(This story was originally published on 1 March 2022. It is being republished from The Quint's archives in light of the Faridabad Police apprehending two minors in connection with the case.)
(If you feel suicidal or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs.)
“Being queer saved my life. Often we see queerness as deprivation. But when I look at my life, I saw that queerness demanded an alternative innovation from me. I had to make alternative routes; it made me curious; it made me ask, ‘Is this enough for me?’” — Poet Ocean Vuong
I remember one good day from the blur of my last year at school – my friend and I goofed around round patches of dewy flowers in our blue blazers as a foggy mist romanticised the campus’ grey cement buildings into a silhouette.
Despite our conditioning, we created a joy that didn’t need a purpose to exist and a slight giggle pierced through the numbness of pain-suppressing anti-depressants.