Crazy Sam's Bloginess : The Straight - Friendly Gay Blog

CSB Xclusive! Rajeev Govinda Pillai

2011-12-10T17:17:00.004+05:30

When an Indian makes it to walk at the London Tommy Hilfiger ramp, consider that it is no mean feat. But that’s what Kerala-born 29 year old Rajeev Govinda Pillai did. It is no surprise then that he has walked all major Indian fashion weeks including Lakme, Wills, Couture et al.

When I came across Rajeev’s pictures, it immediately clicked that he is a perfect fit for the CSB Xclusive! series. And Rajeev was more than happy to be the next CSB Xclusive! guy. During our interaction, when he revealed that he is now doing movies and two of his films were out this year with two more releases out to be soon, my jaw dropped! Ever since I shifted to Mumbai, I have not been keeping track of Malayalam movies, hence was not aware of the new faces. No wonder he has got an impressive count of fan followers from Kerala.

Before modelling, Rajeev was practicing dentistry at a clinic in Cochin and it was one of his patients who suggested him to pursue modelling. But Rajeev didn’t want to limit himself to Kerala and he decided to leave for Mumbai to try his luck.

He got his initial break from fashion designer, Chaitanya Rao. After that there was no stopping for him. He takes proud to have been part of all the major fashion weeks and I see no reason why he shouldn’t be. The photographs shared by him evidently testify that he has got the right attitude and physique to make it big in the industry.

Unlike other models, Rajeev doesn’t have a personal trainer. Working out was always a part of his life and he keeps himself updated on fashion and grooming by watching fashions shows from the west and reading lifestyle magazines.

Rajeev is passionate about cricket and has played till minor counties in England during his post graduation days. He is now undergoing vigorous practice session for his stint in Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) scheduled to start from January 2012 in Sharjah.

Having left an impressive mark in the modelling world, Rajeev is optimistic about becoming a sought after film star. However, he is also aware of the reality that nothing is permanent in the showbiz field. So when all the glitter settles down, he plans to go back to his dentist clinic which is now run by one of his friends.

Thank you Rajeev for taking time out for CSB and for sharing these amazing photographs. Wishing you many more successful movies and hope you will be the next South Indian actor to make transition to Bollywood.

Check out these related posts too!
CSB Xclusive! Sahil Anand Arora
CSB Xclusive! An Interview With Ronald N. Tan
CSB Xclusive! The Indian Hunk Piyush Walia

Bangalore Gay Pride March Montage By Amar Mitra

2011-12-05T23:20:00.011+05:30

Last week Bangalore celebrated their annual gay pride march and 25 year old Amar Mitra, a freelance cinematographer, was one among the many who turned up to show their support and participate in the walk. But then he ended up doing much more than that; his assemblage of photographs that captured the ebullient spirit of the march is now garnering wide appreciation.

Amar (in the photo), who has a bachelor’s degree in Multimedia with a film production minor, was instantly inspired by the regalia of colours at the parade.

“Being there, I realized everyone had their own unique story. There was so much to say, so much to be heard. I decided to capture the uniqueness of each person, costume, vantage point. I wanted my pictures to feel personal. Set against the pride itself, I wanted to make each fabulous person stand out. And that’s what I tried to do.”

The way each shot brings out exuberance is just amazing!

“I shot on a canon 550D through a 50mm prime and a 55-250 telephoto,” Amar explains. “Mostly telephoto to stay far enough to capture the true essence, but go close and get personal.”

Below is a video-montage from the Bangalore gay pride march - shot, edited, compiled, graded and coloured by Amar.

Email subscribers will have to visit the blog site to watch the video.

Amar is now planning to pursue MS in Digital Cinema or MFA in cinematography. So would he be interested in capturing Mumbai Pride Week scheduled in January?

“Sure! I would love to, if someone wants to sponsor my stay. I have never been to Mumbai, so I should wait and see what happens.”

The photographs and video featured in this post are used with permission from Amar Mitra.

Check out these related posts too!
The Great Indian Mainstreaming Of Homosexuality
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Ask Sam: Confused About Sexuality

2011-11-20T03:09:00.008+05:30

Image copyrighted by Gay Times | Photographed by Joe Oppedisano

Hey Sam!

I stumbled onto your blog through a link on the Saathi-IIT B Facebook page. Haven't been through a lot of articles yet but it looks pretty good.

Actually the thing is, I am just so confused about my sexuality. I'm 19 and I had my sexual encounter with a guy when I was 14 or 15. It was just about sex, no feelings or anything. We didn't even make out, just down to business! It happened so many times that I can't count. The moment we were alone in the room, I was practically ready to pounce on him. The funny thing is, at that time I didn't even know what it meant. I know its hard to believe, but I actually started getting to know about sex and stuff in high school.

I also sort of had my first crush in grade 11. It was on this guy the first day of class. I specifically remember it because I knew it was just something different. Throughout class I was trying to sneak a peak at him. It kinda washed out the same day after I went to talk to him. I've never truly liked anyone I guess. I can only remember three instances which I can say were quite strong crushes, all guys.

Needless to say, I am pretty sure I am into guys. The tricky thing happened when after a lot of denial, I finally decided to confront it and come out to a few close friends. Fortunately they were completely cool with it, and these are straight guys I'm talking about. My sister, after an initial shock and denial came around to the idea. Although she's asked me not to take a firm decision just yet and keep all my 'options' open!

I don't exactly fit the stereotype, which is why when I told people, they continuously kept telling me that its not true and just something I've gotten into my head. When I told my sis about that incidence when I was 14, she said you were probably just too horny. How do you know for sure, you've never actually been with a girl. Might be that you're bi.

I don't know if its their rambling or the fact that ever since I confronted it I've been analyzing my feelings a lot that I too believe that I've been too quick in deciding. I just wanna sleep with a girl and find out. The problem is, I am not so good with girls and being in an engineering college sure doesn't help my chances there! How will I ever know for sure?

- Confused IITian

Dear Confused IITian, it is clear from your mail that you have strong attraction towards men, which is perfectly fine. And I applaud your courage for coming out to your sister and straight friends. One thing you must realize is, you don’t have to fit into the stereotypes if you are gay. There are many who are macho in their appearance and behaviour, yet gay.

Ask these couple of questions to yourself:

When you see an endowed woman, do your eyes fixate to her breasts? Do you try to get a peek into her cleavage?
When you watch straight porn, whose private parts turn you on?
When you masturbate, try fantasizing about a woman. What would you want to do with her? Is it helping to release your load?

I know for the fact that I’m 100 percent gay. For all the above situations, a girl is a strict no for me. I live with a bunch of straight guys and I feel really uncomfortable whenever they get too graphical about a girl they have seen. But I know it’s a guy thing and I would have imagined all that if I see an attractive man.

You are just 19. A life filled with rich and varied experience is waiting for you, let it unfold naturally. Do what that makes you feel good and of course, which does not inconvenience others. And if you try to sleep with a girl just to find out whether you will like the experience, most probably it will result in disappointment because your mind will be too preoccupied in analyzing whether you are enjoying each and every act.

Check out these related posts too!

Ask Sam: Entangled With A Married Guy
Ask Sam: Closeted But Acting Homophobic
Ask Sam: Gay Or Not

The Great Indian Mainstreaming Of Homosexuality

2011-04-23T12:22:00.007+05:30

Often I have expressed my anger and frustration about how media was being insensitive when dealing with topics surrounding homosexuality and how we were always misrepresented. However, over the past few months, I see that there has been a drastic change on what’s been written about us. Thanks to the High Court rule decriminalizing gay sex, it seems that the media has now got a new-found courage to not to stick to the usual perceptions and instead, they are now trying to bring out the real stories behind the rainbow. And the best part is they are doing this with no qualms which in a sense I feel as if they are shouting, screaming and discussing the topic like never before to compensate all these years of misrepresentation.

