Languages are important. They are crucial components in our cultural and social makeup and a powerful vehicle of self-expression. It is no surprise, therefore, that any initiative for inclusion must address language and make it equitable and representative. This is observed clearly in the increasing adoption of gender-neutral alternatives for common terminologies within corporate and social circles. For instance, “Chairman” is now replaced with “Chairperson” and cricket players are now awarded with the “Player of the Match” title in place of the earlier convention of “Man of the Match”.
Inclusive language also extends to correctly identifying individuals with their preferred terms for gender and sexual expression. At its most basic form, this can mean understanding the broad spectrum of identities that fall under the LGBTQIA+ umbrella and accurately using them to refer to people who fall under it. Using words like lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual and so on, open up spaces to representation, belonging and empowerment. But, these words are granted by the English language.
Do Indian vernaculars possess any functional counterparts?
This is where things get complicated.
Even though English is widely spoken in India, local languages and “mother-tongues” still command massive cultural capital. Finding inclusive vernacular terminologies seems like the natural step towards LGBTQIA+ inclusion in the Indian context. However, that is easier said than done.
The Secret Writings of Hoshang Merchant (2016) states that there is no word in Indian languages for homosexuality. The closest Sanskrit/Hindi transliteration is samlingiya or sam-kamiya (“kama” is Sanskrit for “sex”), devised by scholars in the 20th century. Other Sanskritised inventions by Redditers include dwilaingika (bisexual), vichitralaingik (queer), alaingik (agender), samlingini (lesbian).
Sifting through Sanskrit vocabulary and lexicology seems like the logical path to piece together Indian literary traditions of LGBTQIA+ terminologies. Afterall, LGBTQIA+ themes have been extant in Indian classical literature, much of which have been composed in Sanskrit. However, the resultant words do not seamlessly roll off one’s tongue. Consequently, they never caught on.
One may easily insert the argument here that the LGBTQIA+ community is a Western phenomenon and has been introduced into the cultural landscape of the Indian subcontinent by globalisation. Not only classical Sanskrit legends, but also a vibrant Indian LGBTQIA+ cultural history refute this completely. Words that addressed members of the community have also existed in the Indian context for centuries. The search for them will merely have to be shifted from formal, literary corpuses to the chequered and dynamic linguistic traditions of colloquialisms.
Stick around for Part 2 to understand how Indian colloquial languages hold the experiences of oppression, emancipation and self-respect for LGBTQIA+ individuals in the subcontinent.