Nipun Goyal
Venu Pillai is the head of the Shringar Foundation- the only LGBT organization in conservative Madhya Pradesh. Pink Pages caught up with him at the Indian Coffee House in Bhopal.
Tell us something about the Shringar Foundation.
Shringar foundation was established in 2001 for understanding the needs and risks associated with MSMs, IDUs, and has been successful in involving community at every step. We have outreach programs in Bhopal and Indore. We work with gay and bisexual men, transgenders, hijras and more recently, even with lesbian women.
What exactly is the work that Shringar is doing?
We started off with work on HIV prevention among female sex workers and MSMs- awareness campaigns and distributing condoms. We also work closely with similar groups in the region on the sexual health of the hijras and transgeders. We have been organizing conferences on these issues, and delegates from across India have attended them.
What are the programs that you are working on right now?
There are four targeted intervention programs running in Bhopal right now- two for MSMs, one for female sex workers and one for hijras. Also two such programs in Indore, and one in Gwalior.
Why the term ‘MSM’ and not gay?
The term ‘MSM’ (Men who have sex with men) is a broad umbrella term for men of varying sexualities- gays, bisexuals, bi-curious, trans men, etc. Gay men are a part of it.
How difficult was it setting up an organization like Shringar Foundation in a conservative city like Bhopal?
Yes, it was quite an effort. We couldn’t start it off as an organization for gays and lesbians. So we initially registered it as a group for AIDS prevention. We started working with the transgenders, and then moved on to gay men, and now even lesbians, though I must say that lesbians in the city are still much more in the closet than gay men are.
Recently Shringar organized a meeting on trans-genders.
Yes, we had delegates from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Chhattisgarh. We tried to reach a consensus on how to define the term ‘hijra’.
People- both gay and straight, have a lot of confusion about who the hijras really are. What do you think was the conclusion of the meeting?
The official results are not yet out, but what we agreed upon was that hijras are male to female transgendered or transsexual people, who live in groups under the guidance of a particular ‘guru’.
What has been the attitude of the state government?
Positive so far. We get much of our funds from the state government. The Madhya Pradesh State AIDS Prevention Unit helps us a lot.
Have there been any cases of Police harassment of gays in Madhya Pradesh?
None that I know of. There was just this one incident when police questioned some gay men in Indore.
When media reported a gay party?
Yes, I was at the party, and I can say for sure that none of the rubbish that was reported by India TV- they alleged that we were organizing orgies in the hotel- had an iota of truth in it. All we did was have food and drinks, and danced to music, like in any other regular party. The police did question us after such outrageous reports were aired by that TV channel. However they didn’t file any case when they found out that there was none. Apparently someone was trying to settle some personal scores.
When are we going to have a gay pride parade in Bhopal?
Very soon hopefully. There already are people who’d gladly participate if such an event were to be organized. Let’s hope for the best!
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