Get a Dost!

``Bolder than ever'' promises the tag line of the new issue of Bombay Dost - that iconic magazine most gay men in India have heard about, but rarely seen. Not surprising since the last issue came out around seven years ago.

So, April 16 was special. A new and young team brought out the latest issue. ``This is a magazine that brought a community together,'' said Vivek Anand, CEO of the Humsafar Trust at the launch of the magazine on Thursday evening at the Oxford Book Store at Churchgate. He was not exaggerating. It was a group of friends, including Ashok Row Kavi, who founded the magazine in 1990. That tiny step, was a huge leap for gay activism as we know today.

For many gay men coming of age in the 1990s, Bombay Dost was that one ray of hope out of their closets. ``I bought my first copy from the pavements outside the CST station for Rs 200,'' said Manavendra Singh Gohil, the Prince of Rajpipla. ``I hid it in my shirt as I did not want my driver to see it. I read it cover to cover in a washroom. It was a liberating moment.''

Many gay men of the pre-Internet, pre-g4m days have similar stories to narrate - of forking out a princely sum for a copy, holding on to a dog eared copy lent by a friend while trying to memorise his instructions on handling the magazine with care.

The magazine travelled from one friend to another, some times even across borders. ``We used to receive letters from gay men in Pakistan, Afghanistan and even Tajikistan, who had managed to land their hands on a copy,'' said Kavi.

Since then it has travelled far - from underground to the shelves of prominent book stores. The magazine was launched by Bollywood actor Celina Jaitley. who has been quite ardent in her support of LGBT causes since she inaugurated the Queer Aazadi March last year. ``Thanks to my gay friends I have been a witness to the agonies and ecstasies in their lives,'' said Celina, adding, ``It is difficult to be a normal human being and still because of your sexual orientation find your family, community and society treating you as an outcast.''

(Pic courtesy: Vivek - (L to R) BD editor Vikram Phukan, Ashok Row Kavi, Celina Jaitley and Manvendra Singh Gohil at the launch of the magazine on April 16, 2009.)

Bombay Dost: Rs 150
It is available at Oxford Book Store, Churchgate and other book shops in the city.
For a peek, check this link:
http://www.bombaydost.co.in/current.html