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| MASALA Hosts Sunil Pant |
Sarav Chithambaram
11/24/2009
Pant founded the Blue Diamond Society in 2001, the only gay rights group in Nepal. He was quoted in the press saying "Representing a sexual minority I will make sure the new constitution protects sexual groups, people with disabilities, small indigenous castes and others,". He was a great hit and an inspiration for those who attended the lunch. One of the attendees Kannan Tiruvengadam said "This quiet, humble man is not only a great ambassador of south Asia, but also the beginning of a great era of progress in establishing the fundamental rights of overlooked minorities of the third world". This year in India, we saw that the New Delhi High court delivered a historic judgment decriminalizing homosexuality.
The gay rights movement gained traction in South Asia with leaders like Pant and numerous others who worked so hard to give positive visibility for a community which was invisible for a very long time. It is not very easy to do it in traditional countries like India, Nepal etc. Never ever the movement was so energized and excited about the liberation of a community which was discriminated for a very long time. I couldn't help but reflect on my own life a bit. While growing up as a Gay teenager in India, I neither had any role models nor did I see any visible community for any support or comfort. Years later, I had to immigrate to USA to find that support I was looking for. I was very excited to see the Gay rights movement surging ahead in South Asia. The recent developments are a huge acknowledgment for the gay community in that region.
Undoubtedly the only Hindu nation in the world, Nepal is leading its way in terms of achieving equal rights for the Gay community. Other countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka are lagging behind. They have their own set of challenges to deal with like Taliban in Pakistan, the Tamil issue in Sri Lanka etc, but I hope one day they will join the civil rights movements in providing equal rights to their own citizens. We can only hope to make one step at a time.
During the lunch at Himalayan Bistro in West Roxbury, MA, Pant delivered an inspirational speech. He talked about how he is involved in rewriting the Nepal's constitution. He also talked about running an exciting project for Gay youth in Nepal. He reiterated that same sex marriage is legal in Nepal and Nepal is the first South Asian country which allows same sex marriages. He invited the gay community in USA to visit Nepal. He hoped that the safe space in Nepal will be a delight for the gay communities around the world. He wished that the community will take up the opportunity and get married in Nepal in a traditional Hindu ceremony.
The guests at the lunch where impressed by Sunil Babu Pant's achievement in the South Asian civil rights movement and inspired by his speech. When I asked Kishor Kumar of Boston on what he thought of Mr. Pant. he said "It is amazing how Mr. Sunil Pant spearheaded the LGBT movement in Nepal realizing the importance of political power, which is very crucial for advancing the rights of any minorities" and Ajit Das of Cambridge added "It was extremely inspiring and heartwarming to hear Sunil Pant speak about the significant strides made by the Nepal government in treating GLBT individuals fairness and equality and specifically their efforts to send the message across to the rest of the world".
It was a wonderful afternoon spent with a young charismatic leader from Nepal. Members from MASALA, The History project and Stonewall Communities attended the lunch. Occasions like these are very rare and it’s even rare to witness history being made in furthering basic human rights in South Asia. I couldn’t help but say “Together we can change the worldâ€.
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