Five years and counting: Maya Bazaar is back in Bengaluru this weekend

Maya Bazaar, Bengaluru’s annual celebration of diversity and acceptance is back with its fifth edition, and is taking it a notch higher by including persons with disabilities (PwD) and the Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi (DBA) communities this year.

“Since we talk the language of the marginalised, the Bazaar has organically drawn in the intersectionalities of different identities. There are now people with disabilities, Dalit, Bahujan, Adivasi, and others from different communities ,” says co-founder Veena Kulkarni, elaborating on how they have moved from the LGBTQ+ tag to, “Pride Meets Purpose from all marginalised communities to the world.”

Founders Sanam Dembla and Veena Kulkarni say this fifth edition is a special one for them. “We started off on a lark, wanting to contribute to the economy in a fun way and get our brands out there. Back then, we did not think we would become this big,” says Veena, admitting, the journey has been a challenging one. “We wear our politics on our sleeve, so it has not been the easiest thing to achieve.”

“The idea for Maya Bazaar started on a cricket ground, where a couple of us from the LGBTQ community who were sitting around came up with the idea for a space where we could be ourselves, do business and have some fun around around it,” says Sanam Dembla.

“There is a lot of creativity within the community and there was a need for a platform to showcase it,” she adds.

Sanam drew on her experiences in the events background and the duo settled on Goa as the venue for their first show in 2020 . “This was soon after the initial lockdown and many people were working from holiday destinations. The response was great — we had about 40 entrepreneurs from all over the country and around 700 visitors in two days.”

For both Sanam and Veena, the unabashed and unexpected acceptance they received from both millennials and senior citizens, clinched the deal for them.

“We felt we were on the right track, and realised we had so much more to offer. The Bazaar had the potential to sustain an economy on its own, so we began pushing entrepreneurship as well,” says Sanam.

The choice for their second edition was Shimla as it was a holiday destination too. “However, it was quite homophobic there and we certainly pushed boundaries,” she says, adding that though they were welcomed by government officials, they did not get too many visitors. “I think the whole concept was very new to them,” she says.

“When we finally had our third edition in Bangalore, the response was four times bigger with 120 stalls and artistes coming down from Mumbai, Delhi and Goa. We registered about 4,000 visitors,” Sanam says.

“Now, for our upcoming fifth edition, we have 150 stores of whom 30-40% are repeat entrepreneurs. We have begun to consider the possibility of holding the Bazaar twice a year,” says Veena.

This edition of the Bazaar will host India’s biggest queer musical on stage. “It is titled The Baaja Company and has been directed by Mujeeb Pasha. This small home production is a fun, 40-minute piece about queer lives and is loosely based on Ismat Chugtai’s book Lihaaf,” says Veena, whose preferred pronouns are they/them.

“Pride Meets Purpose from all marginalised communities to the world — that is what is special this year. We are hoping for more representation and a lot of learning as well. There’s a lot to absorb at an event like this,” they add.

Sanam adds that concepts such as gender-neutral washrooms can be an eye opener. “We try to incorporate small changes so when people come here, they understand the difference and learn on their own.”

“We all come from our own spaces of difficulty. During these two days, we can leave them aside, have a good time and not apologise for being ourselves,” adds Veena, “And every year, we too learn how to make this space more safe for people to be who they are without any fear.”

One of the highlights of this year is the walkthrough by parents at the Bazaar. “This year, there will be an opening at four pm by the parents of queer folks who are going to walk the pride with us and announce the show open,” says Sanam.

Veena adds, “It’s a symbolic opening as the bazaar opens at 11. Every year, someone from the trans community or queer veterans walk through the bazaar with the pride flag. People join in with music and dancing, with the procession coming to a halt at the stage.”

“This year, it will be the parents of not only queer folk, but also everyone from our team, volunteers and stall owners. A lot of parents visit the Bazaar; this time, we are inviting them to lead the pride and be our guests of honor.”

Maya Bazaar has always been a pet-friendly event and the stalls this year will offer a diverse range of garments, accessories, home décor and other products, as well as workshops, activities and performances, by queer, women, and ally-owned businesses.

Bengaluru band Purple Mints and The Pink Divas, a queer dance group from the city, will also perform at this edition of Maya Bazaar.

Maya Bazaar will be held at Jayamahal Palace Hotel Grounds on September 28 and 29, from 10am-10pm. Tickets on allevents.in. Log on to www.mayabazaar.co.in for more details.