Seeking nirvana

Many expats come to Kumbh from all over the world to seek spiritual solace and out-of-body experiences India has been of interest to many nirvana seekers from the West, not just the desi brand of sadhu and sant. Meditation, yoga, occult, yajna and various cult practices, are a source of fascination. The Kumbh Mela attracts […]

Let the fusion play

Music prodigy Ritviz Srivastava is making waves with his innovative fusion of Hindustani music and dubstep All of 22 years old, Ritviz Srivastava is strikingly modest and down-to-earth for the fame he’s gained in a short span of time. Hailing from Pune, this young music producer has made waves all over the country with his […]

Sitting pretty

Transgenders led by Lakshmi Narayan Tripathi found their place in the 14 akharas of the Kumbh Mela this time, making her an instant celebrity Acharya Mahamandaleshwar of Kinnar (transgender) Akhara is the most recent entrant into the 14 akharas. She created history by leading hundreds of transgenders to take dip in the holy Sangam on […]

‘Why I am on the streets’

For the first time, Patriot features a common man in its Question and answer page: Nand Lal, who has been living on the city’s streets for years Nand Lal, 45, lost his legs in a road accident in Deoria, after which he came to Delhi to look for better opportunities and a livelihood. Here he […]

KB Goel: The Critic in his Labyrinth

Born to a family of grain merchants in the year 1930 in Deeg, Rajasthan, Kanha Babu Goel lifted himself from his provincial background during his journalistic career in Delhi. In the 1950s, the world of art came to life in the capital and he began to review art exhibitions. In time, as galleries flourished, he […]

How ‘he’ became ‘she’

Childhood traumas, a bad father, doubts over sexuality — Ashwini has lived a life many of us cannot think of embracing. All his hopes are pinned on soon becoming a woman “I used to cry for hours and hours in the school washroom,” says an emotional Ashwini Kumar Singh, who will soon be ‘Avni’. For […]

‘We demand a sexual minority commission’

Ashok Row Kavi was one of the very first Indians who came out to assert their sexuality to the world. He has been the most vocal advocate of LGBT rights for four decades and is Editor of Bombay Dost and Chairperson of Humsafar Trust. An interview: What has changed in the last few decades as […]

‘Inclusion must go to the next level’

Patriot spoke to hotelier Keshav Suri on the LGBTQ community, his petition to the SC, his marriage, societal attitude, corporate sector’s inclusion and his drag performance with his mother This year has been a life changing year for the LGBTQ community in India. How do you see it? I feel fantastic. It’s the year the […]