Harmless Hugs is a young collective working for
LGBT rights in India
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights in India have expanded in the 21st century, although much of India's advancements on LGBT rights have come from the judiciary and not the legislature. LGBTQ people in India face ...
that was started as an online secret LGBT group. Harmless Hugs organised the first LGBT Flashmob in Delhi in 2015 and have been doing it every year since then. Harmless Hugs has also organised four editions of
Delhi International Queer Theater and Film Festival (2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018). The 2016 edition had Piyush Mishra as chief guest and had support of
Kunal Kapoor and
Kalki. Apart from this, the collective organises regular meet ups, informative sessions and plays (in collaboration with Asmita Theatre Group led by
Arvind Gaur
Arvind Gaur is an Indian theatre director, actor trainer, social activist, street theatre worker and story teller. He is known for socially and politically relevant plays in India. Gaur's plays are contemporary and thought-provoking, connec ...
) to spread awareness about the LGBT rights in India and sensitise the society about the community. Harmless Hugs also launched an anthology of short stories around queer lives in 2016 which was launched by
Piyush Mishra
Piyush Mishra (born as Priyakant Sharma; 13 January 1963) is an Indian actor, singer, lyricist, playwright, musician, and screenwriter. Mishra grew up in Sambhal, and graduated from National School of Drama, Delhi in 1986. Thereafter, he starte ...
. Presently, the collective is managed by
Aditya Bondyopadhyay, Naman Verma, Kanav Sahgal, and Rishu Kapur. The collective was founded by Vinay Kumar on 10 September 2012.
Activities
* Flashmobs
* Tarang - Delhi International Queer Theater and Film Festival
* Queer Hugs
* Queer Holi
* Harmless Hugs meets
* Plays
References
{{reflist, 30em
LGBTQ rights in India