IIT Bombay's 'Rangavali' Queer Festival Set for its Second Run To Promote LGBTQ Awareness

The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-Bombay) is set to host "Rangavali, an annual LGBT festival, for the second time this Saturday, March 22. The event will celebrate diversity and increase understanding of the queer community.

Saathi, IIT-B's LGBTQ support group, has been promoting inclusivity on campus for over a decade. Since 2023, Saathi has been organising "Rangavali." It is a festival that raises awareness about gender and the LGBTQ+ community.

The festival will feature a variety of events, including art exhibits, talent shows, and film viewings. The goal of these activities is to engage students and create a safe community. Two panel discussions, "Diversity in a workplace: corporate and academic workplace" and "Intersectionality and relationships," will be held to talk about the problems that members of the LGBT community go through.

Students will create posters about the queer community, which will be displayed around the campus and shared on social media. A quiz game featuring trivia about the LGBTQ+ community will also be held to further raise awareness.

The festival will showcase selected films from the Kashish Pride Film Festival, a Mumbai-based collective that focuses on LGBTQ+ cinema. These screenings aim to provide a platform for queer narratives and voices.

Rangavali also allows attendees to communicate in their preferred language. The goal is to improve inclusivity and make sure that everyone can fully participate in the festival's activities.

The festival will host panel discussions featuring prominent figures. This includes Professor Ishan Chakraborty from Jadavpur University in Kolkata. These discussions will address issues faced by LGBT individuals who are handicapped in their vision.

Rangavali will collaborate with other campus organisations, such as the Gender Cell, Persons with Disability (PwD) Cell, and SC/ST Cell, to promote diversity on a larger scale. IIT Bombay is one of the few IITs to host a dedicated LGBT festival. It has made a first for promoting diversity and challenging society.