Kolkotta: Mobile Library for LGBT

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Issues on the move

EXPRESS FEATURES SERVICE. Updated: Monday , November 05, 2007 at

02:53:33

The white Tata Sumo has a bright banner across it. There is nothing

remarkable about its appearance; indeed at the most it will draw

blank stares from a few dispassionate onlookers. But for 21-year-old

crossdresser, Kajol, a Kasba resident, the arrival of the Sumo

signalled the end of a three-hour long wait. " I have cancelled all my

plans for this occasion. It is something that I have been looking

forward to for days, " said an enthusiastic Kajol.

The spacious Sumo is the vehicle of a unique endeavour. It hosts the

Saathii Mobile Library, an initiative by Saathii, an organisation

that works in the sphere of alternative sexuality and AIDS-related

issues. " Once every month we will go out to different parts of the

state and display our collection of books and films to our target

population in Kolkata and its suburbs, including Diamond Harbour,

Serampore and Baruipur. That includes people who are vulnerable to

HIV/AIDS and the general public, " says Pawan Dhall, director,

Saathii.

" We have a collection of over 500 books and films. The films will

obviously make a stronger impact because a large section of our

target population is uneducated. In the film section we have films

like Sridhar Rangayan's Gulabi Aaina and Trithankar Guhathakurta's

Pikku Bhalo Achche. However, we are hoping that vernacular titles

such as Bharater Hijra Samaj and Sama Prem by Ajay Basu and Nilay

Basu will be well thumbed, " added Shubhadip Ray, the library

coordinator.

Keeping in mind the varied taste of readers, the library will offer

LGBT-related magazines such as Dost and Trikone along with titles

such us Michel Foucault's History of Sexuality and Ruth Vanita's Same

Sex Love in India. " We realize that these titles will be for many

readers their first encounter with LGBT issues, so we want to offer

them a variety, " Dhall mentioned.

At the cramped Kasba office of Manas Bangla, which works on issues of

same sexuality and gender, the grim subject of HIV/AIDS didn't seem

to dampen anybody's spirit. Indeed, the office seemed to be in a

celebratory mode with members from a cross section of society

chipping in. " Our members have been looking forward to this event for

days. We are hoping that the books and the CDs at the library will

help everyone, " said Sanjiv Chakraborty, director of Manas Bangla.

The likes of Kajol and Pintu, a former male sex worker, jostled for

space during a special film screening session. Citing the example of

the film, Mumbai-based Sachin Kundalkar's The Bath, which is a

sensitive portrayal of issues concerning male sex workers, Pintu

claims that more than the books it is the film collection at the

library that will attract attention.

" There are many male sex workers who can't read and write. Books will be lost on

them. Films like this, which sensitively talk about issues that matter to us,

will manage to make an indelible impression, " stated Pintu. " Though I'm not

literate, it was a reassuring to see so many books here. It felt wonderful to

realize that people actually talk and write about us, " said Kajol, as the white

Sumo drove away.

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