That sounds like a great evening. Sorry we missed it. Gordon and Jay from Santa Fe In a message dated 7/31/2011 11:44:45 A.M. Mountain Daylight Time, queer.a...@yahoo.com writes:
The first ever event of Queer Adda – Literature was successfully organized on July 30, 2011 at the Humsafar's CEFE centre at Santa Cruz. Participants braved heavy rains to make sure that it was a success. The enthusiasm of the people was infectious. The moderator, Shobhna Kumar, encouraged people not to feel shy and speak their hearts out. Any comments from the audience would help in encouraging and improving the hobbyists. Young Chaitanya volunteered to be the first reader and he read aloud his Marathi and English poems from his iPad. He acknowledged the great efforts of Saurabh Masurkar in translating the Marathi poem into English. This is what Chaitanya has to say about his pieces: Spandana (The Pulse, Marathi): a poem about a gay man who dreams of a future with his lover. It also depicts the orthodox mindset of the society which should be changed. It was written some 5 years ago, when I thought people were too averse to have such relationships. Request (English poem): This poem is a sincere request to all the parents of GLBT people to accept them for what they are, written a few years ago when one of my friend came out to his family. Shruta couldn't make it to the event so she asked Deep to read out her poem in English. The touching poem talks about a girl who likes another but never gets a response. Ankit Bhuptani emoted and explained his Hindi and Gujarati poems. The Hindi poem was written 8 years ago when Ankit was in school. It was for his first crush. The poem accepts that Ankit loves his school mate and that is enough for him even of the object of his affections does not reciprocate. His Gujarati poem is about accepting true love for what it is, even if that love gives one pain. There is, according to the poem, no reason to love. Love in itself is enough. Kedar's Braces is a prose which talks about the years of his life when he had braces on his teeth. His trials and tribulations; taunts from friends and rejections from prospective boy friends. Even refusal to be cuddled by his baby nephew. Those braces, says Kedar, have taught him a few important lessons in life. How the people who judge one from the inside are more valuable than those who judge from the outside. And how confidence must come from within, only then is respect given to a person. Deep's prose on the first ever Pride Parade organized in Mumbai talks about homophobia and the need to have the marches. Sridhar Rangayan, the acclaimed director, read two pieces. City Beats A performance poem written way back in around 1985, it weaves a collage of the highs and lows of Bombay - the pace, crowd, pollution, the high life of a metro, the low life of a chawl, the glitz and glamour - all this enmeshed with my own desire, sex and loneliness. The poem uses rhythmic patterns of words to evoke the contrasts of the city and how 'Bombay' encompasses both 'Om' and 'Bomb' in it - a contrasting tapestry of peace and beauty and the ticking horror of overcrowding & overpollution. Interestingly it was written much before the Bombay Blasts of 1993. A Poem about a Poem A poem dedicated my lover and his love; it compares him to a beautiful poem - juxtaposing words as metaphors and similes for who he is and what he means to me. This was written in 1995 as a gift to him on our first Valentine Day. Vivek Ananad, CEO Humsafar, read his poem in Hindi about a man who tells the object of his affection to forget the unforgiving world and pay attention to his love. A second piece was a letter written by Vivek a year ago to two of his friends who were getting married in the US. It was a three day marriage ceremony between two women. Vivek was miserable that he couldn't attend because of visa issues. So he sent them an email with an eulogy of his pride and happiness at a defining moment in their lives. Saurabh Masurkar read out his poems in English which talked of love and death. There was a discussion about Ashok RaoKavi and his enormous contribution to GLBT India. Vivek and Sridhar took the audience down memory lane. How, in the early 1990s Bombay Dost magazine was sold "in the black" by road-side magazine vendors, and how Vivek met Ashok. Tea was served and biscuits munched. The event went on beyond the stipulated two hours, but no one was complaining! The Queer Adda Team thanks every reader and member of the audience for their encouragement and support. Let this be the first of many such events from QA-Literature and other groups in the months and years to come. We need to build synergy among the members of the GLBT community to nurture and showcase talent that oftentimes goes unmentioned and unexplored. The Queer Adda Team A community of hobbyists who happen to be queer --- In qa_literat...