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Interview by: Ananya Dhote

Could you tell us something about your background? Was photography always a calling?

Oh no! I first went to a business school; I had a degree in accountancy. Then, I went back to study photography. My parents migrated to Canada when I was 15. My MBA was in New York, so there I made the switch. While in Canada, I was part of the first Gay students’ movement. We started a newspaper and I used to take pictures of the demonstrations for it. So, that’s how it started and, in that way, photography was always tied up to what I was doing generally… I find the subject matter for photography in my own life.

So, how and when did you change your base to Delhi?

I didn’t come back here until early to mid twenties. When I was studying photography, I got a grant, to go somewhere and shoot something and I chose Delhi.

Could you briefly describe essential ideas behind some of your exhibitions and books? How do you relate it to your activism?

In Love, Undetectable (2009 Delhi exhibition), I felt that we had a great deal of energy surrounding the repeal of Section 377. The media was describing it in terms of sociology and legal language. Even, HIV is a condition that is highly medicalized. But as people, our lives have a significant emotional aspect too and the pictures brought that to the fore. So, it’s not only about sex between same-sex; the love between same-sex is never discussed. And, the title came from HIV, the notion of ‘undetectable’; people take HIV drugs these days and the idea is to remain ‘undetectable’, you know, the virus is undetectable.

Mr. Malhotra’s Party (ongoing Delhi exhibition). I started last year in Bangalore, and had been shooting it for over three years. It has pictures of gay people in Delhi, posing for the camera against a sort of ‘everyday life background’. And, then they have their name underneath it. That’s quite different from 20 years back when such people had no name and their pictures were blurred. In today’s context, they are claiming a space in the society and the space that they claim is no different, it’s around their everyday real-life world. They look like everybody else. So, it’s a very ‘outing’ kind of an exhibition. I got the title from ‘Pegs N Pints’, the club in Delhi. When they have a party, it’s always put up as a private party in a fictitious person’s name. And, ‘Mr. Malhotra’ has a very Delhi-like Punjabi feel to it!

Sunil Gupta; Love Undetectable

The New Pre-Raphaelites, had a historical reference in art. There were a group of painters in 19th century; one of them had been known to be arrested for being gay. They used painting to express their situation and I tried to recreate those in my photos using an Indian setting, you know, the Indian, colors, fabric..

A Time to Love and Imagining Childhood: Living with HIV in Delhi When I first came here, I met Anjali Gopalan and the other Naz people in the Naz Care Home in Delhi. And, of course I was interested in doing this as I am myself HIV positive. So, I met the children and I thought I would like to make some pictures, which was interesting and also difficult because children are minors; they can’t give their consent. So, it was like Exiles, I had to show something without showing it. There are these pictures like an empty bottle on the table and a woman’s (apparently, the mother’s..) sari. And, I kept going back to take more pictures so, I became interested in a long term way. I thought I could follow these children as far as I can. When they are small, everybody wants to help them. But when, they are twenty, I wonder if anyone does. You know, their condition is life-long. Some of them are teenagers and, when they were told that they are HIV positive, I got involved in the process. We would have interactive workshops for them.

I was a part of a similar workshop for HIV positive people. People came from all over and shared their ‘coming out stories’; how they realized they were positive and how they shared it among family and friends. You know, it’s quite similar to being gay. And, everyone used different media…song, dance; I used photography. And, when people are given a platform to express themselves, it’s empowering.

Homelands and From Here to Eternity was in response to my illness. In Homelands, I looked at it from the outside world I lived in, and I chose three locations that have been home to be over the years, Delhi, North America and London. While, in From Here to Eternity, I had to think about how the virus affects my life. Arts itself is therapeutic. I became a little bit estranged from my body. Especially, for a gay man, you know, it’s a competitive world out there! (laughs) I had to come to terms with it and not take illness take over. I also made a video about the HIV condition, A World Without Pity, shot mostly in North India.

Exiles was trying to look at gay men in Delhi in the mid 80’s. There was nowhere to go and no one was talking about it. It was a sorry situation. The gay men here were almost in a self-imposed exile.

Christopher Street and Ten Years On were some of my earlier works. That was when I broke up with my first lover. We met in college and I thought it would last forever. So, I used photography as an excuse to meet other people to see what makes them tick. But, it was quite particular to where I was, in London. Christopher street was shot in NY in 1976 and that was after Stonewall, so for the first time the gay community was more ‘out’ and ‘visible’ and I would stand on street corners taking pictures.

Could you tell us about your association with NGO’s and queer collectives.

I am only formally associated with Nigah. It was originally a students’ movement in the JNU. Gradually, it moved out of the campus. Here we use media ( meaning, literature, books) and culture( meaning plays, songs, dances) as aides to create awareness about queer issues. My contribution is to somehow  have photography on the agenda. And, I work with Delhi Queer Pride Committee whenever they organize a parade. My association with HRLN (Human Rights Law Network) is more like a job. We made a video about access to HIV treatment in the medical setup. We shot it in different places and found that while Chennai was quite well organized, West Bengal wasn’t so. In India, the HIV drugs free; there are laws but people don’t know how to implement them. The idea was to spread awareness by means of testimonies of HIV positive people who survived the system. HIV positive people are quite vulnerable within their families. They get thrown out, harassed and often don’t encounter AIDS activism and HIV support groups. Like last year, the judgment on Section 377 was quite complicated. So we had workshops for Hindi speaking people (usually through AIDS outreach groups) on how to use the judgment to their benefit. And, lastly, the relationship with Naaz is quite long standing.

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