AMRITSAR: They recently passed Class XII, but are already aiming to make history of sorts. Meet Ridhan Chadha and Ramit Seth. Come Sunday, these two 18-year-olds will probably be organizing the first
Pride Parade
of Punjab in
Amritsar
. The holy city’s Rose Garden is the assembly point for the parade. While participants will start gathering from 3.30pm, the march is expected to start at 5pm.
Ridhan claims to be a representative of the LGBTQ community of Amritsar. “We are expecting the participation of more than 100 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) people from Amritsar and Jalandhar,” said Ridham.
Asked about her family’s reaction to the parade, Ridham said, “They did not oppose or discuss it openly.”
Though Ridham has not been in any relationship, she feels she is bisexual.
Ramit is straight, but said the LGBTQ community had been discriminated against due to widespread ignorance about them.
Both Ridham and Ramit studied at a famous private school of Amritsar and are now heading to Canada for higher education. “We asked a lot of people about their views on LGBTQs in Amritsar and a majority of them, though reluctantly, said it was normal,” said Ramit.
Ramit said when he told his family about Pride Parade, they started asking him if he was gay. “Why should I tell you even if I am?” he said.
The duo has taken the support of a Ludhiana-based non-government organization (NGO), Project Kushal , for the parade. “We are committed to supporting the fundamental rights of LGBTQ community and have provided them with posters and banners,” said Mohak Thukral, founder of the NGO.
He said there was a need to raise awareness about LGBTQ rights among children. “The older you grow, the more rigid your ideas become. So, acceptability becomes harder,” he said.
Ramit said they were expecting many people to criticize their initiative, but they were ready to risk iy for the fundamental rights of a section of society. “No doubt that government has decriminalized Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, but it doesn’t mean that their rights are respected and accepted in society. We are doing this for LGBTQ community,” Ridham said.
She said they had taken relevant approvals from the district administration, including security cover.
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