Pune: Fourth LGBTIQ Literary Festival Honours Community Achievements, Literary Contributions

Mooknayak 2025 - the fourth edition of Akhil Bharatiya Marathi LGBTIQ Sahitya Sammelan was successfully held on September 21, with the book launch of the ‘Rainbow Nests – Gay Relationships in India’ and felicitation of the Queer community members pursuing higher education and people supporting the rights of LGBTIQ community.

The Akhil Bharatiya Marathi LGBTIQ Sahitya Sammelan has been organised for the last four years by Bindu Queer Rights Foundation and Yutak Charitable Trust to provide a platform for the LGBTQ community to present their ideas and literary work.

Speaking to the Free Press Journal, Bindumadhav Khire, Director of Bindu Queer Rights Foundation, said, “For over a decade, the LGBTIQ community members have been writing and contributing towards the literary work, but there was no single platform to discuss or present those ideas. So with this inspiration, we started with the Akhil Bharatiya Marathi LGBTIQ Sahitya Sammelan to present those and create space for emerging writers from the community.”

Khire’s book ‘Rainbow Nests – Gay Relationships in India’ was launched. “The book features interviews of some same-sex couples as to how they managed the daily struggle and yet built their lives. And the same book’s Marathi version, ‘Tumcha Amcha Same Same Asta’, will be released in early 2026,” added Khire. 

“The event also had discussions about how superstitions and extortion persist in some LGBTIQ community members, and about extortion by deceitful transgender or gay individuals,” he added.

Moreover, the event covered an expert lecture by Ujjwala Barve, Dean, Modern Sciences and Professional Skills, Tilak Maharashtra Vidyapeeth, and the felicitation of Vivek Raj Anand, CEO of Mumbai’s The Humsafar Trust.

“The LGBTIQ community members who are pursuing higher education were also felicitated during the event, as it motivates the younger generations of the LGBTIQ community to pursue higher education,” Khire said.

Among those included were Satara’s Arya Pujari, a lavani artist, and now doing a master’s degree in Marathi Literature; Vaidehi Warhade, pursuing higher studies while managing a security guard’s job at Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC); Ovi Bhandalkar, who is in the last year of law at the ILS Law College; Krushnai Bulunge, working as a nurse in one of Pune’s hospitals; and Amrita Dube, an IT professional working in Kharadi, were felicitated at the event.

“The response has been inspiring as the Sammelan is houseful. Moreover, considering the demands to take into account the English and Hindi literature, we are planning to have a two-day event from next year onwards, where one day will be exclusive for Marathi LGBTIQ Sahitya Sammelan, while the next day will feature Hindi and English LGBTIQ literature,” said Khire.