In the month of February this year, for the Sunday magazine of Hindustan Times newspaper – Brunch, the publication ran a cover story titled ‘One Man’s Story’, about the famous stand-up comedian, Vidur Kapur. The article very vividly narrated the troubled childhood and confusion Vidhur had to go through and he couldn’t find any solace from his family either. With every passing day, his self-esteemed dipped making him slip into depression which provoked him to take his life. Even though he didn’t succeed in the attempt, his sufferings didn’t end with this. Soon he had to come out to his family and instead of getting support, he was subjected to even more humiliation – the psychologist they took him to even did chromosome tests on him, to check whether he was a normal male! The doctors, his family and his friends – no one understood him and he shut himself off from the outside world. This moving account then talks about how Vidhur finally made peace with his sexuality, how he tore down all the walls he had built around him, how he found his love and in the end what led to his parents welcome their “son in law”!

To download and read the PDF of the article, click here.

The struggles that Vidhur faced, is experienced by many of us. When I was under depression because of failing to understand why I’m feeling something which was unusual, my parents were not aware. Like many of us, the path of accepting my sexuality was frustrating and tiring, to say the least. And this is why ‘coming out’ is such a big event for us, because it marks the end of a long struggle. This facet of us perhaps was never openly talked about in the mainstream media, until now. And this could be the beginning of the change in their attitudes – sensitizing and enlightening the readers through personal accounts of people like us.

When Delhi High Court decriminalized homosexuality in 2009, certain political and religious groups challenged the verdict and brought the matter in front of the Supreme Court. However, a touching development took place following this. 19 parents of LGBT children from across the country (along with a group of 16 academics and teachers, and a group of 14 mental health professionals) came forward and submitted their petition to counter this homophobic move. The group of parents is led by Mrs. Minna Saran, the mother of late Nishit Saran.

Nishit was an aspiring film maker and in 1999, he filmed his coming out to his mother. Mrs. Saran accepted her son for who he was. Sadly, Nishit died in a tragic road accident three years later.

In February, The Indian Express daily carried a full-fledged cover story in their Sunday supplement, Express Eye about these parents who dared to openly support their children. The article’s headline screamed, ‘My Son Is Gay, And I’m Proud Of Him’. A very moving piece, it talks about how they felt when their children came out to them and what they thought of the hogwash propagated by their (our) opposition.

You can read the online version of the Express Eye article by clicking here and to watch Nishit's moving documentary of his coming out, "Summer In My Veins", click here to reach the post where I had shared the video long ago.

Last Sunday, NDTV aired the show 'We The People' devoted to the parents’ petition. This is another bold move to bring out the issue to the forefront which showed the parents and the children sharing their experiences and thoughts. During the program it was highlighted how it was clearly breaking the long associated stereotype of gay males being effeminate. It also focused on another important aspect of how the schools should sensitize the issue of sexuality and the care and approach a counselor should take on while counseling a child who seeks help regarding his or her sexuality.

Click on the play button below to watch the episode. If you're reading this post from an email you will have to access the site to view the video.

While the whole effort deserves a standing ovation, I just have one chafe - I feel highly disturbed when someone considers homosexuality as a ‘choice.’ Is heterosexuality a choice? For most of us this was never a choice, but a realization. I feel, equating it with choice is actually insulting our journey of acceptance of who we are.

Now I have to strongly emphasize and appreciate the efforts of a newspaper for having balls to come up with their initiative. These guys have actually gone ahead one step further than the rest and are truly mainstreaming homosexuality.

Check out the snapshot of clippings below.

For the past two months, DNA newspaper (that’s acronym for Daily News Analysis and not the Australian gay lifestyle magazine) has been dedicating an entire page in their Sunday edition for LGBT issues. This section called 'Out Of The Closet', features diverse stories and realities of what it feels to be part of a minority that is ridiculed and shunned. DNA journalists are talking to various people in the community and bringing out their voice to the much larger audience. This specific page also features guest articles from the well known LGBT personalities in India and provides an update on LGBT news from around the world! Seriously, what more can we ask for! When we were growing up, we had no source of information to reach out to. Hell! We didn’t even know there was a category of population termed homosexuals! (and bisexuals and transsexuals – to be politically correct). And now that this topic is been discussed and debated openly, the path of acceptance of one’s sexuality would hopefully be a much shorter walk for the new generation.

For the sake of convenience for CSB readers, I have collated the 'Out Of The Closet' pages appeared till now and combined them into a PDF. To download and read, click here.

India is also witnessing a trend where entrepreneurs are identifying and realizing the potential of a section of the market which had remained untapped. Now a string of services have sprung up to address the growing demand from the LGBT community. We now have a travel boutique that specifically caters to gays - Indjapink, an exclusive gay event management firm - Salvation Star, a fashion store for gay men - D’Kloset, a retail store that sells practically everything LGBT related from t-shirts and accessories to mugs - Azaad Bazaar, a dedicated web portal to shop for queer books, DVDs and CDs - Queer Ink, an annual International LGBT Film Festival - Kashish, a gay lifestyle magazine - Fun and the latest, a discount card specifically for the LGBT crowd (claiming to be Asia's first) that is going to be launched on April 27. The tabloid Sunday Mid Day carried an article, 'It's A Pink Deal' (again a cover story) in January on the boom of Pink commerce in India (especially in Mumbai), which was written as a precursor for the Mumbai Pride Week.

To download the PDF of this article, click here.

The Supreme Court of India is expected to deliver the final judgment on legalization and decriminalization of gay sex sometime after July. There are many who have been fighting tirelessly to bring about the changes that we are witnessing now. Hope we will be able to sustain this momentum and good sense prevails for the world's largest democracy to succeed in ushering equality to its citizens. We have a long way to go in bringing anti-discrimination laws at public and work places, legalizing gay marriages and in laying down inheritance laws and adoption rights. But nevertheless, this is a good start!

The very first picture used for this article is a still from Onir's latest feature film, 'I Am' slated to release on coming Friday. 'I Am' is a fusion of four stories, in which one deals with sexual discrimination and how police uses Article 377 to harass and blackmail gay men. You can view the theatrical trailer of 'I Am' by clicking here.

Check out these related posts too!
Indians Being Homophobic And More
'Yuva' Dares To Break Open The Closet
The New Face Of Indian Homophobia
An Equal Love

Hello?

2011-04-19T12:51:00.007+05:30

I was browsing through the book section the other day. With no intention to buy, I was reading the blurbs of the many Indian fictions that were displayed on the racks. I was also hoping that it would be nice if I stumble upon a book that had a gay character as the protagonist.

After a couple of brief blurb-reading, a title hinting of a homosexual subtext caught my eye. It read 'You Are Not Alone'. Curiosity gripped as I flipped the book over and read the back to see what it was about – ‘Sanjay Sanghavi is a single urban homosexual counting the last minutes of his life...’ Waaow, can’t believe I have actually hit the jackpot!

At the last Queer-Ink’s book fair in Mumbai, I did bump into a number of gay fictions, but the sheer amount of titles was so overwhelming that it was becoming a task to choose one over the other. And here in Cochin, discovering one from a bunch where I least expected gave me a sense of accomplishment.

I flipped through the pages, tried to read paragraphs from here and there. I wanted to make sure it was something I could relate to. When I found myself checking how the ending would be, I shut the book and decided to buy.

Now my two cents on this while keeping it as vague as possible:

Sanjay’s story is not an extraordinary one, but it has moments which we long for. If we look at ourselves, we all could relate to what he went through – the usual, the unusual, the good and the bad. And this is exactly the beauty and strength of Arun Mirchandani’s debut novel. It doesn’t take you to unbelievable fantasy trips and yet keeps one hooked till the end. Being a light read, You Are Not Alone could be a solace to those who are trying to come in terms with their sexuality - if not an answer, at least a hope.

