Bangalore: From a Radio Jockey to a former policy wonk, there are some unusual contenders in the battle for Karnataka. Some candidates are contesting from parties that don't have much of a footprint, but they're all united in wanting to change the political landscape and give voters an alternative.
Rohit, a Radio Jockey, is contesting from Jayanagar, Bangalore. But Rohit who isn't from a major party has his reasons on why he could have a chance as a Loksatta candidate. "I had three options because if you have to get into politics you need to have real good money or you need to be from a political family. You need to have some real estate or something like that happening. I've got nothing of that sort. So you need to have a name of yourself, brand of yourself for people to say 'I know this guy, I can trust him'. So that was a part of that strategy as to why I am working in a radio station," Rohit said.
Then there is Sridhar Pabbisetty, an IIM graduate contesting from Hebbal. As he cycles with his friends canvassing for support, he explains why he gave up his cushy job at a policy think tank. "I realised that our democracy is at risk because there is a huge information asymmetry. The lobbyists know much before hand, huge infrastructure investment of the government and the citizens know later. Ideally it should be the other way round," Sridhar said.
Even
10:05 AM, May 01, 2013
Raipur: Ravina Biraha is a transgender who refused to live on the fringes and is fighting for dignity for her community. The taunts, the jeers and the humiliation, Biraha has experienced it all. But she prefers to define herself as the third gender. "People still believe that there are only two genders in the society. When they see somebody from the third gender, they starting behaving differently. And that affects...
10:09 AM, Apr 30, 2013
Karachi: For the first time in Pakistan's history, a transgender has been allowed to contest elections, with the country's Election Commission accepting her nomination papers from a constituency in Karachi. Initially the Election Commission had rejected the nomination papers of Bindiya Rana when her supporter failed to show up at the ECP office at the time of filing of papers. But after filing an appeal, Bindiya has finally got the...
10:47 PM, Apr 14, 2013
As we celebrate 100 years of cinema, we go back in time to see how the pioneers treated homosexuality on celluloid. ...
08:20 AM, Feb 27, 2013
Kolkata: Thanks to Indian gay-tour operators, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community across the world is vying for India as the ultimate 'pink' tourist destination. "LGBT tourists want the same things as any traveller: to feel safe and welcome. India is becoming more popular with gay travellers since the high court decriminalized homosexuality in 2009. Feeling welcome is not only a reference to local hospitality, but also to...
12:08 PM, Nov 22, 2012
New Delhi: The Supreme Court om Monday sought the stands of the Centre and various state governments on a plea for declaring transgenders as citizens with a third category of gender and demanding equal protection and rights for them. A bench of justices KS Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra also issued notices to four Union ministries - the Social Justice and Empowerment, the Women and Child Development, the Urban and Rural...
01:49 AM, Oct 02, 2012
Boston: A federal judge on Tuesday ordered state prison officials to provide a taxpayer-funded sex-reassignment surgery to a transgender inmate serving life in prison for murder. US District Judge Mark Wolf ruled in the case of Michelle Kosilek, who was born as a man but has received hormone treatments and lives as a woman in an all-male prison. Robert Kosilek was convicted of murder in the killing of his wife...
08:42 AM, Sep 05, 2012
Mumbai: The Government Railway Police (GRP) has started a new website, displaying figures of the number of men, women and transgenders who have fallen victim to railway accidents. This is the first time that transgenders have been included in the GRP administration statistics. According to GRP officers, they have been asked from their superiors to compile the list in three categories, male, female and transgender. The total number of accidents...
02:37 PM, Aug 11, 2012
Hyderabad: When I spoke to my parents about my sexual orientation, they almost disowned me. They never accepted my relationship with my partner, shares Smruthi Narayan. Her partner Shwetha Pai points out, Its not a disease or a mutation and is not even limited to one community or country. The fact that such people can be born anywhere is something that people fail to understand. Everybody plays the blame game....
