“The fact that we are here and that I speak these words is an attempt to break that silence and bridge some of those differences between us, for it is not difference which immobilizes us, but silence. And there are so many silences to be broken.” 
– Audre Lorde

Watch the latest episodes of Queering Quarantine -

Luku, KSF Fellow in conversation with Grace Banu, Dalit & Trans* Rights Activist - click here to stream. 

Ashish, KSF Fellow in conversation with Arjun Pandey, Co-Founder Scout Me - click here to stream.

Kiara, The LaliT Bangalore in conversation with Poornima Sukumar, Co-Founder Aravani Art Project - click here to stream.

Ankita in conversation with Shanti Raghavan, Co-Founder Enable India - click here to stream.

Queeristan Out Now! 

‘Over the years, we have rapidly hired more and more LGBTQIA+ people as part of The Lalit fam. As of June 2019, we have thirty-five trans* people working with us out of sixty-six LGBTQIA+ employees overall. We are also working at intersectional inclusion, so we have a trans acid attack survivor or a queer DJ who happens to be disabled. We have also created an ecosystem for queer performers through Kitty Su. We have launched a scholarship worth `1.5 lakh each for five trans students to cover all the costs for a diploma in food production and bakery at the Lalit Suri Hospitality School. We’re just getting started, by the way. There’s a lot more we are going to do!’

An excerpt from Queeristan by Parmesh Shahani 

In conversation with Parmesh Shahani, Author and Head, India Culture Lab; 
Keshav Suri, Executive Director, The Lalit Hotels, Palaces & Resorts, and Founder, Keshav Suri Foundation; Zainab P Rifai, Director Diversity and Inclusion, KPMG India; and Radhika Piramal, Vice Chairperson, VIP Industries

Stream the conversation and unlock a riveting book reading session by clicking here. 

It is raining queer books, and there was no better time reading something than it is now. Grab these deliciously queer books while they last:

Sex and the Supreme Court: How the Law is Upholding the Dignity of the Indian Citizen by Saurabh Kirpal

Muscular India: Masculinity, Mobility & the New Middle Class by Michiel Baas 

Here is a glimpse of The Lalit Kolkata. The repercussions of COVID19 aren’t short term. Support us in feeding those in need. Donate now. 

We welcome FICCI - Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry as an industry partner for the India Workplace Equality Index. Brought to you by, Keshav Suri Foundation, Pride Circle, Stonewall.

We are bringing you fresh updates from our collaboration with ScoutMe, where we are currently finding ways to include Trans* persons in Sports. We organized a virtual meeting with over 20 NGOs from across the country to understand acceptable practices and ensure diverse participation. Here are some comments from the meeting. 

Sign up for our scholarship program, in collaboration with The LaLiT Group of Hotels and start your journey in the hospitality space. The last date to apply is 20th October.

In our daily lives, we cross our paths with a lot of people; being conscious of how we are treating them is the need of the hour! The LaLiT Suri Hospitality Group along with Keshav Suri Foundation encourages you to refer to this terminology and use this to kickstart your journey of being inclusive. 

To check out the appropriate disability terminologies: click here. 

The Foundation has also taken the initiative of extending mental health support to people who need the same. Our onboard counselors are giving free counseling to help people cope up with the situation.