Queer Chennai Chronicles (QCC) first book Vidupattavai is in Tamil and written by Gireesh, an artist and poet based in Chennai. We have partnered with Karuppu Pradhigal and co-published the book . Vidupattavai is a potpourri of snippets, articles, short stories and poems. Written during the last decade on various platforms, the writings are a reflection of the times, Queer lives, the platforms they were written, and apart from them it stands alone as a personal testimony and expression of a Queer individual during these turbulent times. Gireesh’s perspective questions what the privileged look over and introspects privileges of himself and the Queer community. The book is divided based on various aspects it talks about, like love, desire, cinema, activism, media – including social media – among others.
Vidupattavai also challenges normalcy. We are in a time where purity is a required norm, even if that is not the reality. The social construct and morality of our time suspends a reality that we all know isn’t the truth. Our conscience and the conditioning makes us believe and accept the suspended lies as the reality. Today, the normalcy of our society is also cis-hetero-centric. Anything that happens beyond the gender and sexuality binary is seen with contempt, disgust, or queer. Vidupattavai challenges the fabricated truth of our times. The experiences, desire, need, want and the thoughts expressed in the book does not rationalise or explain on why they are the way they are. Things happen a certain way because that is how things happen in reality. The book doesn’t answer or help understand why a man loves a man, or a woman loves a woman, Vidupattavai is not a book that would help you understand these issues. Vidupattavai is a book that centralises Queer lives and Queer politics during our times.
The book was introduced by Tamil writer Elavenil and released by Tamil writer and actor Shoba Sakthi on 20th Jan at the 41st Chennai Book Fair.
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