'India is becoming an exclusive elite nation'
There is a sense of openness about the people of India. When I was studying law in England for three years I had this feeling of unfriendliness about the people.
Instead, whenever anyone comes to India, they find it a very welcoming place. It's like coming home.
But there is a great degree of violation of rights today -- rights of tribals, landless labourers, gays, lesbians or those affected with HIV.
We don't seem to respect some people as people and instead treat them with a great deal of violence.
For instance, during litigation, I see violence inflicted upon sex workers by the police themselves who rape them while in custody or ask for sexual favours.
In Gujarat we had a scenario where 2,000 people were killed on the streets simply because of their religion. This is one thing we cannot afford to have in India as it threatens the culture of diversity of our country, a diversity that includes sexuality, ethnicity and gender.
This enormous diversity is the best part about India. There is never any boredom when you are meeting people in India.
What we in our organization are striving for is to make this country a more just and human place. We want to see the recognition of gay and lesbian rights in India. I say 'we' because you can't be a part of a social movement process and say 'I.' Change has to be brought about collectively.
Increasingly our country is being identified with a smaller segment -- the rich and urban India. We are leaving out vast sections of society since they don't matter much in our consciousness anymore. India is not an inclusive nation anymore. It is becoming an exclusive elite nation.
Among the things I would like to see change in India is legislation like POTA and the Armed Forces Special Pass Act that gives the an army officer in Northeast the power to shoot to kill. These laws target fundamental human rights and they should go.
Section 377 of the IPC which prohibits intercourse 'that is against the law of nature' should go as it treats homosexuality like a crime. We also need a genocide law in the country to avoid a repeat of what happened in Gujarat.
My vision for this country is one that treats all its individuals the same, respects the rights of each one of them and builds a more democratic process of looking at the law itself. The law can become a tool of oppression at times.
What I look forward to is a country which looks critically at itself and the law and brings in a world where all of its citizens have the same human rights.
As told to Priya Ganapati
