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In this world full of contrasts and paradoxes, one easily gets to smell the sweet fragrance of flowers along with the awful smell of petrol. Imagine the rich aroma of fresh coffee in chilly winters, at the coffee stalls, with an equal proportion of stink from the drains nearby. The scent of wild flowers and the nasty odors from the garbage dumped their. The delicious smell of food in a room full of musty old books and acrid smoke.




And who has not seen lotus—the elegant, pure, divine flower with the most beautiful tinge of pink—that grows in filthy waters!!! It is a mystery indeed that a thing of beauty, and dirt, combine in such unwelcome proportions. Well it’s His way of creation….with the most unmatching and weird combinations.

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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju
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