Slogans like “Tumcha amcha same asta, prem mhanje prem asta” (Yours and mine it is the same, love is love it is the same) reverberated through the streets of the old city area of Pune on Sunday as the annual Pride Walk organised by Yutak LGBTQ Trust made its way from Abhinav Chowk to Mandai and back.
Co-vice president of the Transgender Welfare Board of Maharashtra Dr Sanvi Jethvani and Protyush Borgohain of Kohler, the sponsor of the March, were the marshals at the event. District Judge Sonal Patil, another invited marshal, could not attend the event. Organisers claimed that over 1,500 people participated in the march.
Addressing the crowd, Jethvani said, “There is a line by Sane Guruji that goes – the only true dharma is the one that loves everyone. But while giving love we forget that we are humans. This society is stuck in the shackles of genitalia, but today everyone standing here, whether gay or trans, proudly says that we are humans.”
While standing on the podium — adorned with photos of Maharashtra’s renowned personalities like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Dr B R Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule, and Savitribai Phule — Jethvani added, “I salute you all because you have accepted yourself and you are queer. You need great courage for this. I always say this struggle is not against one but three. First against yourself, then against family, and then against society. If you don’t win against yourself, how can you fight others?”
Various social organisations like Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, Family Planning Association of India, and National Legal Services Authority were also present at the march with their banners. Employees of corporations like Kohler, Cummins, and Deutsche Bank could be seen at the march donning their company’s pride merchandise.
Anil Ukarande, founder of Yutak Trust, said, “We have two objectives for the Pride walk this year. First, we want to thank the Maharashtra Government for reviving the transgender welfare board which had not been really functioning for some time. Second, there was a rise in extortion cases using dating apps. We had approached the Pune police with this issue and the cases have now gone down. So we want to thank the Pune police for that as well.”
