Disappointed petitioner calls out unfathomable abdication of duty
Together with pride, Sridhar and Saagar
Sridhar Rangayan filmmaker, activist and director of the well-known annual film festival Kashish, looked forward to the annual showcase of cinema on the queer calendar, was also a petitioner in the same-sex marriage rights case, with partner Saagar Gupta. A disappointed Rangayan said, “Taken aback may seem trite to describe this hollow feeling but let me put it that way: we didn’t expect this from the highest court in India. In fact, I simply do not get it, this was the bench that was supposed to determine the rights.”
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The filmmaker added, “It is their duty which they have abdicated and passed on. What was more frustrating was that they sugar-coated it with so much queer positivity. It not only makes me angry but sad too about the collapse of the judicial system.” Rangayan’s bitterness is mixed with the personal. He said, “Now I do not even know when I will ever be able to get married to my partner of 29 years!” Through that fog of disappointment though is the determination of being one from a community where swimming against the tide for many, is part of life.
When asked about the way ahead Rangayan said, “The way ahead is that we continue to fight. We have to work at the grassroots level with all stakeholders. We will continue to demand justice, knocking on other doors.” Just like the struggles of earlier generations leave the path smoother for the next, the filmmaker surmised, “I am 61 now. Yet, I have a lot of fight left in me. I will continue the struggle alongside thousands of queer youths, so future generations can live with pride.”
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