Marking the first anniversary of the Supreme Court reading down Section 377 of the IPC, an “Alpona Ceremony” was organised at Ballygunge by the members of the LGBTQ community of Kolkata today.
The initiative was jointly taken by Adi Ballygunge Sarbojojin Durgostsab Samity, a Durga puja committee of north Kolkata and a 14-year-old organisation that works for the marginalised youth. The club, celebrating its 70th year of Puja has made the theme of their Durga Puja ‘Puja with Pride’, and the organisers have pledged to work for a society where the LGBTQ community members can walk with their head held high.
A separate stall also was also set up, portraying the 20 years of struggle against the IPC 377 and more than 150 years of revolution in Bengali culture and social life through folklore like vadu, Tusu, alcap, ganjan where gender binary had been broken.