(Click on the cover to read the blurb. Courtesy: Frogbooks.net)

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CSB Xclusive! Sahil Anand Arora

2010-10-10T01:10:00.010+05:30

For most of us, when we bump into a fashion spread of a sexy guy, we get curious to know more about him. And then there are some bunch like 'yours truly' who get into a search mode on who clicked the snap. While being entranced by the sight of the gorgeous hunk and the creativity of the photographer, it doesn't come to us to think about those 'artists' who the make the models camera-ready, giving them a flawless look. CSB Xclusive! presents to you one such unsung hero.

Sahil Anand Arora does make up and hair styling for models for their fashion shoots. He also train modelling and self-grooming. When I first saw his pictures, I got totally smitten by his looks. This guy is the perfect blend of being uber cute and handsome (not to forget his gorgeous bod). So I approached him, asked whether he would be interested in being featured on CSB. And Ooh la la! Here he is!!

24 year old Sahil was born and brought up in Calcutta, India in a Punjabi family. He shifted to Delhi seven years ago for studies and was working as a freelancer for the past two years. He then realized Mumbai could offer much more in terms of contacts and opportunities and that pushed him to relocate to the Bollywood-city.

It's been only 5 months since he did that and things are already shaping up well for him. Here he met the illustrious fashion photographer, Sayan Sur Roy. Sayan saw that Sahil had the potential to be a model. Surprisingly Sahil happens to be camera-shy and it was Sayan who made him comfortable to pose for snaps.

And as you can see from the photos splashed across this post, Sayan was indeed right!

Sahil, thanks a lot for sharing these pics. Hope we can see you pretty soon on those ramps and billboards. So here's wishing you all the very best. Go for it and give us many more shots that will leave us spell-bound!

Photographs #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7, #9 (from the top) shot by Noor Khan & Photograph #8 by Sayan Sur Roy. Click them for their complete and higher resolution versions.

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Indians Being Homophobic And More

2010-07-04T20:10:00.008+05:30

There is a strong intolerance brewing in India. Probably, it was always there, probably I was ignorant about it, but now the frequency by which it makes headlines almost every other day makes me sit up and wonder, what is frikkin' wrong with us? Why are we so hell-bent in intruding other’s personal lives and decisions? By some twisted justification given in the name of ‘honour’, mothers and fathers kill their daughters and sons, brothers take the lives of their sisters and brother-in-laws, and relatives decide the fate of young couples. [link][link][link][link]

What is more shocking is the fact these people have no remorse for their bloody actions and firmly believe what they did was right. I can’t help but look at them with the same lens that I see terrorists who slaughter in the name of ‘jannat’ and take pride about their heinous acts.

Last year's gay parade at New Delhi. Courtesy: Associated Press

Post striking down section 377, it is encouraging to see journalists being more open to writing about homosexuality. On July 2nd, which marked the one year anniversary of the landmark High Court judgement, Indian dailies extensively discussed about matters concerning gays. The stories mostly reflected on the hopes and dreams of millions of Indian gays - to be accepted for what they are without any grudge. Celine Jaitley, the actress and gay rights activist, penned a wonderful piece on Hindustan Times trying to make readers see that this is not just about gay rights, but about human rights. (Read the article here.) But I still get that irking feeling when the word “choice” gets mingled in this whole debate. Deciding which flavour of ice cream one wants is a CHOICE, but to be GAY or STRAIGHT is NOT. Homosexuality and choice do not sit on the same boat. Period!

Though there were numerous articles that touched upon homosexuality very positively, I’m not sure how many got read by those who hold the prejudice. And the reason? The photos used for these articles were supporting the stereotypical beliefs. If I were a homophobe, and I see an article about homosexuality with a snap that enforces my prejudiced believes, would I be challenging myself to see situations differently? May be the transgendered and cross-dressers are more “camera-friendly”, but I feel that the media should resist the temptation of magnifying stereotypes. A picture indeed screams a thousand words and we badly want to see something that we can identify with.

Harish Iyer (centre) with his colleagues at Shobiz. Courtesy: Economic Times

With that said, the above image which appeared on Economic Times for the article that discussed about how things are finally changing for gays in the Indian workplace, was refreshing; thanks to Harish and Bharat Chanda (the photographer).

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The New Face Of Indian Homophobia
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The Look-Alike

2010-06-27T17:30:00.010+05:30

"Hey.. You look exactly like one of my friends!”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah, you so totally look identical to him. Where are you from?”
“I’m from this city.”
“Are you sure you don’t have any relatives in Kerala?”
“No, why?”
“Just checking whether you are even remotely related to my friend.”

When they say there could be seven people out there who might be having identical faces, it feels weird when you bump into one who looks like a carbon copy of someone you know; except that this guy was chubbier and had coloured piercings on his left eyebrow. But his smile is oh-so-totally just like my friend’s.

I should have chatted with him, but I didn’t.
Then I could have exchanged numbers with him, but I didn’t.
And I could have clicked snaps with him, but I didn’t. It would have been fun showing them to my friend and to see him flip out. And so yeah, the above conversation is just another ideated one among the many could’ves-should’ves-would’ves that echo in my head.

At the 'Parents and Relatives (of gays) Meet' organised by Gay Bombay, it was good to see fathers also among the higher number of mothers. The discussion steered towards how parents can be offered assistance in their process of coming in terms with the truth that their son/daughter is gay, which led to taking an initiative of forming an Indian PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays), similar to the one that exists in US (www.pflag.org). But the highpoint of the meet for me was when a mother shared her experience - when her son came out to her, she took her son and his boyfriend for dinner that night to celebrate!

You can read the full report of the 'Parents and Relatives Meet' here.

By the way, do you think it is a coincidence that I get to read this soon after the look-alike-encounter? (Click on the pic to get a readable version.)

Courtesy: Hindustan Times Cafe

Arya Babbar happens to be one of my favourites for obvious reasons! ;)

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CSB Xclusive! An Interview With Ronald N. Tan

2010-04-15T12:17:00.011+05:30

His clients include magazines - DNA, reFRESH, BeautifulMag, Vertu, Horizon, M Mensuel; French apparel brand - Vilain Garcon; and model agencies - Bleu Model Management, City Models SF, Click Models LA, Ford Models SF, Renegade Models NYC; to name a few. But Ronald N. Tan doesn’t let the success and fame go to his head, has his feet both firmly on ground and prefers to be regarded as an "emerging photo- grapher." Born in Burma, his family traditionally held professions in medicine and Ronald himself is a baccalaureate in Applied Physics & Pre-pharmacy. In 2007, he took that leap to chase his dream of becoming a photographer and there was no stopping for him after that. In this interview to me, Ronald shares to CSB readers about his journey of being a men’s fashion and beauty photographer, his deep love for India and Indian men, and also about his ongoing exploratory project titled "Personal Project."

Just FYI, Ronald’s photography was previously showcased on CSB at here.

Crazy Sam (CS): You chose to chase your dream of pursuing photography instead of staying on to be in the academic field. What gave you the courage to do such a scary shift?

Ronald N. Tan (RT): The spark that ignited my passion into an evolved conflagration is when I finally grasped the reality of my homosexuality in 2006. The newfound elated liberation gave me the courage and the strength to pursue my dreams of being a visual artist.

Click the pics for their complete and higher resolution versions.

CS: Did you have to put in a lot of effort than you thought to bag that first assignment?

RT: It was effortless for me because the Paris-based M MENSUEL Magazine editor found my photographs of Los Angeles actor Marco Dapper on the French blog site of Vilain Garcon, ran by Monsieurs Michel Sétan & Matthieu Croquette. Fred LeFeuille contacted me shortly and issued me my first cover with a featured six-page spread in his magazine that circulated into mainstream neighbouring countries of France, French-provinces of Canada, and the New York City. It was interesting because my adventures as an "emerging photographer" started thereafter.

CS: Currently what all assignments are keeping you busy?

RT: Personal Project is keeping me busy for now. I welcome and accept assignments! I'm going to be on my best behavior and look forward to serving my clients. :-)

CS: A photographer you admire?

RT: Tony Duran. Because I am going through my "B+W" phase.

CS: I know you have a special affinity towards Indian men and you consider yourself at times a "Desi-at-heart." Could you give us an insight to that?

