Delhi's Queer Made Weekend is a festival deserving of Pride.
City
dwellers who had rushed to the mall on Saturday to attend Queer Made Weekend
(QMW), a two-day festival to showcase queer Indian companies and performers,
were bustling in the entrance courtyard of the DLF Promenade, Vasant Kunj. QMW
finishes today. This event, which is being hosted by the online dating and
social networking service Tinder in partnership with Gaysi Family, a digital
community platform for the Indian LGBTQ+ community, is an effort to promote
queer companies and give entrepreneurs assistance while also honoring Pride
Month.
Aahana
Dhar, Director of Communications for Tinder India, gave us an overview of the
event, saying, "We started in 2021 as a digital program wherein we
wanted to empower LGBTQIA+ business owners to engage and advance their ventures
while also establishing a playfield for allies to join. We wanted to physically
recreate what we did online this year. "We thought how about we start
recognizing queer businesses, thereby motivating other queer people who want to
establish their own business," Gaysi Family co-founder Sakshi Juneja
continued.
Of Colours and Pride
At
the event, one may see more than 30 LGBTQIA+ enterprises in fields like
fashion, art, home decor, etc. While Quire Studio is showcasing a variety of
handmade candles and other items, Stale Rumours, a small firm from Mumbai, is
here offering zines, brooches, handcrafted blobs, etc. Bani Preet Kaur, a
resident of Mukherjee Nagar, runs Ecalypse, a small business that specializes
in polymer clay jewelry. Anushka, a 19-year-old who specializes in digital
art and resin jewelry, runs CheeryLittleCherry. Lazy Lemons Studio, a unisex
apparel company with headquarters in Delhi, was founded by Anindita
Mukhopadhyay. She said, "It feels amazing to collaborate with other queer
entrepreneurs and artists. This partnership is crucial because it gives the
community new opportunities and contributes to the creation of venues that are
welcoming to queers.
A time for celebration
The
event offers a stage for artists and singers to perform for the public in
addition to a variety of shops from which to shop. A wide variety of delicacies
and beverages are being served by a number of queer caterers and mixologists,
including Bake Bea and Cravings from Next Door. My Sacred Sanctuary is
maintained by Rishi, who also offers tarot readings to clients. Tanya Maria
Lakra, a resident of East Delhi, age 21, who was there with friends, was
introduced to us. Lakra expressed her satisfaction with her encounter by
saying, "I adore the ambiance. People here are extremely colorful and
diverse, representing so many different identities. A few free hugs were also
given to me (laughter).