Bye Bye 377

The moment Supreme Court of India delivered its judgement declaring Right to Privacy as a fundamental right, saying that “Privacy assures dignity to the individual and its only when the individual enjoys life with dignity that liberty can be of true substance” and explicitly mentioned that privacy included ‘sexual orientation’, everyone knew its only a matter of time before Section 377 of Indian Penal Code is repealed. Today, the clock stopped ticking, and history is made by making Section 377 a part of history. However, I thought that the Supreme Court might not have any more thought-provoking content in its judgement about decriminalizing homosexuality, considering that a lot has already been said about privacy and dignity. But this judgement which also quoted the lyrics of Canadian songwriter Leonard Cohen proves that I cannot be more wrong about it.

Anyone who has been following this issue would remember that the beginning of this journey was in 2009 when Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexuality which took a U-turn after Supreme Court left it in the ambit of the legislature in 2013. In other words, they said “The society is not ready for this yet,” and we said, “Challenge accepted.” (Please feel free to replace ‘we’ with ‘they’ wherever applicable/not applicable. After all, liberty is for everyone.)

We started public debates explaining, discussing and sensitizing the topic of homosexuality and the rights of LGBTQ community. We sat through ridiculous explanations of a natural phenomenon as a disease and even more absurd claims of cure in Yoga. I should say we went really far when we touched the sculptures and paintings of temples. I still don’t understand how we even dared to ask questions and show proofs. Nevertheless, we came a long way from protesting movies like ‘Fire’ and portraying homosexuality as a taboo or comedy in movies like ‘Dostana’ to depicting sensitively in movies like ‘Margarita with a straw,’ thanks to simultaneous progress worldwide. 

When the Supreme Court accorded transgender community the right to be called third gender and the right against discrimination, it was more than a clear signal that the society is now almost ready, or at least the judges thought so. Finally, today, when the judgement of CJI Dipak Misra and Justice Khanwilkar read “I am what I am,” I wonder if there can be any more powerful statement in any other judgement on individual’s liberty. They are absolutely right to say “We can’t call ourselves developed society unless we are freed from the shackles of stereotyping.” But what left me between smiling and laughing is Justice Chandrachud’s statement “Can the state be allowed to decide?”

Keep the conversation interesting!

                      My very first speech in Toastmasters was titled "Like a flowing river" after Paulo Coelho's collection of short stories as well as a comparison of how my life kept changing its course over years. Life in fact, is everchanging; or else, why would it be called life? As the title of one of my old posts goes, life is simple; accept the change. 

                     In the past 6 years, my life kept changing but it was more like a loop. The phases of writing UPSC prelims, then mains and make a short trip to the US when possible and write prelims again....  went on and on and the cycle continued. Finally, I have exhausted all my attempts as well as age limit this year and this cycle would end very soon and life will change all over again.

                     Now when I think of starting a new phase of life afresh, I don't regret even a single decision I made throughout this cycle. But there is one particular change in me which impacted one of the core defining features of what I am. I stopped being in touch with many of my old friends and did not make many new friends either. I travel for around 16-17 hours on a flight but hardly speak a word with co-passenger. I choose side lower berth in 2 tier AC trains, close the curtain and travel 12-24 hrs in silence. I look at the posts of some old friends on FB and WhatsApp but don't ping them.

                     This change is not just a consequence of busy lives or lack of interest in people. It is a conscious choice I made when I found it difficult, or rather boring to answer follow up questions after "how are you?" (in case of old friends) or "hello" (in case of strangers). Old friends ask about my exam, when and why I would be returning to India, my plan about having kids (strangely, people of my generation are still interested in asking this question) and now my answers also became part of my life cycle because of repeating the same answers all these years. New ones ask me what I do, why I would be returning to India (not when, because they don't care obviously) and if my husband is supportive and I end up explaining them the entire exam cycle. Sometimes I doubt if these questions are also a part of my exam syllabus since I go through them repetitively. 

                     After all the questions, another thing that my old friends repeated was their reassurance and faith that I will be successful one day in my endeavors and the new ones wish me luck. Thanks to all those kind words and they played a great role in keeping my morale up in all my attempts at this exam. By the end of this year, I hope I will have new answers to those questions and I badly wish the questions change as well. I promise that I will soon get in touch with all my old buddies and if you are one and reading this, please promise me you will keep the conversation interesting ;)