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| Edited By: Barry Rodgers |Source: DNA |Updated: Nov 28, 2016, 08:10 AM IST
Varun Singal was born again in 2012— the year he came out to his immediate family. With a background in Law and Finance, and having worked with the Australian federal government for nearly a decade, the 31-year-old decided to ditch his 9-5 job and travel the world. His quest for fulfilment took him to Nepal in 2015, where he became a certified yoga teacher. Now, Singal is set to open the world’s first LGBTQ yoga retreat, called Simply Yoga, in the heart of north Goa.
I always knew I was gay. My siblings were aware about my preference, and were supportive. Breaking the news to my parents was difficult. When I was younger, they suspected there was something different, and even took me to a psychiatrist for ‘corrective therapy’. Luckily, the doctor was supportive. He told my parents that I was a normal boy, and asked them not to worry. My brother told me to consider moving abroad to live the life I’ve always wanted. I decided to move to Melbourne at 20, and it was the best decision of my life.
I believe I wasn’t born to work a regular job. Yoga found me in Nepal. When the earthquake struck in April 2015, I was forced to leave. My parents, who have been supportive of my dreams, sat me down and asked me, “Beta, what do you want to do? You’ve been touring the world, but have not done anything concrete.” I told them about my plans to start a yoga retreat, and they were sold on the idea. I couldn’t think of a better place than Goa. I moved there last year.
Goa is the most sexually-liberated city in India. The locals are not intrusive. Also, I like the vibe.
When you decide to set up a venture anywhere in India, you will most often face opposition and roadblocks. I had my heart set on this Portuguese villa in Assagaon, which had been lying abandoned for 30 years. Everyone told me the owners, who had moved to Canada, would not give up their home. I got in touch with them, told them about my vision, and they agreed.
I want it to be a symbol of hope, and acceptance. I want it to be a place where they can be themselves without being judged. I would love to employ people from the LGBTQ community; but I understand that some of them are still closeted, and would not like to be ousted.
We don’t have a dedicated place for people from the community to come and be themselves. The local LGBTQ community has also show interest in the treat, considering yoga is in the spotlight now after it was endorsed by our Prime Minister. However, the retreat is open to all. I want straight people to visit, too. I do not want to discriminate, because I was discriminated against. I plan to open in phases, with the first phase set for late January to early February 2017.
Yoga retreats in India, and around the world, cater to people from the west. They conduct studio-style yoga that doesn’t appeal to me. I am more focused on traditional yoga, where I will be starting with the basics. I intend to start with yoga philosophy, and shed light on how and why we do yoga. I want to encourage people to build their own practice, as opposed to being dependent on a teacher.
Hope. The hope that tomorrow will be better. I was never the problem, and so I was never apologetic about my sexuality. When you are true to who you are, there’s nothing that can break you.
