On the 28th of January, people in Delhi witnessed a sight that brought so much happiness, it was surreal! The already beautiful Rashtrapati Bhavan was all lit up and vibrant in the evening. What was different was that it wasn’t lit up in the usual yellow colour. The colours that were shone brightly on the Rashtrapati Bhavan looked a lot like those of a pride flag!
We are not certain if it was meant to be lit up like the pride flag or if it was just a happy coincidence. But, we’d like to think it was in support of the LGBTQIA community in India. It first lit up with the colours of the Indian tricolour flag and later changed to those of the rainbow flag. The pride colours kept coming back every three minutes between 06:15 pm to 06:45 pm. Alexander Balakrishnan, one of the many witnesses present there, took some gorgeous pictures of the rainbow coloured Rashtrapati Bhavan and shared them with us. Honestly, we couldn’t contain our excitement looking at them and we thought it would be great to share these super awesome pictures with y’all too.
A Quick Reminder
For those in the unknown, the Supreme court of India declared Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code — the section of the law that made homosexuality a punishable crime, unconstitutional on the 6th of September 2018. It was a much-needed step and was celebrated all across the country.
While the laws have changed, sadly, the stigma around the community and same-sex love still exists. Many people still think that the LGBTQIA community getting more acceptance in our country is an idea that is influenced by the west. What they need to understand is that when people identify themselves as a part of LBTQIA, it isn’t about India becoming westernised but about us finally decolonising from Victorian ideas instilled by years of colonization.
On a much more lighter note, there will be a pride walk happening on the 2nd of February 2019 in Mumbai at the August Kranti Maidan, 3 pm onwards. How many of y’all are planning to walk for pride and support the LGBTQIA community? Let us know in the comments below.
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