Rainbow reigns on a day of pride in London

They say there can’t be a rainbow without rain and sunshine. But that day the streets of Soho in London witnessed a sea of rainbows without any rain. Apart from the gigantic rainbow flag, big enough to park 10 London double-decker buses on it, there were rainbow balloons, rainbow outfits, rainbow sunglasses and rainbow colours painted on arms and faces. Myriads of rainbows seemed to have descended from the sky and scattered around Westminster.

The day was July 7 and the occasion was the Annual Pride in London Parade. I was a silent, stunned and stupefied spectator.

The iconic march, as I learnt later, is organised by the London Pride every year for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (LGBT) and their friends, families and supporters to express solidarity for their cause. Hundreds of LGBT groups take part in the event. Rainbows represent gay pride and the rainbow flag is the official logo of the LGBT community. Decked in multi-coloured motifs, flags and banners, floats from corporate sponsors and political parties also participate. The mayor of London and the women and equality minister had opened this year’s parade.

Least aware and informed, I had gone to central London to watch the musical play, Aladdin. I was confused and confounded to find all busy roads and drives, streets and alleys, including Regent Street, Oxford Street, Pall Mall and Whitehall, closed to traffic. Hundreds of thousands of people had gathered in the vicinity of Westminster to witness and to be a part of the prodigious parade.

For a person like me, it was not only something new and strange, but was startling and surprising as well.

As the parade was aimed at equality of gender, no wonder, then, the identification of sex was a big teaser. Bodies were covered with tattoos and faces were painted with colours. Flashy, fluorescent fashion favouring a fair show of flesh was the signature style. Pretending to be indifferent, but intending to be noticed by big boys, the fair sex was fancifully trying to look fair and square in their outlook. Fun and festivity, drumming and dancing, singing and chanting marked the motley march.

I was intrigued by the fervour and fanfare, hullabaloo and ballyhoo of the demonstration. I wondered whether it was a protest or celebration, rage or revelry. Also, pensively, I pondered over the placards proclaiming, ‘Rainbows reign’, ‘Gay is good’, ‘Bisexual is beautiful’, ‘Love is about love, not gender’, ‘Marriage should be between a spouse and a spouse, not a gender and a gender’, ‘Gay rights are human rights’ and many more phrases regarding equality of gender and samesex love and wedding.

Only time will tell what the efforts to redefine love, marriage, family and friendship will result in. As the activists themselves admit, “The future is fluid.”

INTRIGUED BY THE FERVOUR AND FANFARE, I WONDERED WHETHER IT WAS A PROTEST OR CELEBRATION, RAGE OR REVELRY

amritanand810@gmail.com The writer is a Jagadhribased retired associate professor