a south asian queer pamphlet

/ Namaskar,

Hope you are doing great today. Thank you for deciding to take a detour with us.
In the course of the next fifteen minutes or more, depending on how much time you have, we
will travel across a few 'other' spaces of south Asia to locate, observe and manifest a collective
experience of queering. Together, we will attempt to reclaim and remap the idea of queer from
a south Asian context. Over to your traveling partner,
Kaur Chimuk.

Hi, I am kaur chimuk. I hail from Howrah, a city that lies along the west bank of the river
Hooghly directly opposite Kolkata, in the eastern part of India. I normally take this cantilever bridge to reach Kolkata. But on this unusually
bright monsoon morning, I decided to walk along the river.

The marquee city of Kolkata used to be the capital of colonial India,
under British rule. Today it has somewhat fallen from grace and
is notorious for its traffic and chaos in general. I still get quite overwhelmed
wading through the sea of cars and the people of Kolkata.

But once you're able to take a fluid turn, the quaint strangeness of
its lanes and by lanes will take you to an 'other' universe.

This is where our journey begins. We are on the way to an old printing press
where you will compose your own queer pamphlet. It will unfold a post cinema experience through a set of durational performative
essays on queer culture- body- politics-history-sexuality-language. Moreover, you'll
be able to reengage with your understanding of a queer self.

I've been walking in these lanes for more than twenty years now and trust me it has
always been an experience of diverse intersections. In this path, you are likely to
encounter certain things or actions which you may feel are quite weird. My request to you would be to consider these as intentional and precise.
They offer you ways to engage in curious conversations and build
a collective understanding of an inclusive non-binary future.

It is quite likely that at times you may feel lost in these labyrinthian alleys.
There are twenty-six of these in total. Don't worry if you find it difficult to navigate. I will be waiting for you round the corner.
It’s a safe space and there is always a way out.

We've reached our initial destination. Following a few easy steps
you'll be able to assemble your unique visual pamphlet and watch it real-time. You will need to select the color of your pamphlet first and subsequently make a word by
using the letters of a queer alphabet we've designed for you. On mouse hover,
you'll get a hint about what the letter could be in English. We have created a glossary of queer performative essays for each of these alphabets.
The machine will take the word you make and deconstruct it letter by letter to present a
post-cinema experience for you. Treat this as a game. Go for it and be curious.

The boxes with symbols are the letters of a queer alphabet. Hover your mouse over one to get a hint of what the letter could be in English. Drag and drop the letters below to make a word.

Hi, I am kaur chimuk. I hail from Howrah, a city that lies along the west bank of the river Hooghly directly opposite Kolkata, in the eastern part of India. I normally take this cantilever bridge to reach Kolkata. But on this unusually bright monsoon morning, I decided to walk along the river.

The marquee city of Kolkata used to be the capital of colonial India, under British rule. Today it has somewhat fallen from grace and is notorious for its traffic and chaos in general. I still get quite overwhelmed wading through the sea of cars and the people of Kolkata.

But once you're able to take a fluid turn, the quaint strangeness of its lanes and by lanes will take you to an 'other' universe.

It is quite likely that at times you may feel lost in these labyrinthian alleys. There are twenty-six of these in total. Don't worry if you find it difficult to navigate. I will be waiting for you round the corner. It’s a safe space and there is always a way out.

Hi, I am kaur chimuk. I hail from Howrah, a city that lies along the west bank of the river
Hooghly directly opposite Kolkata, in the eastern part of India. I normally take this cantilever bridge to reach Kolkata. But on this unusually
bright monsoon morning, I decided to walk along the river.

The marquee city of Kolkata used to be the capital of colonial India,
under British rule. Today it has somewhat fallen from grace and
is notorious for its traffic and chaos in general. I still get quite overwhelmed
wading through the sea of cars and the people of Kolkata.

But once you're able to take a fluid turn, the quaint strangeness of
its lanes and by lanes will take you to an 'other' universe.

It is quite likely that at times you may feel lost in these labyrinthian alleys.
There are twenty-six of these in total. Don't worry if you find it difficult to navigate. I will be waiting for you round the corner.
It’s a safe space and there is always a way out.