01:32 PM, Jul 24, 2012
Bhopal: The election of eunuchs to senior posts has been nullified by courts for the lack of clarity on their gender. Kamla Bua, a eunuch, had won the Sagar mayoral polls in 2009 by a handsome margin of over 43,000 votes from the seat reserved for SC category women. Her nearest rival challenged the verdict in the district court in 2011 saying that Kamla Bua was a eunuch and therefore,...
10:49 AM, Jun 29, 2012
New Delhi: Seema, a husband and father of two, gets ready for another night of work on the streets of New Delhi, placing two halves of a yellow sponge ball into empty bra cups. The 33-year-old then plucks out the stubble on his chin, applies foundation from a pink heart-shaped make-up box and combs his chin-length black hair in front of a large mirror. Seema is transgender, one of hundreds...
11:58 AM, May 17, 2012
BANGALORE: Men will be men. It is better if that was the case. In every city of the country, there are pretentious reasons to survive, especially for men... many work, some beg, some pray, some dress. Yes, dress to earn. Although, an unorganised group, the Hijras of Bangalore seem to be actually men, deliberately hiding behind a feminine fabric to escape from the daily grind of hard work. Now, whether...
09:22 AM, May 03, 2012
New Delhi: The Miss Universe pageant is changing its rules and will allow transgender women to take part in all of its competitions starting in 2013, the organization and gay rights group GLAAD said on Tuesday. Tuesday's decision follows a media outcry over the disqualification of Canadian contestant Jenna Talackova from the upcoming Miss Universe Canada contest because she was not a 'naturally born female.' Talackova 23, who underwent gender...
06:43 PM, Apr 10, 2012
New Delhi: I first spoke to Rose Venkatesan, India's first transgender television host and radio jockey, two years ago when she had just returned from Thailand after a sex change operation. On Tuesday, during a telephone call from Chennai, she said she was excited about the launch of her own political party with a dramatic agenda aimed at sensitizing people towards the plight of women and the lesbian, gay, bisexual...
07:43 PM, Mar 13, 2012
Ayodhya: A transgender, claiming to be a true disciple of Lord Rama, is giving sleepless nights to other candidates in the temple town of Ayodhya. While it's difficult to say how many votes Gulshan alias Bindu would be able to garner in the coming elections, 'she' has undoubtedly made the poll scene in the constituency exciting. Gulshan has roped in some of the most high-profile transgenders from across the country...
01:55 PM, Jan 18, 2012
CHENNAI: On a long drive along the city roads at night, you cant miss spotting transgender streetwalkers in dazzling attire, waiting for customers at vantage points - from the CMDA truck terminal at Madhavaram to the gates of ritzy hotels in Nungambakkam to the deserted Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS) stations on the Old Mahabalipuram Road. Not only have their numbers gone up, the pick-up points too have increased, making...
08:42 AM, Dec 05, 2011
Belgaum (Karnataka): In a dark room in Belgaum district, they sit together looking comfortable. They are in an office and are not even distantly related. But, as is often true of sexual minorities, the homosexuals and transgenders assembled here are as closely knit as biological families. Their biggest complaint is non-acceptance from society, and their strength is Sweekar, a community-based organisation that works to support the sexual minorities and spreads...
03:09 PM, Nov 30, 2011
New York: Treading carefully, President Barack Obama praised New York state lawmakers who were debating landmark legislation on Thursday to legalize gay marriage, saying that's what democracy's all about. But as expected, the president stopped short of embracing same-sex marriage himself, instead asking gay and lesbian donors for patience. "I believe that gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every other couple in this country," the president said at...
06:54 AM, Jun 24, 2011
New Delhi: Google is marking the Gay and Lesbian Pride Month with an easter egg on its search results page. For search results for terms such as "gay", "lesbian", "transgender" and "lgbt", Google displays a rainbow, signifying the rainbow flag of the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) movement at the end of the search bar. Google is known for slipping in hidden features and occasionally jokes, also known as...
08:28 AM, Jun 21, 2011