@yahoogroups.com, "Q Adda" <queer.adda@...> wrote: > > > QA – Literature group's first ever event in Mumbai! > > Read aloud your original short story/poem/essay/... to a group of about > twenty to thirty people. You will get five minutes to read aloud your > original composition and five minutes for discussions with the group > about your piece. You may use the commonly understood languages in this > part of the world: English, Hindi, Urdu, Marathi or Gujarati, as your > medium of communication. > > > > > Date: Saturday, July 30, 2011 > > Time: 5 pm to 7 pm > > > Venue: > > The Humsafar Trust/Center for Excellence (CEFE), > > Riviera CHS, Flat 2, Ground Floor > > 15th Road, Near RBI Colony, > > Santacruz (W) Mumbai 400 050. > > Phone: +91 22 32449474. > > > > > Entry: Free. > > > > Maximum number of readers: In the interests of time we are limiting the > number of readers to ten. > > > > Deadline for submission of original compositions: Readers please email > your entries to queer dot adda at gmail dot com latest by 9 pm, July 28, > 2011. This will allow us to schedule your reading slot. > > > > Please get your own printout/laptop which you can read your composition > from. > > > > The room that CEFE has been kind enough to lend us will accommodate > about thirty people, inclusive of people sitting on the floor and on the > chairs. Hence entry to the event will be on a first come, first enter > basis. > > > > Queer Adda is a hobby group of folks mainly from the queer community, > queer supporters are welcome. > > > > Here are the links: > > Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/QueerAdda/171535456239748 > <http://www.facebook.com/pages/QueerAdda/171535456239748> > > Facebook group: QueerAdda > > Please send a friend request to "QueerAdda Mumbai" (without the > quotes) with a brief description of why you want to be part of this > group and we'll add you into the Facebook group. > > > > Planet Romeo Club: QueerAdda > > > > Yahoo Groups > > > > To subscribe to the group of your interest please go to the links below > and click on "Join this Group" > > > > QA-Literature > > Literature aficionados! Come join this special interest group spawned > out of the parent Queer Adda. Let's join forces with our pens and > reading glasses. Budding writers showcase your talents here. Any > language, anywhere in the world. Let's go for book readings, meet > authors, share our work and feedback. > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qa_literature <../qa_literature> > > > > QA-Travel > > Let the travel bug in you take over your mind. Come let's explore the > city, the country and the world. Queer Adda proudly presents a platform > for travel enthusiasts. Let's share our travelogues, knowledge and > experiences. Let's make this world a bit queerer! > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qa_travel <../qa_travel> > > > > QA-Foodies > > Queer Adda launches a platform for those who take their food and drinks > seriously, those who love eating out, and trying new places and > cuisines. > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qa_foodies <../qa_foodies> > > > > QA Music > > Queer Adda presents a platform where music enthusiasts can share their > passion with like minded souls where professionals can team up for some > fantastic collaboration. Let's sing. Let's play. Let's go to concerts. > Let's enjoy the notes. If music be the soul of life, play on. > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qa_music <../qa_music> > > > > QA-Performing & Visual Arts > > Connoisseurs of art in different forms, Queer Adda brings in > QA-Performing & Visual Arts, a group dedicated to you. Come along, let's > watch plays, movies, go for art shows, learn dance forms, enjoy some > entertainment shows, discuss saans-bahu serials. Professionals and > enthusiasts can team up and create something new. Let your creativity > bloom and the fragrance reach the right audience. > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qa_arts <../qa_arts> > > > > QA-Queer Activism > > Wish to do something for the community? Stand up for your rights! Queer > Adda tries to bring in what's happening around the country and the > world. > > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/qa_activism <../qa_activism> > > > > > > > The Queer Adda Team >