RT: INDIAN MEN ARE MY KRYPTONITE!!! You are all beautiful and I love you all. I think karma and reincarnation made an error and I was born Burmese/Chinese! :-) Maybe in my next life, I'd be born into a Desi family where my mum and dad are the BEST Indian artisan chefs specializing in Madras, Punjabi fine-cuisines. Being born in Rangoon, Burma, my native country conjugated cultural influx with India. I grew up nourished with Burmese food that is influenced from India, Thailand, and China. At a young age, I was enamoured with India at the surface level, but not fully appreciated or understood in-depth. Even today, I have yet to see India with my own eyes and see its people living in reality and not from an illusion painted by the tourist industry. I want to see and experience her beauty - both the good and the bad - later in the future. Obviously I was facetious in the beginning, but my appreciation towards your country and culture is more profound than the assortment of what the mainstream exports.

CS: Your favourite Indian actors?

RT: You'll need a sequel to the interview if you want me to fully disclose my favorites! Mr. Shah R. Khan enticed me into the Bollywood genre with his film, "Asoka." Since then, I have learnt to enjoy viewing films that starred: Amitabh Bachan, Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, Abhishek Bachan, Hrithik Roshan, Saif Ali Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukherjee, Priyanka Chopra, Preity Zinta, Kareena Kapoor, Jaya Bachan, Kirron Kher, et al.

CS: Tell us something about your "Personal Project" which you see as being more edgy when compared to your usual shoots.

RT: "Personal Project" is a tentative title of a forthcoming photography book project I am working on with careful attention. Due to the sensitive nature, a minor change in direction or gesture can be turning a regal photograph in the opposite direction. Containing artistic male nudity, it is my first exploratory project on highly provocative sexual images of men, simultaneously exhibiting class and regalia. It is more than a book chock full of naked men. Each photograph of the volunteers I've captured contained a fragment of myself - what I was thinking and what mood I was experiencing when I pressed the shutter on my camera. These photographs are an extension, an alternate glimpse into my psyche as an emerging visual artist facing the challenges and trepidation from societal scrutiny. When I initially commenced this sensitive project, I feared how I'd be perceived. I feel that although I am relatively new to the photography industry, I have artistically matured. I am ready to understand and grasp the intellectual and artistic merit required to appreciate the nude genre. If anyone gives me crap, I am just going to show them my middle finger.

CS: How can models approach you to be part of the "Personal Project"? Any prerequisites?

RT: Volunteers should, first of all, understand why I am involved in PP. They should understand their contribution and role towards PP. If models are interested in volunteering towards PP, they are all encouraged to submit via my website, http://www.ronaldntan.com. Instructions are under the "Personal Project" (PP) gallery. Due to practical reasons, volunteers should be local to San Francisco or Los Angeles.

CS: Can I assume that there is a possibility that "Personal Project" could bring you to India?

RT: DON'T GET ME STARTED!!! This would be a whole new book. It would probably result in my demise.. getting the privilege of capturing my true Adonises. You and your readers know Indian men are my KRYPTONITE. Then again, if that indeed occurred, I want my epitaph to simply read:

"Here lies Burmese photographer, Ronald Nyein Zaw Tan. He went chasing his dreams in 2007, found it, and is resting in peace in India while working on 'Personal Project: The Indian Edition'. His heart skipped several beats from too much Indian hotness resulting in cessation of normal circulation of the blood!"

I better be rested with all my photography equipment so I could finish "Personal Project" in my next life. :-)

The following video contains artistic nudity. Viewer discretion is advised.

Ronald N. Tan reserves the copyright for the images and the video.

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The Return Of The Craziness

2010-03-24T01:46:00.008+05:30

Yes, I'm back! Yay!! Forget everything that happened here during the past few weeks, I apologize if I caused you any confusion as a result of the drama. But it's heartening to see some of you so attached to CSB. I'm especially grateful to those who posted comments, sent emails and chat messages trying to show me that CSB is one of a kind and it should not be ceased or worse, get deleted.

I'm sure all of you remember our Phunk Factor. Finally, he came to his senses and now he has a blog!! Called Go Phunk Yourself!!, his blog can be reached at http://gophunkyourself.blogspot.com/. Phunk Factor had posted two entries here almost two months ago and you can read the further updates on his blog.

CSB Bags 4 Nominations For AGB Awards 2009

In 2008, Poonam of Visceral Observations came up with the concept of Avant Garde Bloggies Awards to recognize and honour Indian bloggers for their contribution to the blogosphere. CSB was nominated for five categories then and awared the first runner-up for Best Courageous Post. The second season of AGB Awards is now live and after tedious elimination processes by Poonam and team, the jury has announced this year's finalists. Out of the finalists, the best gets chosen by a public poll. This year CSB is nominated for four categories:

Best Off-Beat Post
Best Personal Post
Most Beautiful Header
Most Interesting Sidebar

You can click on the above categories to directly reach the poll-site of the respective categories and caste your vote (for me :P). If you like to check out other categories, the finalists and the link to their posts are put up here. And to vote for them, the polls are currently live at http://avantgardebloggies.wordpress.com/. The deadline is 28th March midnight IST (i.e., coming Sunday.) So hurry up and act fast if you want to be an influence in the search for the absolute best posts of 2009.

This is the return of Crazy Sam.

Cover Details

Model: Jessie Pavelka

Photographer: Bradford Rogne

Original Image Copyrighted To: Bradford Rogne

CSB Mock-up Magazine Cover Done By: Crazy Sam

Other Articles Shown On The Cover:

CSB Promotion: Dan Skinner's Photography

When He Gets Your Body Heated Up
"I Heart CSB!" Says Phunk Factor

Update - Monday, April 05, 2010:

'Yuva Dares to Bring Open Closet' gets runner up for 'Best Off-Beat Post' at AGB Awards 09. Thanks to all who voted for me. :-)

Check out these related posts too!

CSB Turns 2!

CSB Now Straight-Friendlier Than Ever!

Year-End Special: 25 CSB Posts Of 2008 Revisited

When He Gets Your Body Heated Up

2010-01-22T16:42:00.012+05:30

This ad is rumoured to be one of the hottest ads ever made and with the guy looking like that, no wonder why he turns all our body heat up!

If you're reading this post from email you will have to access the site to view the video.

The hunk is Nathan J. Owens and his popularity recently skyrocketed because of his cover shoot for DNA. Nathen admits that there had been attempts to pull his clothes off in real life, but no success stories. (as told to DNA.)

Click the pics for their complete and higher resolution versions.

Photographed by Ronald N. Tan.

Nathan can be seen in Esmee Denters' Outta Here music video (video link). Also check out Nathan singing and playing guitar to Free Fallin' at here.

Check out these related posts too!

That Hunk On Men's Health Cover!

When Extras Become Hotter Than Lead Actors

The Cock-Out Attitude

CSB Gets A Great Review From GayDemon!

2010-01-18T13:17:00.002+05:30

GayDemon* recently published a review about Crazy Sam’s Bloginess for their visitors.

Crazy Sam's Bloginess is an interesting, informative and intelligent blog by an Indian man named - good guess! - Sam! This is an engaging guy with great good humor and a light style that still manages to strike home with evocative stories from his own personal life as well as just all sorts of other things. His first post in the edition I am reading deals with his pleasure over receiving an OK from internationally-famous photographer Dan Skinner, offering Sam the 'all clear' to use any of his photos for this blog. Naturally, Sam thence puts up some amazingly tasty pictures of hot guys, including pics which go to high resolution and reveal much more than was initially thought! Sam discusses his own affairs reasonably publicly, including an introduction and very revealing emotional relationship of more than just a few years. His voice is all of our voices, in many ways, as he struggles to accept the affections of someone destined to leave at the close of a vacation, in spite of his deeper desires to hold onto the guy. It develops even more from there in a true-life tale of love and some lust. Otherwise, Sam's voice is nearly casual and easy to follow as he bends our attentions to other gorgeous men, situations and events. This is a fresh and stimulating blog, written by a regular human with honesty and appeal. It is also sexy as hell.

