SFI North Delhi, kickstarted pride month celebrations at Delhi University this Wednesday, after a two-year lockdown induced hiatus with a pride parade at the Arts Faculty, North Campus. The march, which saw a massive student turnout, rang with cries of ‘azaadi’ and other celebrations of queerness. Read on for more.
As we stepped into Pride month, a pride parade was organised by SFI, North Delhi on 1st June, 2022. The parade started from Arts Faculty, Delhi University, and followed a route that covered the area around almost all North Campus colleges in the vicinity. From an overwhelming presence of colours and love, to the most wholesome feeling of belongingness and solidarity, DU’s pride parade turned out to be everything pride should and needs to be.
Despite the sweltering heat, the rush of energy in the crowd was electric. A true mosaic of outfits, colours, personalities, journeys and backgrounds, all united by love. The parade was a celebration of and a true testament to perseverance. In a world that’s designed to oppress anyone who dains to challenge its statutes, seeing people be free and happy and find strength in their togetherness was invigorating.
The parade saw participation of students not only from Delhi University colleges but also school students along with a large number of varsity alumni. One could tell that even though every participant had a different story, it probably began at the same place of self discovery – of pride flags drawn hurriedly at the back of notebooks and immediately erased away. And for a day, all of these stories could be found marching shoulder to shoulder, chanting slogans of freedom and liberation. From conversations with absolute strangers to bonding over everything pride and queer, DU’s pride parade created a never-seen before atmosphere. It was a space with no disproportions or hatred, where those who identify as queer and those who are allies were all together.
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In conversation, Kandarp Bhargav, the president of SFI unit of Delhi School of Journalism (DSJ), told DU Beat how preparations for the parade had already started 2-3 weeks back. Although along the way there were other affairs that needed their attention like the issue of the central library but their primary focus was the successful organisation of the parade, as he stated. According to him, SFI had expected a particularly huge mobilisation since the parade was taking place for the first time after 2 years of lockdown. However, he exclaimed that they did not expect the crowd to be that massive.
Masses are still not clear about the queer subject. Although the left people are exclusive to the knowledge about it, I want the masses to realise and know about it. I want this knowledge to be inclusive rather than exclusive.”
-Kandarp Bhargav, President, SFI DSJ
While the pride parade was an amalgamation of everything positive, it doesn’t necessarily mean that there were no judgemental looks made or no comments said in the passing. Continuing the conversation, Kandarp told DU Beat how there were some incidents of minute resistance shown to the parade. During the march, there had been some people who were calling out the parade from the outskirts of the crowd. While mentioning this, he believes that they might have been the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) goons who might have been picking up on the march by using homophobic slurs.
Similar comments were heard by others as well, including DU Beat.
Yeh desh khatre mein hai,”
-overheard as a group walked past the assembly at the Arts Faculty.
While the North Campus was experiencing an overwhelming and over-zealous burst of emotions and colours, there was a group of students who were present at the Arts Faculty (Gate Number 4) demanding justice for the NCWEB students against the discrimination they face in terms of class bias and a serious lack of resources. In conversation, Arti, an LLB student from Faculty of Law, Delhi University told DU Beat that the immediate demand of these students is to get an extension for preparing for their examinations because they did not get any time to prepare for the same.
Once the actual parade part of the pride parade had ended, people ended up assembling back at Gate no. 4 of the Arts Faculty. Members from SFI took the initiative to make the parade as informative and inclusive as it could be, distributing pamphlets listing off the demands that might make the society around us a more queer inclusive space.
Afterwards, an open mic event that was organsied in continuation of the pride parade took place wherein people came upon the stage to express themselves in words that could not have been put together in a better way, and recited everything from poetry to prose pieces. This was followed by some people coming out from the crowd to show-off their dancing skills, people posing while everyone around cheered or took photographs, and everyone just talking and mingling with everyone else.
From carrying pride flags to singing ‘Can’t help falling in love’, from not being afraid to be yourself to finding people who don’t question your choices, from bonding over “yeh photos ghar walon tak nhi pahonchni chahiye” to shouting “Trans lives matters!”, DU’s pride parade ended up being that one place where your identity did not have to hide behind fake faces and doors; a place where your identity could really be a part of your identity.
Featured Image Credits: Ankita Baidya for DU Beat
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