Don’t be a drag, be a queen

On International Drag Day, three drag artists discuss the challenges they’ve faced to keep their art form alive, and how they stay inspired in a post-pandemic world

Don’t be a drag, be a queen

Betta Naan Stop captured mid-performance. Pic courtesy/Betta Naan Stop

We are family

Betta Naan Stop
Prateek Sachdeva

What’s kept me going is staying in touch with my drag family and my drag sisters, through Zoom calls and social media. Initially, when the lockdown kicked in and everything moved online, we did try ticketed shows; they were successful initially but after a point, it became stagnant. However, there was an advantage because this put me in touch with many international desi queens. Going digital has also removed the physical barrier of travelling. But the digital world has kind of limited our reach because the drag scene was very physical in nature.

I hail from a dance background and I have a habit of doing exercises and stretches every day which turn into solo performances in my room for myself. Seeing other drag creators do stuff online has also pushed me to do it. Things like experimenting with makeup, or creating a list of songs that you’d like to perform to also helps. I have created a playlist that I’d like to perform given the chance after things become safer for live acts.

Finding purpose was key

Maya The Drag Queen
Alex Mathew

Maya The Drag Queen

The pandemic came as a shock to me because I went from having so many opportunities to it all crashing down one fine day. Initially, I was in a terrible space; I would just sit in my room and stare at the ceiling. Then, another drag queen and I began story hour sessions online, which made me feel like I could navigate through this medium. I also found that there was a real need to educate people about the LGBTQiA+ community because there was quite a rise in homophobia and transphobia last year. I was using my art form and my experiences to educate people; I did webinars for schools and colleges, and also approached the corporate sphere. A drag sister and I also took to making Reels on Instagram and I recently branched out into creating videos for an app. The problem in India for our art form is that we aren’t well paid. Sometimes, people even ask us to do acts for free, but putting on costumes and makeup costs a lot of money. That is why we have to find other avenues now, and for me, creating videos for the app was a step in that direction.

For younger queens who are looking to get into this profession, the main thing is to have fun. When I started, it was for the fun of it but later on, I realised what my purpose is. The point of being a drag performer is telling people to not take life so seriously.

Understand the craft

Gentleman Gaga
Sanket Sawant

Gentleman Gaga

When the pandemic began, many did live sessions. Personally, another drag queen and I would go live on Instagram and share our makeup hacks and conduct live makeup workshops. We were trying to create more awareness, educate people more about drag and the culture. With drag, there’s a huge misconception where it’s often confused with the act of cross-dressing. This is incorrect. Even many of my friends use the term wrongly, asking me things like ‘when are you dressing up next?’ I like to guide people because in India drag is nothing new; maybe the term is, but if you travel back in time, drag was very much a part of Indian culture. Just because clubs aren’t open and we don’t have access, it should not stop the artiste’s aspirations. I do not run behind the fame. You can be famous today, and tomorrow another performer will take the spotlight. Everyone deserves a chance.