Thank you guys; this is one of the best reviews I have read about CSB. View the GayDemon post about CSB by clicking here.

In case you guys haven’t noticed, CSB has finally got a guestbook which you can reach through the link that appears on the right most column. Oh, happy 2010 everyone!!

*The link contains images that are not safe for work.

Check out these related posts too!

Valentine's Day Guest Post At Blogbharti!

CSB Rocked In November!

Bloggy Award Reviews Crazy Sam's Bloginess!

Ask Sam: Entangled With A Married Guy

2009-12-03T17:57:00.008+05:30

Ola!!
I came across your blog through some site which listed top gay blogs. I must say, they were pretty spot on by placing your name on the list. I saw that run sort of an Uncle Agony section here as well, so here's my problem that I would like to get your opinion/advice on.

I met this guy online, we talked quite a good number of times at night. I casually flirted with him, NOT sex talk but just flirting. After a couple of nights I felt as if his replies are getting serious. More than that I got to know he's newly married. He told me that himself and asked me if it would be a problem. Not wanting to make him feel bad I replied in negative, saying it's not a problem. Now he's gotten really into me and I don't have any feelings for him. Moreover I'm feeling guilty like crazy ever since I got to know he's married. He's 22. I'm 19. I didn't expect a 22 year old dude to be married.
PLEASE HELP ME OUT!!

I haven't contacted him since five days and his offliners on yahoo are sounding delusional now.

Umair

Ola Umair! You said he asked whether his marital status would be a problem. But problem for what? When you guys chatted initially, what was that you both looked forward to, what did you guys want those night calls to transform into? So I’m assuming three possible scenarios – a relationship, a hook up or a platonic friendship.

It is obvious that you were not expecting a relationship from him. But I’m not sure whether he is looking for that. If he is, then you gotta let him know that you are not interested in having affair with a married guy.

If you guys had hit it off hoping to end up in bed (before he revealed his marital status), I think you should go forward. If the married guy is fine with it, why should you be feeling bad? It is his concern and even if you choose not to accept his invite, I’m sure he will find another guy and satisfy his needs. In most cases, this will be a onetime thingy and suppose if you both enter into ‘a friendship with benefit’ deal, even then I would say go for it. Again, it is his concern.

Now the third scenario i.e., a platonic friendship which I don’t think is that much of a possibility. Even then if that is indeed the situation, why should you run away from it? You might be a relief for him coz he finds you comfortable enough to open up and share his feelings. Even I think 22 is too early for a guy to get married (may be he was forced? I dunno. I’m just trying to imagine different possibilities.) But I definitely want you to respond to him. And if possible, try to have a meet with him. Often what we expect and what we get in real are quite different and puts things in a different perspective.

And please do let us know what you decided to do finally. Any readers wanna share their wisdom?

Check out these related posts too!
Ask Sam: Closeted But Acting Homophobic
Ask Sam: Gay Or Not
Ask Sam: 4th Time Unlucky?

Ask Sam: Closeted But Acting Homophobic

2009-11-28T09:53:00.005+05:30

I haven't come out of the closet and am pretty uptight about not letting anyone guess the truth unless I want them to. That's why I act a bit homophobic around my friends cause it feels like the ultimate safeguard to not let them suspect. But I feel terrible whenever I pass a comment like "That's so gay..." or calling a friend a fag when he wears a pink tee. What should I do?

Leo

Leo, I know how uncomfortable and insecure you feel about being gay. One of the greatest issues of us closeted gays are that we always feel we are being watched and constantly have the urge to protect ourselves and not let out even a single hint that we are gay. Our movements and thoughts become so constricted. Majority of us (closeted homosexuals) prefer not to react when subjected to something that relates to homosexuality. We are scared to raise our opinion thinking it would ultimately lead to outing ourselves. But then there are some, which is your case, who finds cover by acting homophobic. I’m glad that you realize what you are doing is wrong and wish to stop it. Because your actions are in a way helping to spread homophobia and also you may never know there may be someone getting hurt by your comments.

First thing you should do is to resist the itch to show people that you are a homophobe. You don’t need that false-safeguard. For the time being, the ideal approach could be to force yourself to keep mum when the situation makes you uneasy. Second, you need to be comfortable with your sexuality. However hard it might seem, try to accept and embrace your sexual orientation. Make yourself believe that here is nothing unmanly about being gay and you are as equal as your straight pals. And once you reach a stage where you don’t feel ashamed to tell yourself that you are gay, when a discussion or casual conversation regarding homosexuality happens among your peers, try to voice your genuine opinion. This is the age where straight people take courage to talk supportive about gays. So don’t be surprised to find some of your friends backing your point of view!

As usual, I request readers to put forward your thoughts at the comment section and help our Leo to overcome his dilemma.

I dedicate this post to a crazy fan of CSB whose birthday is falling on 2nd December. He was concerned about the lack of new posts appearing on this site. I hope he liked this early birthday gift! :-)

Check out these related posts too!
Ask Sam: Gay Or Not
Ask Sam: 4th Time Unlucky?
Ask Sam: Help Thy Gay Friend

CSB Promotion: Dan Skinner's Photography

2009-10-02T18:29:00.007+05:30

When Dan Skinner sent me an email saying I can feel free to use his photos for my blog, I was like.. Wow! Seriously? And then when I checked out his galleries, I knew his amazing talent deserves more than just few photos being displayed on my posts.

The US readers probably don't need an introduction about this (surprisingly) camera-shy guy. Dan has been in the cover art business for almost eight years. He has worked for over 400 companies internationally and has probably (coz he doesn't keep count) done two thousand covers. He has done every type of book genres and has worked in print, magazine, ebook and ezine. So there is a good chance that you might have come across his masterpieces at some point or the other.

The fashion industry came to know about Dan Skinner this year and he is now busy involved in doing projects for this venue. He told me that he discover and shoot his own models and tries to do one frame storyboard shots or tell a story through them.

The DNA Magazine recently bought pics of one of his models, Dave Wilkinson and will be featuring them on their next edition. Also, DNA's blog will be showcasing four pieces from Dan's "Study Break" series. And the latest edition of the online magazine, Blake did a five page feature on his "End Of Summer."

Dan Skinner claims that he is a self taught photographer and a pro at photoshopping. It's a no-brainer that this guy is a hardcore workaholic and a crazy perfectionist. He has his own studio called Cerberus Inc. based in Saint Louis, Missouri, USA, which he formed with his business partner and former model, Nick Fichter. I was absolutely delighted to know that he belongs to that rare category of photographers who wouldn't suggest the guys to shave off their chest hair for the shoot. As you can see from the pics below, Dan presents Nick in his all raw sexy hirsuteness! Woof!! :P

By the way, you can click on the photos to view their high resolution versions and you could be very well surprised by what some of them reveal! :D

Dan is a twitterholic as well and you guys can catch him at @cerberusinc. To see more of his work, visit his gallery.

Check out these related posts too!
CSB Promotion: Onir's Abhimanyu
CSB Promotion: Gress's Photography

CSB Turns 2!

2009-09-12T01:39:00.006+05:30

It's been two years and I really can't believe this blog actually survived for this long! As cliched it may sound, this journey became all the more interesting only because I am fortunate to have you readers and I thank you all from the bottom of my heart. A special thanks to Vee for recommending CSB to his readers.

CSB had been running a poll for the past few weeks on "Invitations Of A Different Kind." I admit that the questions posed were quite quirky, but you guys dared to play along. The poll received 379 responses. Click here to get back to the post and see the results. (By the way, if you remember my earlier poll, I think it's time that I change my status! :D)

That's all for now. My present situation doesn't allow me to blog frequently or type long posts, but I hope that will all change soon. So don’t you dare to ditch CSB! :P

All For A Kiss! - A Crazy Confession From Sam

2009-08-09T00:28:00.003+05:30

"Oh my God! This is really stupid. I’m so gonna regret for agreeing to do this!" I thought to myself as we sneakily got ourselves crammed into one of the narrow lavatory stalls.

