The Sacred Games-Paatal Lok crossover, and the first openly gay prince | #59
Also, the story of India's first Olympic medal winner 🏅
“If you are not personally free to be yourself in that most important of all human activities... the expression of love... then life itself loses its meaning.” Harvey Milk
Pride month is celebrated in June to commemorate the Stonewall riots which occurred in June 1969. Back then it was a series of spontaneous demonstrations by members of the gay community in response to a police raid that led to the riots. The patrons of Stonewall and other nearby communities fought back when the police became violent. It is considered among the most important moments in the gay liberation movement. This week’s newsletter is dedicated to Pride Month.
Things we learnt this week:
2 of India’s finest series - Sacred Games and Paatal Lok had a nice hidden crossover. Cheeni, the trans woman caught with the other main characters in the series Paatal Lok, reveals that she works at Kuku’s parlor - a reference to the other transgender character in Sacred Games played by Kubra Sait. Read more about Mairembam Ronaldo Singh, the trans woman who played Cheeni. Speaking of crossovers, if Tom Hiddleston were part of the cast, would they have named the series Paatal Loki?
In a sign of changing times, a Madras High Court judge fixed an appointment with a psychologist to better understand homosexuality and same-sex relationships before passing a verdict on a matter regarding a lesbian couple. Post the appointment, he cancelled an FIR for missing persons filed by the parents of the couple. We wish more people educate themselves about same-sex relationships.
The first openly gay prince in the world is an Indian. Manvendra Singh Gohil is the scion of the Maharaja of Rajpipla. After coming out publicly in 2006, his mother disowned him and tried to disinherit him from the family fortunes. But legal challenges allowed him to keep his share. He has even turned his portion of the family land into a community center that allows LGBT+ folx to be themselves.
From IWTK with love
A thread about India’s first individual Olympic medal winner - the enigmatic Norman Pritchard.
Tamil Nadu has taken a leap forward in legal provisions and positive judgements towards the LGBTQ+ community. Here are a few.
Only in India
A girl reached her boyfriend’s house with Band, Baaja and Baraat after he refused to marry her. It needed the police to sort this love triangle out. Read more here.
Quiz Announcement
Bhasha Talkies is a first-of-its-kind series of regional language quizzes in 5 different languages!
Brought to you by India Wants To Know in association with Southbay Live. We kick start it this week with our Malayalam Quiz. ‘Chanduvinay tholpikkan aavilla makkaley.’ Hosted by seasoned quizzer Anil Raghavan along with panelists Jeo Baby (director of The Great Indian Kitchen) and Malayalam language resource creator Eliza Keyton aka Eli Kutty. Loads of fun to look forward to.
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❤️ IWTK