Godrej, Vikhroli Chi Rani

As a motivational speaker and cause consultant, I have been invited by many educational institutes and corporate events to give talks or share my views on LGBTIQ rights. However, some of them share that their company policies do not permit them to share event information on social media. I am left in a perplexed state most of the time, because these companies would share about everything else in the social awareness sphere very publicly with utmost pride, but would want me to be hush-hush about the LGBTIQ awareness conversation. When I dig a little deeper, I discover that it is not homophobia but Section 377 phobia that keeps them extremely paranoid. I want corporates to know that it has never ever been illegal to be LGBTIQ in India.  It is not a crime to speak about the existence of LGBTIQ persons.  

While some multinationals develop cold feet, and some others treat LGBTIQ advocacy as their illegitimate affair, Godrej Industries doesn’t just dip its feet in queerdom, it drowns completely in it. In a recently concluded event at Godrej One, the United Nations Human Rights Standards of Conduct for Business with respect to tackling discrimination against LGBTIQ persons was released. Godrej, literally, led the tribe by hosting a corporate-only level discussion about LGBTIQ inclusive workplace policies, then an open-to-all panel discussion and at the end, the launch of the standards. They are not just all taam-jhaam and no kaam, you’ll have to eat your words. Godrej has been in the forefront of getting equal rights for their LGBTIQ employees. Right from changing the word “spouse” to the all inclusive “partner” in all policy documents, they have done it all. Much has been possible because of Vikhroli’s corporate queen Parmesh Shahani. Not only does he drive equality within the organisation, he also stresses on LGBTIQ inclusive policies when he goes on tours for campus placement in nami-grami college campusus like IIMs.

Though I should give most of the credit to his boss Nisa Godrej, who allows him the space to debate, discuss and reason and doesn’t go in dictator mode like many bosses do. She attends all these events and ensures that she greets all the guests personally. Besides equality for humanity, she says, being equal and fair makes great business sense where her team performs better with no fear of prejudice because of their identity. It is bosses like her that pave the way to equality. Her name and her contribution to India’s queer history is indisputable. In a world of super-inflated egos, gems like Nisa Godrej are ekdamich rare.

Tar tyaala celebrate karaicha

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

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