Sid had come to India during his semester break to be with his family. A dating site initiated our friendship. We exchanged numbers and from then on we didn’t forget to call each other every night. A week went by and both of us felt it was finally time to have the rendezvous. The next evening, we met - a meeting that was casual, just like two old pals. We sipped, ate, schmoozed (not smooched! :P) And then that night over phone, he asked me whether I felt anything special for him. I said, "Naah, but it felt good to finally meet you." I knew what his type was and clearly I was not one. And more importantly, why should I be allowing myself to feel anything "special" for a guy who's gonna be back to a foreign country in about three or four weeks? He too had similar reasons, but I guess he surprised himself when he defied all that. The first time he called me 'sweetheart', I remember it felt really weird and I couldn't stop laughing. But he made sure that I get used to hearing it and it reached to that point where I would crave to get that word out of his mouth whenever we were having talks. It was kinda getting addictive and yes, I was falling for him.

Another thing that was becoming an addiction (for both of us) was the need to see each other every single day. The evening traffic or the monsoon downpours didn't weaken our spirits; we made sure we had that one chance to be together even if it was for a short time. I used to anxiously wait for the evening to come, so that I can rush from my office to meet him. It was during one of these meets at a mall when he told me that he wanted to kiss me so badly and talked me in to getting inside the restroom. We got in, waited there, setting our hair, washing our hands and faces one too many times, until we found there was no one else other than the two of us. Then we opened the door to one of the stalls, got inside and shut it quickly before someone could walk in and see the sight of two guys getting in at the same time.

So there we stood face to face, both of us feeling really nervous and starting to sense that this was indeed a bad idea. We leaned forward for the kiss. But the helmets in our hands began to hit each other during the attempt, making knocking sounds which made both of us even more uneasy; for they could make the people outside curious. As obvious, the kiss didn't happen and we both now felt like escaping from the self-imposed trap. But how do we come out? We didn't want the situation to get any more embarrassing than what already was. Sid suggested that since it could be risky if we both got out together, he would go out first and I wait for sometime. So he opened the door when we felt the place was absolutely silent. After he left, I locked the door and I waited for like about 10 minutes before I finally had the courage to poke my head out. In the meantime, Sid was waiting outside the restroom wondering why I was taking this long to show up. Anyway, we both decided that we would never try to even think of doing such absurdities.

However absurdities happened even after that. On some other night, we tried to make out on an open field near a highway. That time we felt some one was watching and coming towards us and we had to run. But later one night, the kiss did finally happen.. right on the street where I live! Even though we had to break the kiss every time a vehicle passed by and had to pretend as if nothing was going on, as soon as it was out of site, we would soon be plunged into that passionate lip lock again. The kiss was so wild and powerful that the high lasted for hours and I truly discovered what it meant to feel happy from inside.

But that kiss also warned us of how far we had crossed the line. What that was going on between us wasn't supposed to turn into anything serious, but it was beginning to. And before we both reach a stage where it becomes excruciating to deal with the separation that was bound to happen, we agreed that it was better to cut the whole thing off. And thus we took different roads. Then a year later, we met one more time when he came for his semester vacation.

Now whenever I pass by all those places where we had our "attempts", those images flash in my mind and I smile to myself. I guess he gave me one of my firsts; he made me feel how it is like to fall in love. And it is an adventure nevertheless – magical, enlivening, exciting - making ordinary people do the craziest of things!

Check these related posts too!
Let's Talk About Porn!
But I Used To Be That Innocent..
The Realization

Follow Sam's twitter-bloginess @ http://twitter.com/samsbloginess

CSB Xclusive! The Indian Hunk Piyush Walia

2009-08-01T03:32:00.015+05:30

Remember some 40 posts ago (43 to be exact! :D), I talked about a guy who won a body contest organized by a health magazine? (Click here to get a refresh.) Yes, I'm hinting about the perfectly toned and charmingly handsome Piyush Walia. That time I didn’t have any "evidence" to substantiate my infatuation towards him. But this time I do have, since Piyush accepted my offer to be featured on this blog and was kind to share his portfolio with me.

22 year old Piyush V Walia started his modeling career in January last year and pretty soon he bagged the title of Mr. Body Beautiful as announced by the May 2008 issue of Health & Nutrition - Yep, the same issue that got me hooked onto him! He then became the cover guy of Men's Health India in June 2008..

(Click on the photos to get the higher resolution versions.)

Appeared on the bike catalogues of Yamaha..

And walked the ramps at prestigious fashion shows.

Piyush was one among those sexy men in the promo-shots of MTV Splitsvilla 2.

Well.. lots more Piyush to feast your eyes! (Except the left most snap in the second row, the following are the works of the illustrious photographer, Sayan Sur Roy.)

And finally, two candid shots of this amazing guy before we end this post.

Thanks for this fantabulous treat, Piyush! Wishing you all the very best and hope your career will be giving us more and more to drool over!

'Yuva' Dares To Break Open The Closet

2009-07-27T00:05:00.009+05:30

No people, it's not the cover of a magazine targeted towards the gays or not of one which is published from a western nation (or not even a mock-up cover that I designed, for that matter), but that of one which is rapidly becoming popular among the youth of India. Yuva, with the tag, "The Magazine For Young India", have put the topic of homosexuality as the cover story in their latest issue. This is a very daring attempt, I must say, and that too for a mainstream magazine which is just three months old (the new format.) But even more daring is their homoerotic cover that shows a guy placing his hand over another one’s crotch.

The cover story throws light on the hardships faced by gay men and lesbians in India, their self-realizations about being gay, their experiences on coming out, the reaction they got from their parents and how the overthrowing of section 377 can bring a better change. It was heartening to read about a father and mother who, despite being religious and coming from a conservative background, helped their gay son to come out and encouraged him to bring his boyfriend to home. The article carries the voice of people from various fields raising their opinions on the need for putting anti-discrimination laws at public and workplaces, laws against homophobia, rights to fight against forced marriages, and the fight for gay marriage, inheritance laws and adoption rights. The poll conducted by Yuva reveals that 79% men and 86% women have no objection for the legal sanctioning of same-sex marriage. Yuva has listed a bunch of helplines for those who wish to come in terms with their homosexuality and also suggests a string of gay and lesbian movies to check out, gives a peek into the country’s popular gay hangouts without actually 'outing' them and enlightens us with a section on gay lexicon, in which some of them, I admit, even I was not aware of!

Yuva’s message to the young India is loud and clear - It’s about time that we all woke up, faced the reality and accepted this 'sweet' truth that India is no exception when it comes to people being gay. Even if the older group doesn’t get it, I’m sure the generation that is coming up and the future ones will embrace this fact of life and will be more tolerant and understanding towards the LGBT community. Also it is my wish that the division of straight and gay communities becomes blurred as years pass by.

CSB had recommended Yuva to its readers earlier this month and this could be the only magazine in India for the youth that is not just centered on fashion and lifestyle. Executive Editor, Diane Karen Pereira said during one of the pre-launch interviews, "The market has no such magazine that caters to the youth's needs. There are several lifestyle magazines, but there is no such magazine that can raise issues concerning the youth, who can provide the young reader with the information that he or she can use, who can tackle the issues and questions that are on top of the mind of todays young."

Indeed, they cover a spectrum of youth-centric topics. I reckon, especially their career section would be a lifesaver for many young Indians helping them to think and choose wisely when opting for courses and from where to pursue.

So head to the newsstands folks! This fortnight's issue is one which you definitely don't want to miss! I'm now eagerly waiting for their next issue to come out where they would be publishing responses from the readers (shoot emails to them, thank them!) and I feel we could also get to read about Bani, the cool MTV Wassup babe!

Check out these related posts too!
Why Cosmopolitan Is For The Fun Fearless Gay Male
Stale But Still Hot!
The Cosmopolitan Tales

CSB Promotion: Onir's Abhimanyu

2009-07-24T20:00:00.015+05:30

In India, one out of every five girls and one out of every ten boys face some form of abuse.

