By Kanika Katyal:
Would you believe me if I told you that the labelling of certain lifestyles as ‘taboo’ is a product of the modern society?
India has always been an all-embracing culture. The richness of our culture thrives upon its pluralism. One important aspect of inclusivity is to include a broad spectrum of gender identities. Gender and sexuality were never rigid categories, and tales from the Hindu mythology confirm that. Our gods have time and again transformed into male and female shapes/avatars to carry out different purposes. We are all familiar with the androgynous Shiva-Shakti avatar. So when did homosexuality become ‘problematic‘? Or cross-dressing for that matter?
The video illustrates several ‘gender-bender’ stories from the Ramayana and Mahabharata, to appreciate how all entities and imaginations had an important role to play in the larger scheme of things, and live in harmony with each other and flourish.
Meta narratives, actively challenging and subverting the dominant worldview have always existed in our culture. Watch this video to debunk all your myths about a unilateral vision of history.