Rainbow Diaries

Can certain forms of dance be limited to certain genders? Or for that matter can any art form be limited to a particular gender? Art is known to be a force that unites. But sometimes, our bias does not allow us to look at art in its purest form. Like for an instance, Varun Satam, a dancer who recently posted a video on Instagram received backlash as he was performing a dance wearing heels. Was it really Varun who did something out of the norm or it is we as a society that cannot appreciate differences. In episode 16 of Rainbow Diaries, Mandee and Kabir talk to Varun Satam who is a dancer by profession and is also teaching this art to others. In this episode, Varun talks about the stigma male dancers deal with — homophobia and misogyny — especially because these exist within the dance world as well.

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Isn't it normal to feel curious about your sexuality? We often hear people identifying themselves as straight, gay, lesbian, bisexual, asexual, and whatnot. We live in a society where the majority believes sexuality is a 'choice' or assume that being straight is normal. Shouldn't we be able to discuss and explore our sexual orientation more freely? In episode 15 of Rainbow Diaries Mandee an Kabir talk to Chhavi Joshi who makes content around the LGBTQIA community, Fashion, and comedy. Chavvi Joshi talks about how the whole community has been generalised and there prevails a vast ignorance amongst people when it comes to awareness about gender dynamics. 

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From school dropout to India's first transgender judge: Meet Joyita Mondal
Born in a traditional Hindu household in West Bengal, Joyita Mondal suffered a lot of discrimination owing to her being a trans person. She had to drop out of school, sleep at a bus stand, and beg on the streets. It no longer bothers her though, because all of it has contributed to who she is today — India's first transgender judge.
Almost 10 years after she walked out of her house in Kolkata, Joyita was appointed the judge of a Lok Adalat (civil court) this July. This court is only minutes away from the bus stand she used to spend nights at just a few years ago.

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Working with India's no.1 Gay Social app Blued, Sunny Sharma comes with a background in application marketing. With being a serious corporate guy he also loves beauty and creativity. He has always worked to strengthen the LGBTQ community of India as a Marketing Director. 
In the episode 13 of Rainbow Diaries Mandee and Kabir talk to him about his own journey and also what inspired him to associate Blued with RED FM as a brand to empower India's First LGBTQ show.

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LGBT inclusion is a grey area in the context of Corporate India. A venture capital firm LGBT Capital reports that the spending power of the global LGBTQ community in 2015 was $3.7 trillion, or around ₹254 trillion. If we put a microscope to the economic loss in India, there is a World Bank report which reports that India's loss in GDP due to homophobia was $32 billion, or 1.7% of the country's GDP. Mandee and Kabir talk to Mr. Parmesh Shahani who is the VP at Godrej Industries Ltd; Head - D&I + Godrej India Culture Lab about “LGBTQ INCLUSION IN THE INDIAN WORKPLACE” which he also discusses in his current book named Queeristan.

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Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get–only with what you are expecting to give–which is everything.

The Episode 11 of Rainbow Diaries with Mandee and Kabir is called “The Netflix Couple”. It’s a love story of DANIEL and TYRONE.

Daniel is a makeup artist who has worked with leading ladies like Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Aishwarya Rai, Deepika Padukone, Anushka Sharma and so on.

Tyrone is a Diversity Solutions, LGBTQI Advocate, Recruiter for LGBTQ Talent, Coach, Executive Trainer.

Two very different people seeking the same thing come together and fall in love. They make their love official, get married and their marriage is covered by Netflix in their show “The Big Day”.

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"An Indian jewellery advertisement is catching everyone's attention for all the right reasons. The advertisement features a 22 year old transgender model showcasing her journey from childhood till her marriage.

The advertisement shows the journey of a young nervous boy transforming slowly into a confident young woman. Her family gifts jewellery at various junctures in her life as she discovers her true identity and the advertisement ends with the family celebrating her wedding.

The ad has so far crossed over 600,000 views on YouTube and was supported well by Twitterati.

In the Episode 10 titled  “Born this Way” of Rainbow Diaries, Mandee and Kabir talk to Meera Singhania the gorgeous TransWoman and activist who features as a lead in the advertisement. She talks about her life, her transition journey, dating life and being a part of such a path breaking advertisement."

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Saurabh Kirpal read law at the University of Oxford and did his Masters in law at the University of Cambridge. He did a brief stint working with the United Nations in Geneva before returning to Delhi where he has been practicing at the Supreme Court for well over two decades.

He has appeared in a range of matters covering a diverse range of subjects including the case that led to the decriminalization of Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. 

On October 2017, the Delhi High Court recommended Saurabh Kirpal, a reputed lawyer, for the appointment as the permanent judge of the Delhi High Court.

However, to this date, Saurabh Kirpal has not received any decision on the recommendation of appointing him as a high court judge. Why? He feels that it might have something to do with his Sexuality.

In Episode 09 of Rainbow Diaries Mandee and Kabir talk to Saurabh Kirpal who openly identifies as a gay man – and is in a relationship with his partner for 20 years.

If the judgement comes in his favor, he will be “India’s First Openly Gay Judge”

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Indian cinema is slowly embracing homosexuality on the big screen, but are people from the industry Coming Out and talking about their sexuality.

Films and Influential people from the industry have the power to normalize homosexuality and change the narrative but does that happen.

In episode 08 of the Rainbow Diaries Podcast, Mandee & Kabir talk to Mozez Singh who is a Producer, Writer and Director who has been in Bollywood for years.

He talks about casting couch, having a same-sex relationship in the industry and being Gay in Bollywood.

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Bisexuality is part of human behavior, as it is a part of self-identity. It is not just a choice, it's a part of the character of a person and something he/she is born with.
Bisexual people have also been accused of secretly being gay, being scared or embarrassed to move over under the “homosexual” label.

In episode 07 of Rainbow Diaries, Mandee and Kabir talk to Award-winning Director Shonali Bose who has made amazing films like The Sky is Pink and  Margarita with a straw.
Shonali is someone who found love in both men and women, slowing discovering about herself and how is it to be a Bisexual woman in India.

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