This June, Hyderabad is set to make history by hosting the country’s first interfaith pride festival. The event seeks to bring together and create a dialogue between queerness and spirituality in a safe and joyful space. Organized by Dragavanti in collaboration with Rubaroo, Mobbera Foundation, Humans of Nirvana, and Bagh Bean Cafe, the fest will take place on June 14th at Bagh Bean Cafe, Jubilee Hills.
Many queer individuals are forced to choose between their faith and their identity, with their existence often seen as mutually exclusive. Regarding the event, founder of Dragvanti P Chidananda Sastry explains, “Many LGBTQIA+ individuals are told that their faith and their identity cannot coexist. Others are excluded from both religious spaces and queer platforms for being too much of one or the other. We wanted to create a space where both can be held with dignity and respect.”
The festival stands as an attempt to challenge these boundaries and create a narrative where queerness and spirituality are deeply enriching to each other.The interfaith pride fest will feature a series of panels, conversations and performances that will delve into the intersectionality of faith, identity and belonging. Some panels will include conversations about the youth navigating their belief systems, experiences of love and commitment beyond faith-based traditions, atheism, and the imagination of an inclusive queer futurism.
By bringing together voices from different backgrounds and belief systems, the event aims to become a movement for reclaiming spiritual spaces and fostering a community that honors every aspect of their identity. Dragavanti welcomes all, queer individuals, allies, people of faith and anyone curious about spirit and identity.
The article is authored by Rishima Mosali, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts, Pune.
