come with your friends and family if you want them to understand you better !

Dancing Queens is coming together of 20 male dancers who impersonate as women and perform dance numbers of all time famous Diva’s of Hindi Cinema. The first performance of Dancing Queens was done as a fund raiser for Queer Azaadi Mumbai 2009. The show was supported by various Community Based Organisations and friends. The show was a big success and nearly two-hundred friends (within and outside the community) attended and were entertained with mesmerizing performances. The show managed to raise Rs. 30,000/- for QAM 2009 in a single night. It also got coverage from leading news papers which brought visibility to the initiative.

Do come with your friends and friends of friends and their friends !

ALSO COME MAKE POSTERS FOR THE PRIDE WALK FROM 5PM TO 6PM AT THE SAME VENUE

24th January, 2011 : Screening of KASHISH Queer Shorts @ Cafe Goa

For all those of you who missed it last April, KASHISH brings back a collection of the ‘BEST of KASHISH 2010’ in celebration of Queer Pride Week.

KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival in association with Bombay Elektrik project and Queer Azadi Mumbai will screen 8 queer short films from across the world spanning Gay, Lesbian and Transgender experiences that are funny, campy, dramatic, emotional and fabulous!

Be there at Café Goa, Bandra January 24^th 8pm – 11.30pm to catch up on the KASHISH dose of queer cinema.

BOY MEETS BOY | Korea / 2008 / 13 min

BUTTERY TOP | USA / 2009 / 4 min

ENGAYGING LIVES | India / 2010 / 26 min

GINGER GORA AND THE GENTLES | UK / 2006 / 13 min

I AM GAY | Sweden / 2008 / 15 min

MAKE UPS | India / 2005 / 9 min

MIRROR MIRROR | Australia / 1997 / 10 min

THE POSTCARD | Korea / 2007 / 15 min

Date: January 24, 2011

Venue: Café Goa, Agnelo Building, Khadeshwari Mandir Marg, Off St. John Baptist Road, Bandra(W), Mumbai, Ph: 022 26459151

Link: http://tiny.cc/ec473

25th January, 2011 :Book Reading “Pink Sheep”

We continue Queer Azadi Mumbai’s Pride Week festivites at Azaad Bazaar with the reading of Pink Sheep by Mahesh Natrajan.

About the Author: Mahesh Natarajan lives with his partner in Bangalore, India. After a dozen years of advising clients on how to get the most out of off-shoring, he is now pursuing a career in counselling and psychotherapy. He writes about living as a gay man within the conservative societies of south …India. His stories revolve around the realities of queer life in modern-day India.

About the Book: The eighteen stories in this collection are prize winners in their own way. Each story deals with relationships – love, confusion, contentment, desire, fear, hurt, happiness, bitterness, victory, or loss – in a slightly different context. Natarajan highlights different aspects of gay life, and shows how these men yearn for the same things everybody yearns for – acceptance and a fulfilling life.

Date : 25th January, 2011

Time : 6.30PM to 9.30PM

Venue : Azaad Bazaar, 33rd Road, Opposite Mini Punjab, KFC Lane off Linking Road, Bandra West.

Contact: +91-9930212636

Free Entry

 

Join us at the store for a reading and discussion, with light refreshments.

23rd January, 2011 : QAM Mela

One of the first events of QAM Pride week on 23rd January 2011, QAM Mela is more of a fun raiser than fundraiser for the LGBT citizens of the metropolis primarily but not limited to them only. At copper gate next to candies (Pali hill, Bandra), activities are lined up all day long from 1pm to 9 pm promising nonstop fun at a minimal entry charge of Rs. 20 for all to come and enjoy.

Be it lucky draw for prizes, fancy outfit auction or Improv Comedy Theatre workshop, Hair and Make up workshop or learning to dance Jazz , it’s all under one roof. If you are in no mood to be participative, you can get clicked by our photographer with funky Rainbow props, do a tarot card reading or buy a variety of Queer Books, chic clothes and funky jewellery (credit card facilities available).

Date : 23rd January, 2011

Time : 1PM to 9PM (Inaugural @ 7PM)

Venue : Copper Gate ( Next to Candies, Palli Hill), Bandra (west), Mumbai.

Entry Fee : Rs. 20/- ONLY

See you there with friends, having a ball. Block your date now!

22nd Jan, 2011 : Human Rights Documentary Film Screening

We kick start Queer Azadi Mumbai’s Pride Week festivities with a screening of this remarkable documentary on the queer community in India. Featuring interviews with queer men and women, straight supporters and parents.

Date : 22 January, 2011

Venue : Azaad Bazaar, 33rd Road, Opposite Mini Punjab, KFC Lane off Linking Road, Bandra West.

Contact: +91-9930212636

Time : 7PM to 8PM *The screening starts at 7pm. Please be seated by 6:45pm*

Language: English
Duration: 50min
Free Entry

So bring your straight friends, relatives or just your fabulous selves!