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Time of India
15-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
Pride walk promotes love and equality in Nashik
Nashik: A large section of Nashik residents walked alongside members of the LGBTQAI+ community during their march in Nashik on Sunday at 3pm. The members of the community gathered at Kusumagraj Smarak, where they held discussions and exchanged information on various topics, such as the rights and demands related to the community. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The community members resolved to continue to fight for better treatment from the society. "We are here to raise awareness among society and the community members. We want the citizens to know what the community is, who we are, and what we want from the community," said Sanvi Jethwani, co-vice-president of the Transgender Welfare Board of Maharashtra. The march was organised by the community with the help of Yutak Charitable Trust, Pune. The members, dressed in colourful attire, chanted slogans like 'tumcha amcha same asta, prem mhanje prem mhanje prem asta' (love is love just the same, as it is yours, and so it is ours) and 'mera bachcha gay, uska bhi toh say hain' (my child is gay, he also has a say). The march saw elders and youngsters participating for equal rights. "We do not want to draw attention and seek sympathy. In fact, we want the community to accept who we are and also provide us with opportunities to study, grow, gain employment, and contribute to the nation," Jethwani said.
Indian Express
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘Love is love': Punekars stand for diversity at Pride Walk
Slogans like 'Tumcha amcha same asta, prem mhanje prem asta' (Yours and mine it is the same, love is love it is the same) reverberated through the streets of the old city area of Pune on Sunday as the annual Pride Walk organised by Yutak LGBTQ Trust made its way from Abhinav Chowk to Mandai and back. Co-vice president of the Transgender Welfare Board of Maharashtra Dr Sanvi Jethvani and Protyush Borgohain of Kohler, the sponsor of the March, were the marshals at the event. District Judge Sonal Patil, another invited marshal, could not attend the event. Organisers claimed that over 1,500 people participated in the march. Addressing the crowd, Jethvani said, 'There is a line by Sane Guruji that goes – the only true dharma is the one that loves everyone. But while giving love we forget that we are humans. This society is stuck in the shackles of genitalia, but today everyone standing here, whether gay or trans, proudly says that we are humans.' While standing on the podium — adorned with photos of Maharashtra's renowned personalities like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Dr B R Ambedkar, Jyotiba Phule, and Savitribai Phule — Jethvani added, 'I salute you all because you have accepted yourself and you are queer. You need great courage for this. I always say this struggle is not against one but three. First against yourself, then against family, and then against society. If you don't win against yourself, how can you fight others?' Various social organisations like Maharashtra Andhashraddha Nirmoolan Samiti, Family Planning Association of India, and National Legal Services Authority were also present at the march with their banners. Employees of corporations like Kohler, Cummins, and Deutsche Bank could be seen at the march donning their company's pride merchandise. Anil Ukarande, founder of Yutak Trust, said, 'We have two objectives for the Pride walk this year. First, we want to thank the Maharashtra Government for reviving the transgender welfare board which had not been really functioning for some time. Second, there was a rise in extortion cases using dating apps. We had approached the Pune police with this issue and the cases have now gone down. So we want to thank the Pune police for that as well.' Soham is a Correspondent with the Indian Express in Pune. A journalism graduate, he was a fact-checker before joining the Express. Soham currently covers education and is also interested in civic issues, health, human rights, and politics. ... Read More
