Resisting Stigma and Homophobia: Munishri Dharmesh Kumar's Verdict, Bangalore Panchayat
Director: Jeevanandhan Rajendran
Duration: 00:05:25; Aspect Ratio: 1.333:1; Hue: 355.291; Saturation: 0.048; Lightness: 0.264; Volume: 0.199; Words per Minute: 79.500
Summary: Action Plus, a network of 14 organisations working on HIV/AIDS in India, conducted a series of People’s Panchayats in 2009, which sought to understand people's battles against Stigma and Homophobia through the voices of survivors and resistors. The Panchayats sought to address the devaluation of livelihoods and life systems of entire communities of people who practice alternate sexualities, and the erosion of rights or dignity.
This series of People’s Panchayats was held in five cities in India. The first one was in Bangalore on January 28, 2009, the second in Hyderabad on February 6, 2009, the third in Chennai on March 21, 2009 and the fourth on April 11, 2009 in Pune. The fifth and final one was held in New Delhi on April 24, 2009.
Each of the Panchayats followed a similar structure. The interactive meetings were structured to have affected members from sexual minority communities share their personal experiences of living with stigma and homophobia. These were the deposers. Then the two-member expert panel shared their thoughts and ideas based on their experience in the field. The audience comprising of the general public, NGOs, media, opinion leaders and religious communities made their queries and comments at the end of the deposition. There was a brief audience interaction following which the jury or the panch gave its ‘verdict’.
In this video, Munishri Dharmesh Kumar, a member of the Bangalore Panch, discusses his verdict on the testimonials heard. He first talks about Jainism in brief, before applying Jain teachings to the subject of queer rights and experiences. He concludes by stating his belief that the government should perhaps make special arrangements for the queer community, similar to those already in place for mentally challenged persons.
Bangalore
I'd like to talk to you in Hindi, as I feel I will be more comfortable in it. First of all, I would like to talk to you on Jainism. There are 24 Thirthankars in Jainism and Mahavir is our guru. Bhagwan Mahavir has taught us a lot, the three most important are Anekanth, Adhyath and Ahimsa. There is a lot of debate about this. The meaning of Anekanth is whatever be the subject that we are looking at, it should be looked at from all the possible angles. Only then can we reach the truth. The second one says, that all animals have a soul in them, so we should have a good opinion about any living being in this world. The third is Ahimsa, which says that all living beings should be treated well. No violence should be shown to them. They should not be troubled in any way. Broadly, living is divided into two types: one who spends his life like me is called a monk, and the other is one who lives a family life but practices the basic principles. Here, we saw people of this community expressing their views in life, and I think that people like us are unaware of their problems. The kinds of problems that these people undergo in schools, hospitals, and the society as a whole, are not known to us.
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Munishri Dharmesh Kumar, a member of the Bangalore Panch, discusses his verdict vis-a-vis the testimonials heard. He first talks about Jainism in brief, before applying Jain teachings to the subject of queer rights and experiences. Munishri Dharmesh Kumar concludes by stating his belief that the government should perhaps make special arrangements for the queer community, similar to those already in place for mentally retarded persons.
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Bangalore
People's Panchayats on Resisting Stigma and Homophobia; Action Plus - a Coalition for Rights, Education and Care in HIV and AIDS. Munishri Dharmesh Kumar, a member of the Bangalore Panch, discusses his verdict vis-a-vis the testimonials heard. He first talks about Jainism in brief, before applying Jain teachings to the subject of queer rights and experiences. Munishri Dharmesh Kumar concludes by stating his belief that the government should perhaps make special arrangements for the queer community, similar to those already in place for mentally retarded persons.
The organization under which we are now having this meeting, is trying in a way to expose their problems to the common public. If we have a multi-angle view of their problems, then we can find a solution to them. A problem had to be looked at from multiple angles, and for doing this, they have called people from different religions, and also some experts on the subject. I don't say that a solution to their problems can be found in a single day, but this subject needs to be looked into deeply. It would have been nice to have some expert doctors to analyze their biological problems in a way. There are several organizations in this society for several kinds of people, like for the mentally retarded and the abnormal children and so on. Just like the government and society support them, they should also get support. The attempt that you have made is a good one, and we should look up at them. The society should take care that they are in no way a hindrance to them as everyone has their right to live their life. People should listen to their problems with patience and find a solution.
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