Potluck Picnic: My First Pride Event

“Why are you not gay?”

“I like women, I like men, I am not confused. Okay, maybe I am, but with my math not with my sexuality”

“Do you listen to girl in red?”

I am not asking you these questions, millions of people who belong to the LGBTQIA+ community are. Millions of people who are starving for representation, millions of people who just want a voice, a fighting chance to win a war that has been going on for much longer than any of you can even imagine. 

The world rejected them, tried to “heal” them, hid them behind the garb of normality, curbed their identities, painted them in a painful beige colour, but it was not very long before one voice stood up, and all of those million voices joined it. They may not all have names, but they all have an identity, together, as one. Delhi Queer Pride, an organisation based in New Delhi, is just one of the million organisations that seek to give back the colours to this community. While I would love nothing more than to attend all the events not just across the country but across the globe, I am, unfortunately, restricted to covering the ones I can attend, restricted by geography. Oh, and money. Recently, the DQP hosted two events, back to back. The Delhi Pride Potluck Picnic, and the Delhi Pride Parade. Both the events were an incredible success, and over 12000 people attended them. Allies, part of the community, even bystanders joined in to celebrate pride. 

The first event, The Potluck Picnic, was held on the seventh of January, 2023, at Lodhi Gardens. The point of the event was to make placards, and decorations to be held and shown off at the parade the very next day. The event was managed wonderfully, with an unsaid but very well understood structure about it. In the middle of the ground, multiple crates laid on a blanket, with food, supplies, and decoration. All around it, people had broken off into groups to converse, make their placards, eat their food, get photos clicked, dance, share, and celebrate the festival called pride. Unfortunately, I had reached the venue late, but call it luck, or the sheer abundance of materials, there was still a lot I could get done with whatever little time I had available. I joined a group, talked a lot, shared my food, and made my placards. The best part about this event was the people I got to meet. I had met a million people before, but none so nice. There was this feeling of trust in the air that could be physically felt. Everyone hugged each other, was nice to each other, helped each other, made each other feel like they truly belonged. Not one frown could be seen, none. Only bright, happy faces, just very glad to be home. 

One more thing I loved was the things I got to learn. The sheer amount of identities, sexual or otherwise, was staggering! People were also very inclusive, obviously, as no new conversation would start without a question of pronouns, sexuality, gender identity, so on and so forth. Little needs to be said about the success of this event, as it could be heard from all over the sprawling lodhi gardens. The beauty of the magnificent gardens and monument was only complimented by the splash of rainbow it got that day, a splash of rainbow it, and I will never forget.