The queer community in Lucknow is preparing to celebrate their love for their lovers this Karva Chauth despite the continued stigma surrounding homosexual relationships.
Digital Desk: A section of society views Karva Chauth traditions through a lens that supports heterosexual marriage. However, love is love. Ritwik Das, who self-identifies as transgender, thinks it transcends traditional gender definitions. An outspoken feminist, Das claims that the queer community celebrates Karva Chauth with equal fervour to their straight counterparts despite being shunned by society.
The queer community in Lucknow is preparing to celebrate their love for their lovers this Karva Chauth despite the continued stigma surrounding homosexual relationships. One such pair, Shivansh Singh, 22, and Anushree Chakravarty, 20, intend to carry out all of the festival's ceremonies. "Until I met Anushree, having a lady who would observe a fast in order to pray for my long life was only a distant dream for me as a trans man. Our Karva Chauth will be this. She will observe the fast and has applied mehndi. I would return the favour, but my medication has limitations," Shivansh stated.
Radha, a trans woman from Lucknow, has a similar story. Since 2007, she has been maintaining the Karva Chauth fast in honour of her boyfriend. "My friends and I travel together to the puja. Fortunately, I've never experienced prejudice while celebrating," Radha remarked.
Sapna Kinnar, a trans woman who practices the traditional Hijra sect, will maintain the fast in honour of her spiritual leader in the meanwhile. "The fast is a representation of God, our spiritual companion. We observe a 24-hour fast. We visit a temple to make prayers and adorn Lord Krishna's statue after observing the moon. We pick vermillion from his feet and apply it to our forehead, worshipping him as the divine husband of all souls.” Festivities should not be made prisoners of gender identities, she added.
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