Lavanya / Bombay Bejaar found his way to art for a very personal reason: in theater performances, essays and on his Instagram account, he shares his experiences as a non-binary trans man with the public and reports on his transition. In this interview, we asked him about his current artistic projects and his anthropology studies at the Media University Berlin.
You are a multimedia artist from India. You also work as a writer and editor and have participated in numerous theater performances. Wow! That sounds pretty impressive! Tell us more about your current projects.
Thank you so much! My two most recent projects are related to my performance poetry. My poems are currently on display at The Haven, a gallery in Vancouver dedicated to showcasing art by transgender people.
On March 2, I had the privilege of opening Reframe with my performance, a pan-Asian conference on breaking down gender norms hosted by Breakthrough India. I premiered a piece I wrote for the conference called Daddy’s Little Princess.
You are also active on Instagram, where you document your personal experiences with your transition and what it means to be a non-binary trans man from the global south. Please tell us more about your account and the issues you want to help gain more visibility on social media.
I started being active on my current Instagram account in late 2019, as a result of the repressive trans law in India that significantly hindered our rights. Since then, and since the pandemic hit, I have been speaking extensively about my lived transgender experience in India and how I navigate my identity, my artistic and performance work, and my relationships with other people in my life (who are also mostly queer and trans).
The topics I actively talk about include being trans itself (“trans” means transitioning without caring about the concerns and sensitivities of cisgender people), neurodiversity (I have been officially diagnosed with ADHD and am self-diagnosed autistic), and the intersections between these two topics and life in South Asia and in India.
What else are you currently working on? And how did you come up with the idea for this project?
Most of my time is spent working on content projects for marketing purposes (since being an artist is almost always a low-paying job), but I am currently working on a series of diaries and written books that I hope to compile into a publication one day. I am also putting together a series of essays on important media and films and how they intersect with my identity. Finally, I will start working on my one-man show that I have been planning for three years.
What prompted me to get into this? A pretty sad reason: the pandemic. Having lost some of my transmasculine ancestors to the AIDS pandemic, I saw the need to address our lived experiences and stories of my own accord in case I lose my life to this pandemic or even an HIV+ diagnosis.
Could you tell us a little about how you became an artist? When did you take your first steps towards theatre and multimedia arts?
I studied media and communication academically, with the aim of working as a journalist (since I have been writing since I was 10 years old). In parallel to my media career, I have regularly participated in community theatre productions (out of pure passion for the stage and acting). My first role was a supporting role in a production of Christopher Sergel’s The Mouse That Roared in Dubai. I have also participated in productions of Jean-Paul Sartre’s Kean and Eve Ensler’s The Vagina Monologues.
After years of this practice and simultaneously writing essays, I was introduced to the world of spoken word by a friend and colleague, and that is how I started writing poetry as well. And so I am now a multimedia artist; I write and perform my work!
Where do you get your inspiration from? And what inspires you the most?
As a performance artist with musical training in singing (choir from a young age and a brief training in Carnatic music) and dance, music is particularly close to my heart. It allows me to transport myself into a space where I can imagine my wildest artistic fantasies and bring them to life through written word or performance (or both!).
What has been the biggest challenge in your artistic work so far?
I would say that the financial aspect of being an artist is a big challenge, but it is certainly not the most troubling. The biggest difficulty is being non-white (or even someone who does not live in a western country) and transgender and the combination of both. Who has ever heard of a South Asian/South Indian transgender writer and performance artist? That is really where the challenge lies.
Why did you choose to study M.A. Visual and Media Anthropology?
The answer to this question is a bit strange, I admit. The reason is that I am both fascinated and disgusted by people and the societal structures they have developed. As someone who has always questioned social and cultural structures and their shocking rigidity, studying anthropology through the lens of media and visual communication seemed like something I was perfectly suited for.
Which experiences/courses/projects during your studies do you think will benefit you the most for your future career?
I can’t answer this question clearly yet, but I can tell you that I’m definitely looking forward to all the courses that are offered in the upcoming summer semester!
What do you like most about your studies/the program in general?
First of all, the flexibility. This is why I am able to combine my academic responsibilities with my job and I am really grateful for that.
Another plus point is that I can express and assert my own opinions in lectures, which I believe is essential for studying anthropology or any other social science.
Lavanya / Bombay Bejaar
What are your plans for the future?
At the moment, there are a few. I hope to get a publishing deal or a performance grant sometime next year, which would mean I could write my book or develop my one-man stage show. But I also want to continue working in academia, with a PhD or even a research thesis in the field of social and cultural anthropology (should I get the chance).
Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. We wish you all the best for your future projects and your VMA studies.
