Equal Raksha Bandhan

Let me tell you a story about a shy and timid student. He was destroyed because of the consistent bullying by his classmates. Homophobic slurs and hate mail were a daily affair. He even attempted suicide. This was back in the mid-90s. However, with a little pet therapy, he regained his voice.

His professors Lakhbir Kaur and Papia Guha ensured that he was put in leadership positions, that would boost his morale. Slowly, he transformed into a fiery debater, a champion for causes and a columnist with DNA. That boy is me. The college that made me who I am today is Guru Nanak Khalsa College, Matunga in Mumbai.  

My educational roots with the college, for seven years as a student and a decade-and-a-half as an alumnus, has ensured that I value the tenets of Sikhism enshrined in me. The core principle of Sikhism is equality. They unequivocally stand against discrimination. So, when I was offered the chance to be visiting faculty by Simran Chawla, Head of Department, BMM, I grabbed it.

Today, I teach a sunny bunch of 20-year-olds, who stand with me as champions of equality, who think from their hearts as much as from their heads. And boy oh boy, how proud I am of them for standing up for me, their professor, and more importantly for the larger cause of equality, on social media and in real life.

Why am I suddenly speaking about this now? That’s because our bunch of students along with fellow faculty celebrated Raksha Bandhan in the most unique way. In an event called Synergy, they headed to Anand Niketan, an elder’s home in Mahalaxmi, Mumbai, with a lot of gifts. Hashtag #CelebratingAge was on their mind.

After an entertaining programme, they got to tying rakhis. But here was the difference. Everyone tied rakhis to everyone without bias of age or gender. I got “bro-zoned” by several male students and my female students flaunted their rakhis tied to them by their mard-dosts. For drama, trust a Punjabi.

I had a rakhi tied on my wrist by a disabled person whose hands extended only till the elbow.

It happened all of a sudden, with no fanfare, music, or even an iota of shyness. They were completely oblivious to the fact that they had stirred a revolution in their own little way, by starting a gender-neutral, ability-neutral, Raksha Bandhan. Here, your age, gender, sexuality, religion, disability didn’t decide whether you will have a rakhi on your wrist.

I have some three dozens of them. Many tied by male students. Life has come a full circle — from being bullied for being effeminate to being celebrated minus any trace of prejudice.

Haiiii Rabbb! Ab main shanti nal mar sakada hu.

(Activist Harish Iyer shares his entertaining adventures through Mumbai’s landscape)

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