BANGALORE: PRIDE MARCH 2019
Report By Samaah Saleem| Mount Carmel College Student Bengaluru | Last Updated at Nov 25 2019
Hundreds and Thousands of people rose to cheer on Sunday afternoon as people hit the streets of Bengaluru celebrating its 12th Namma Pride. They started from one of the gates of the Kempegowda Metro Station with dance, music and sheer joy, hundreds joined in to participate in the march organised by the Campaign for Sexuality Minorities Rights (CSMR), a coalition of several LGBTQ groups and individuals based in Bengaluru.
Johnson said that this was for everyone who was afraid to come out. “Today is there to encourage and support them,” he said beaming, waving a bright rainbow-coloured scarf around.
People of all ages, genders and sexualities marched for pride in Bengaluru and some got their children along. The constant accompaniment joy was the sounds of drums, with the band thoroughly enjoying themselves and encouraging participants to just let go.
Since 2008, Namma Pride has seen the numbers grow over the past decade. This Sunday’s march covered a distance of nearly five kilometres, starting from Tilak Park and ending at Townhall in Bengaluru. This Namma Pride (12th anniversary) was “The Walk of Tribute and Remembrance” to pay respects to all those who have been instrumental to the LGBTQ+ movement and remembering lives lost in the fight for equal rights.
One of the participants, Parag, was in town from Pune. He said, “India is changing and I am happy that Section 377 is scrapped, wow. And I am hoping for a lot more things, a lot more change in India.”
