The Ambedkar University’s Queer poetry event, held on 17 November 2017 at their Kashmiri Gate campus, felt less like an organised event, and more like a group of friends engaging in thought and dialogue, with poems that were both poignant and intimate. That being said, the event – a part of the university’s Hul Johar Queer Festival – was carefully organised down to the last detail.
The Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) enables its students to voice their “expression of resistance.” At a time when several university spaces are making headlines for restricting freedom of expression, AUD continues to provide a platform that is both tolerant, as well as inspiring.
“Long Distance Love Affair with the Closet”
Poets, participants, and audience members opened up about their relationship with “the closet”. While some shared what it felt like to emerge from the closet, others admitted they were still fighting to leave it behind. A poet and activist had an apt, albeit heart-breaking description, for her closet – “a long-distance love affair.”
The participants spoke about how family, society, politics, culture and country blend into a mindless, toxic amalgamation that can sink, swallow and suffocate. It is poetry, many opined, that gives you the answers.
An incredible array of poets, including the likes of Akhil Katyal and Aastha Singh Raghuvanshi, made this a delightful evening. Watch a Facebook Live of the event here:
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