Amidst Corona Virus Scare, Chandigarh Pride, Kolkata Rainbow Carnival and KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival Postponed

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As the world continues to battle Corona Virus and the number of cases of people testing positive for the virus are increasing in India, various restrictions on large gatherings have been imposed across India by different state administrations. Many events too are being cancelled or postponed in view of the situation and governments advisories, including upcoming LGBTQ events.

Chandigarh hosts pride march and festivities in March each year, and was all set to hold a pride walk on 22nd March. However, as the country tries to contain the spread of Corona Virus, organisers of the Chandigarh LGBTQ Pride Walk, also called ChandiGarv, have decided to postpone the pride march and other festivities until the situation improves. In a post shared on their social media channels, the organisers said, “we have decided to postpone The CHANDIGARH’S PRIDE WEEK’s EVENTS (16march – 21stMarch) + CHANDIGARH’S PRIDE WALK (22nd March) #CHANDIगर्व until the further social sitution improves(sic)”.

Kolkata too was scheduled to have a Kolkata Rainbow Carnival on March 29th, which has been postponed indefinitely for now. “Kolkata Rainbow Carnival, 2020, which was scheduled on March 29, 2020, is *POSTPONED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE* due the advisory notes from the government related to *Corona Virus Outbreak* in India and elsewhere,” a post shared on their page said.

Another major LGBTQ event, the KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival which was to be held May 20-24, 2020 at three venues in South Mumbai has announced that it will be rescheduling the event to September, in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

“The KASHISH team feels that precaution is the best way and it is time for all of us to stand in solidarity and ensure everyone’s safety and health.  We look forward to being able to share a later date in September with everyone to celebrate KASHISH 2020 with the same grandness, joviality and community bonding that the festival is known for”, said Sridhar Rangayan, festival director.

The iconic festival that has become one of the important events in Mumbai’s cultural calendar, will now be held in September 2020. The organizers said they hoped to add more value to the festival with the time at hand.

Sukhdeep Singh
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