India’s famous Festival of Letters recently featured LGBTQ+ poets, making history for the country’s queer population.
The festival took place between March 7 -12 and showcased a range of voices including writers young and old, women, Dalit authors, those from marginalized castes, Northeast Indian scribes, tribal poets, and of course, queer writers.
The Sahitya Akademi, often seen as a mirror of the government’s cultural agenda, for the first time allowed these poets into a high-profile poetry reading. Around 700 writers spanning 50 languages showcased their work for the first time at the Rabindra Bhavan in New Delhi. This year’s theme: Indian Literary Traditions.
The Washington Blade reports, leading transgender rights activist and author Kalki Subramaniam hosted a literary session at the festival entitled “Discussion on Literary Works of LGBTQ Writers in the 21st Century,” which highlighted queer voices. The talk also centered on the effects of global politics on gender rights and the continuous erasure of trans identities.
Sahitya Akademi was established by the Indian government in 1954 as a national entity intended to uphold and advance national literature. The organization expanded into LGBTQ+ inclusive territory in 2018 when they held the country’s first gathering of trans writers in Kolkata.
However, the Akademi’s stance on gender and sexuality are not echoed within India’s larger government system. In 2023, the country’s ruling party Bharatiya Janata, opposed same-sex marriage in the Supreme Court claiming it opposed Indian family values.
According to Washington Blade, Sahitya Akademi’s actions are said to forecast the larger movements and plans of the Indian government. With Indian Culture and Tourism Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat present at the event’s opening ceremony, the festival’s success could signal a slow move toward governmental approval of LGBTQ+ rights.
