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Poet in Focus
Towards Expanding the Imagination of Love, Gender and Sexuality
Speakers
Queer poets collective is formed to celebrate & discuss poetry written by Queer individuals in Bangalore, to document queer voices and experiences.
Conceptualised by Rumi Harish, Bangalore based queer activist, poet, musician and writer and Dadapeer Jyman, poet, who recently won two the Sahitya Academy Award, at the national level and the TOTO Award Toto Funds the Arts for the best young poet in Kannada. The intent is to encourage young poets to learn and contribute to queer history by memories, experiences and imagination.
This month the poet in focus is Shilok Mukkati.
Poets are encouraged to read poems at the gathering.
In collaboration with Queer Poets’ Collective and Maraa
Speakers
Shilok Mukkati
Shilok Mukkati is a marriage of celebration and destruction. As an Intersectional feminist, she had-has-have her battle with visibility in mainstream society. Her activism, in many forms, advocates diversity and inclusion. Her expertise in advocacy began with dance and poetry as tools to embrace her femininity and spread her arms in various forms. She usually writes in her mother tongue, Kannada, trying to create a language about queerness, diversity, and inclusion.
She is a National Award recipient for her radio show “Lesbians in the Shadows” from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, in 2016. She worked as a Dancer for Chris Leuenberger Production, Switzerland, on EF_femininity Project. She worked as a performer for Zubaan Project with her Solo Theatrical Piece “Undraping Silence,” which addresses sexual abuse and impunity. She has debut play as a director was, “Am I a Mss Production Machine? Shobhana & Me,” in March 2022. She has been awarded for her work and invited to literature festivals like Bangalore Lit Fest, Times Lit Fest, and Equal by Ranga Shankara. One of her poems was chosen as a syllabus at Kuvempu University for Undergrad studies. She perceived a Master’s Degree in Marketing and Management Communications at COMMITS, Bangalore.
She has expertise in discussing subjects like Gender, Sex, and Sexuality, Inclusivity and diversity in workspaces, and Queer Art and Literature Movement. She is a Columnist for the Gender Column called “Somewhere in Between” in Deccan Herald, Indian National Newspaper. A small-town girl who began her career at 19, continues to be visible, vocal, and unbreakable with various art and communication forms.
Rumi Harish
Rumi Harish is a queer trans man. He has been working in the field of social justice and human rights of various marginalised communities like contract based sanitation workers union, transgenders, queers and sex workers for the last 22 years.
He started learning Hindustani classical music at the age of 8 and learnt under 6 Gurus all over India like Late Pandit Ramarao Naik, Pandit Yeshwant Bua Joshi, Pandit Dattatreya Garud, Pandit Indhudhar Nirody, Panditha Aditi Upadhya and Pandith Sudhindra Bahowmick. He is now going through his voice transition and is trying out a new way of singing and use of voice. He has written 3 plays called Sanchari, Liberty Begum and A Journey A to E, and is a regular columnist in EEdina.com.
He had focussed on crisis intervention and worked with Sunil Mohan for 18 years. Along with Sunil Mohan he has written articles and reports with Sunil Mohan. Presently he is focusing to develop the regional cultural aspects of queer and trans communities.
Jaunpuri Khayal is his autobiography.
