“I can be whoever I want to be.” Bidisha is a singer and she performs as a Persian prince called Badshah. “Drag is about breaking apart norms”, she says. 
And we catch-up with male belly dancer, Eshan Hilal (Season 1, Episode 1). 
Bidisha Mohanta and Eshan talk about sexuality and attitudes to being gay in India.   
Send us your stories:  myindianlife@bbc.com 
Let us know what you think: #MyIndianLife
Watch our video of Eshan: https://bbc.in/2RreFqv

The drag king

Life for young Indian adults in the 21st Century explored by Bollywood actor Kalki Koechlin. Real stories from India - sometimes raw, often uplifting.

Personal Journals

Society & Culture

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

“I’m in love with the mountains.” Savita was an inspirational climber, who had scaled Mount Everest. At the age of 26, she was tragically killed in an avalanche in the Himalayas. She was interviewed by Kalki Koechlin before she died. This special episode tells Savita Kanswal’s story – of the girl who had to hike to and from school, who realised her dream of climbing the world’s highest mountain.
#MyIndianLife

Special: Savita

A male belly dancer, a theatre artist and the man who wants to go to Mars. It’s the My Indian Life reunion. They all appeared in previous episodes of My Indian Life - what happened next in their lives? Is Gadhadar Reddy any closer to reaching Mars? Is Mallika Taneja returning to the stage with Thoda Dhyan Se, or Be Careful? And how has Eshan Hilal’s career progressed? How did they all cope with the Covid pandemic? They all join Kalki and talk about their plans for the future. 
#MyIndianLife

What happened next

Meet the river walker. Siddharth Agarwal wants to understand India’s rivers and the people who live along them. He has walked and cycled along thousands of kilometres, taking the time to talk, learn and help as he travels. He tells Kalki: “I told my friend that I want to do this a lot more and I told him I want to walk!” #MyIndianLife

River man

Her father said, “Give back to people”. Now, Archana Soreng is fighting climate change and representing her tribe and India on the world stage. She is one of seven members of the United Nations Secretary General’s Youth Advisory Group on Climate Change. Archana, who belongs to the Kharia tribe, was raised respecting the forest and living sustainably. She vowed to carry on her father’s work to make a difference for their indigenous community. #MyIndianLife

Climate warrior

He was bullied at school and told to “be more masculine”. Now, Shubham Choudhary’s mission is to help others challenge gender stereotypes. After working with schools, he helps the LGBTQ+ community access health care, acting as a liaison with hospitals and doctors. #MyIndianLife

The drag king

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