When you hear such statistics, you wonder about the people whom you have come across in life – were they too one among these victims? And isn’t it possible that a child is being abused right now? Yes, at this moment, when you are reading this!

The only solution I see for preventing such exploitation from happening is to help the children to help themselves. Parents should tell their children when they are as young as 5 years old, that they should be informed when an uncle or aunt tries or suggests to do something inappropriate with them. The young ones may not understand what and why it is being told time after time, but then it will cause a spark in them the moment that ugly face gets unveiled. And when they come running to you into your arms, it is your responsibility to believe them, stand by them, and disconnect the other person entirely from your life. That other person could be your sibling, your best friend, your neighbour, your driver, your domestic help, your priest - anyone whom you thought your child would be safe to be with. Because there is nothing more wrong that could happen in your world when your child’s innocence is being taken advantage of.

Abhimanyu is the story of a child abuse survivor inspired by the true story of Harish Iyer and his struggle to reclaim his own shattered identity after 11 long years of abuse.

Email subscribers will have to visit the blog site to watch the following video.

Director Onir Anirban (My Brother Nikhil, Bas Ek Pal and Sorry Bhai) and Anticlock Films wish to tackle important issues ignored by the mainstream Indian cinema and expects your (monetary contributions or otherwise) support to realize this goal.

Abhimanyu is one of the five short films that Onir is writing and directing. Omar will be a film that portrays the nexus between the police and male sex workers to harass gay men using article 377. Afia will tell the story of a girl working in an NGO discovering the misappropriation of funds and her entire life changes as she realizes how everyone is involved. In Megha, we will see a Kashmiri Pandit woman going back to Kashmir after 20 years and confronting her past – a past of losing trust and faith in humanity, a past that saw three lakh Kashmiri Hindus leaving Kashmir. Set In Kolkatta, Rudra will explore the Maoist conflict of ideology between a father and son.

"These topics are too important to let slide into the shadows," says Onir. For Anticlock Films, this is a movement towards cinema that has content and that entertains by way of enriching oneself.

To contribute money and read the deal, please visit the blogs of the respective films:

Abhimanyu - http://iamabhimanyu.blogspot.com/ [Facebook]
Omar - http://omarthefilm.blogspot.com/ [Facebook]
Afia - http://iamafia.blogspot.com/ [Facebook]
Megha - http://iammegha.blogspot.com/ *Under Construction*
Rudra - http://rudrathefilm.blogspot.com/ *Under Construction*

Each film lasting 20 minutes will be released for educational/awareness/festival purposes and eventually all the five short films will be compiled into one release for the general audience.

Check out these related posts too!
CSB Promotion: Gress's Photography

The New Face Of Indian Homophobia

2009-07-17T00:17:00.013+05:30

Image courtesy: idahosydney.wordpress.com

We condemned Aussies when they unleashed racial attacks on Indians. We gasped in horror when we saw how inhumanely the assailers had brought injuries on the victims. Now what do we have to say when Indians themselves are proving that they are no different from those Aussie racists. Last week in Delhi, an openly homosexual man was slashed by a guy representing a religious group, in front of everyone at a gay party. (You can read the write up of the victim’s partner here.) Even though homophobia was rampant in Indian society, the recent advancements in the gay rights movement has angered many and in turn raised this hatred to an entirely new level. (Finally matching up to US standards, if I may say.)

While the Delhi High Court judgement decriminalizing gay sex between consenting adults garnered widespread positive response from within India and outside, it felt like a huge blow for a certain group who wishes to stay deaf and blind in the name of religion. This group tries hard to forget the age-old saying, "Live and let live." They make themselves believe that every nuisance they stimulate is justifiable if it is for a religious cause. And I’m afraid this could just be the beginning, and assault on homosexuals could become a trend for them to get media publicity and to spit their venomous thoughts. (Just like how a religious gang bashed women reasoning that the gals were violating traditional Indian norms. This group also created unnecessary hysteria over Valentine's Day.) Therefore all openly homosexuals in India should be alert.

Harish Iyer, one of the leading gay voices from Mumbai advices, "Keep someone informed when we travel to any place on a date or even otherwise. Keep SOS numbers (friends/parents/siblings etc.) on speed dial and train your mind for quick reflexes under the event of an attack. And at least for sometime don’t engage in PDA (public display of affection), even if the straight people do."

Weren't religions born to unite people and to bring love and compassion in us? Funny that it is now doing the exact opposite!

And as if religions were not enough, now yoga (coz every Tom, Dick and Harry is going after religion, it's time to try something new!) is used to substantiate the opinions terming that homosexuality is a disease and purely borrowed from western culture. While most of us know how ridiculous those statements are, this is just yet another application of, "Strike while the iron is hot." Anyone else wants to tell the world that we are perverts and make media appearances? Please do. Instant fame guaranteed coz our newspapers and TV channels are so dying to get your 'bites'.

We have every reason to rejoice on finally becoming non-criminals in the eyes of law. But the Delhi High Court has acknowledged our right only due to the continual and persistent efforts of Naz Foundation. They submitted the petition in 2001 and they were fighting a legal battle for eight long years to finally bring the judgement in our favour. Now that the Supreme Court has agreed to consider a petition seeking to repeal the High Court’s ruling, Naz Foundation is gearing up for the next battle. Let's hope and pray that the Supreme Court will uphold the High Court's decision.

Even if the law changes, the mindset of the people will not change overnight. For this to happen, we need the support of the straight community as well.

Blogosphere is a great medium to enlighten the public. Jo, even though straight, is always man enough to write about issues faced by gays in his blog whenever there happens an incident affecting homosexuals. He had also shared to his readers about the days when he and his friends used to make fun of homosexuals, what all misconceptions he had about gays, and finally realizing how wrong he was. (You can read his post here.)

The friends I came out to, are a huge support not just for me, but for the gay community as well. Phoebe and her group of friends have discussions about homosexuality in their college.

Monica tries to correct the false believes of her roommates. They were shocked when they learnt that she reads this blog and that she has a gay friend. They began to warn her about how dangerous gays are and how one should really be careful when befriending them. And these words are coming from the so-called educated IT professionals of the 21st century, residing in one of the Indian metropolitan cities.

And there is this another friend, who recently became aware of my sexual orientation. She was uber-excited hearing the Delhi High Court’s judgement. Later when I chatted with her, her words really touched me. "You are probably the only reason why I’m not against it (decriminalization of homosexuality)." She said, "I don’t think you are lying when you say you like a guy. So it’s not some mentally distorted thing, it is real. And to discriminate is like being a sexual racist."

Check out these related posts too!
An Equal Love
The Right To Do "I Do"
The Gay Parade And The Media

CSB Poll: Invitations Of A Different Kind

2009-07-12T00:17:00.017+05:30

On my pursuit of finding good company through internet, I have often got invites from straight dudes and married men to bed with them. For the straights and the married who don't mind getting carnal pleasure from another male, a quickie with gays could be the ultimate no strings attached deal for unleashing their wildest and craziest sexual fantasies. Also considering the fact that India is a country where 85 percent of gays are married (to women), it is no surprising that the married outnumber the straights when it comes to giving out such invitations.

So here comes the second poll from CSB which poses ~~four~~ five situations. You are not required to respond to all the ~~four~~ five. If you are a straight guy (and single), the first situation is for you. ~~If you are a married male (regardless of your sexual orientation), please consider the second situation.~~ If you are a married male (and straight), please consider the second situation. If you are a married male (but gay or bi), please consider the third situation. And finally, if you are gay (or bi), please mark your option for the last two situations.

Situation 1

If you are straight, have you ever wanted to give the invitation to a gay guy?(online surveys)

Situation 2

If you are married (and straight), have you ever wanted to give the invitation to a gay guy?(online surveys)

Situation 3

If you are married (but gay or bi), have you ever wanted to give the invitation to a gay guy?(polls)

Situation 4

If you are gay, would you be accepting the invite from a straight guy?(survey software)

Situation 5

If you are gay, would you be accepting the invite from a married guy?(survey software)

CSB subscribers reading this post from feed readers and inboxes will have to visit the blog site to access the polls. As usual, the results are not made public for the time being, but will be unveiled in a future post.

Update - Monday, July 13, 2009:

The earlier situation 2 which dealt with married men is now split to situation 2 and situation 3 to consider their sexual orientation.

Update - Monday, September 07, 2009:

The poll is closed. The results will be out soon!

Update - Saturday, September 12, 2009:

The poll results are unveiled.

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Have You Got Your Dose Of Samminess?

2009-07-06T01:14:00.013+05:30

Breaking News: A month thus goes by where CSB didn't see any new post, first time ever since its inception!

Haha, I know I'm announcing it as if it is some commendable achievement. Honestly speaking, I wanted at least one post to be up during June. Sadly, that didn't happen. And now I feel like I lost the touch to blog. Don't worry, this is not a good-bye post even though I did see a possibility of that happening. But you know what? I love blogging too damn much to do something terrible like that. Also I don't want my readers to realize how serene their life could be if they did not have their "irregular dose of samminess" (as Whippy puts it. :P)

Model: Kerry Degman Copyright: A|X Armani Exchange

At last I'm moving out from my city.. Yes! Finally! If you had been following (stalking) my blog for quite long, you would know how much I wanted something like this to come about. And I'm gonna be based in one of the happening metros of India - just what the doctor prescribed for spicing up my unfabulous social life. But as they say, I can't have the cake and eat it too. What I would be sacrificing are the luxury and the privacy that I am so used with at home. But then if it gets compensated with oodles of mind-blowing sex, I don't mind.

Naah! Just kidding! :D

Anyway, I should find some good internet cafes to satiate my online escapades. I recently discovered how convenient and feasible it is to post on twitter from mobile and the best part is I don't have to rely on the cafes.

I'm sure by now all must have heard about the recent Delhi High Court's judgement to amend Section 377 of the IPC and decriminalize private consensual sex between adults of the same sex. Even though the new rule cannot be implemented immediately, (coz the parliament now needs to take decision to amend the law and we can also expect religious fanatics and the so-called Indian-culture-saviours moving to the Supreme Court to revoke the High Court's judgement) with the debates and discussions happening in news channels and the editorials and features coming in newspapers and magazines, Indians are exposed to the topic of homosexuality like never before.

A shot from gay pride parade at Bengaluru on 28th June, 2009.
Photo credit: Lighttripper

By the way, India also gets a new national gay and lesbian magazine. Pink Pages is an online magazine which is free to subscribe. Without sounding too swellheaded, lemme also add that I was fortunate to have the opportunity to design the logo as well as the cover for this magazine. I thank the Editor-In-Chief of Pink Pages, Nipun Goyal for motivating and pushing, and for having complete faith in me. For those who haven't heard about Nipun, he is a writer and gay activist from India and it was he who wrote the article, "Love Me For Who I Am", which appeared last year in The Times Of India. He also maintains a blog called Rainbow Rays. Head over to http://www.pink-pages.co.in/ for the very first issue of Pink Pages!

From this month's Men's Health India: The NGO Humsafar Trust says the number of gays, lesbians and transgenders in India is close to 70 million.

Sam recommends: Check out the latest entry into print magazines targeted towards young India, Yuva - a fortnightly. You can also read the previous issues at their site.

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Ask Sam: Gay Or Not

2009-05-12T20:20:00.010+05:30

Recently, I was chatting with a guy who had an issue about identifying his sexuality. He is 25 years old.

I'm really confused about my sexuality. If you ask me, I don't know whether I'm straight, gay or bisexual. Once I met a guy from online with the intention of having a relationship. We became very close. But when it came to sex, I started feeling hesitant. At last I agreed to do it, but I couldn't enjoy and I had to stop it in the middle. I had no such problems when I did it with a gal. But I do not understand why I keep searching for a guy, I'm so confused.

When I probed further, I came to know that he has no brothers or sisters. He has many friends but he couldn't find anyone suitable to be close with. I'm no psychologist, but I being the only child, I know how frustrating and lonely one can feel in his shoes. To tell you the truth, I always wished for a brother, an elder brother. So what I understand from this guy's situation is that since he was the only child and he didn't have any close buddy, he was trying to fill that void by searching for a guy with whom he can share some intimate feelings, like those straight guys feel for their best buds.

Last week I happened to see a beautiful sight. A guy came and hugged his friend from behind and both of them stood like that for some time. They were not at all feeling conscious of what the public might think (in fact, the people there didn't mind at all!), unlike gays who find even holding hands to be horrific. As usual, I started feeling jealous for the guy who was being hugged because I wanted to be that guy and also the other guy was looking so damn good! :P

In my opinion, we all yearn to be touched by people whom we care and love. It makes us feel wanted and important. And for guys, after their infancy, they count on siblings and close friends to give this. When they don't get that, there feel an emptiness, something missing in their lives. Girls usually don't feel the void because of the "sisterhood" they develop with their mothers. That's why I'm of the sentiment that if the firstborn is a male, you just gotta have to push down one more!

Coming back to this guy, I told him, instead of searching guys for relationships what he really should be doing is to find a guy for intimate friendship, with whom he could give and get all the attention and care. I also suggested to him not to be quick in labeling himself as gay or bisexual because as far as I can see, he is just like any other straight guy.

So I would love to know your opinion regarding this. What do you have to say about his situation?

By the way, there is this another guy who says he is not born or made gay, but he feels like he could be gay when he reads this blog. Hmm.. are you telling me this blog has the magic to convert straights now? :P

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CSB Now Straight-Friendlier Than Ever!

2009-04-05T00:17:00.018+05:30

I may be taking this whole "straight-friendly" thing too seriously, but I gotta admit.. it's kinda overwhelming when I see people linking to this blog (thank you!) as "The Straight-Friendly Gay Blog". But I always had the doubt (and some have expressed their concerns), would any straight person care to read this blog when the first thing he or she sees as the page loads, is a close up shot of a guy's crotch? At a time when we are trying to make others understand that homosexuality is much more than having sex with the same gender, I felt the banner of this blog was sort of evincing the message of prurience. We tend to throw our sexuality on society's face with vulgarism and obscenity. Take for example, the gay parades. I know we need to make our voices heard, but do we really have to resort to those obtrusive and lewd exhibitionism that only make people cringe? I have never been to a gay pride parade and may be media likes to promote only those images, but why can't we have parades devoid of any "vulgar flaunting of sexual orientation"? How about marching by guys holding hands of guys and gals with gals? It is distinct and it sends out the message loud and clear, don't ya think so?

On that spirit, this month CSB rolls out its new blog banner. Simultaneously, new badge has also been put up for your linking pleasure. Please find it in the CSB badge area on the third column. Also I have added a link to an article under "Must-Reads" section (appearing in the middle column). Conny Van Dyke, the actress, writes an open letter to all mothers of gay and lesbian children instructing them to let go of their intolerance, not their loved ones. A must-read it is! [via Pop Max Now]

Finally.. During the whole month of March, CSB asked the readers what do they consider as their first sexual experience. Thanks to all the 234 individuals who took part in the poll. Here is the result:

7% (17) -> kissing
18% (41) -> mutual masturbation
25% (59) -> oral
50% (117) -> anal

Another question was regarding the age at which they first "got lucky".

5% (10) -> 5-9
9% (20) -> 25-29
18% (39) -> 10-14
33% (72) -> 20-24
35% (77) -> 15-19

I should have also added another option "30 and above", coz only 218 people responded to this one. Apologies to those 16. Anyways, I had fun doing this and hope you guys did too!

So going by the popular opinion, I'm still ehmm.. you know! :P

Disclaimer: Toni Sulankivi has no affiliation with Crazy Sam's Bloginess (CSB) in any way whatsoever.

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