{"id":712309,"date":"2025-11-19T17:42:21","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T14:42:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=712309"},"modified":"2025-11-19T17:42:21","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T14:42:21","slug":"inside-indias-blossoming-drag-scene","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=712309","title":{"rendered":"Inside India\u2019s blossoming drag scene"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"main-article standard \">\n<div class=\"article-main-content article-wrapper has-media-but-its-an-image\" data-status=\"loaded\" data-primary-article=\"true\" data-url=\"\/beauty\/article\/69106\/1\/inside-india-s-shimmery-and-glitzy-drag-scene\" data-article-id=\"69106\">\n<header class=\"article-header has-portrait-image no-media\">\n<div class=\"wrapper dg-max-width\">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<figure class=\"main-img has-figcaption\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.67\" data-template=\"Standard Article\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF4737\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1431101-1.jpg\" width=\"2000\" title=\"1431101-1\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"inner\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Yash Sheth<\/span><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<aside class=\"meta\">\n<div class=\"inner\"><span class=\"month\">November<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2025<\/span><\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"titles\">\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - beauty\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\">Beauty<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty-feature\">Beauty Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"title\"><span>Inside India\u2019s blossoming <span class=\"nowrap\">drag scene<\/span><\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"standfirst\">\n<h2>While ball culture might be new among the urban queer, haus culture in India is quite embedded in <span class=\"nowrap\">hijra culture<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"month\">November<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"day\" data-day=\"19\">19,<\/span>\u00a0<br \/>\n<span class=\"year\">2025<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tags\">\n<div class=\"sections\"><a class=\"category vertical - beauty\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\">Beauty<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty-feature\">Beauty Feature<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"providers\">\n<div class=\"contributors\"><span class=\"contributor\" data-contributor-role=\"Text\"><span class=\"contributor-role\">Text<\/span><a class=\"contributor-name\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/user\/UpasanaDas\">Upasana Das<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article-body-container\">\n<aside class=\"primary\">\n<div class=\"sticky bottom\">\n<div class=\"read-more\"><span class=\"read-more-header\">Read More<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more-items\">\n<div class=\"read-more-item vertical-life-culture\">\n<div class=\"read-more-item-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69100\/1\/could-bricking-my-phone-help-me-feel-more-present\" class=\"article-list-item-image\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"03 Close Up Of Bricking\" class=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1430964-3.jpeg\" title=\"1430964-3\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more-item-content\"><a class=\"category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69100\/1\/could-bricking-my-phone-help-me-feel-more-present\"><span class=\"title\">Could \u2018Bricking\u2019 my phone make me feel something?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"read-more-item vertical-life-culture\">\n<div class=\"read-more-item-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69071\/1\/1-in-4-men-believe-no-one-will-ever-fall-in-love-with-them-state-of-uk-men-study\" class=\"article-list-item-image\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"her\" class=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1430624-13.jpg\" title=\"1430624-13\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more-item-content\"><a class=\"category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/69071\/1\/1-in-4-men-believe-no-one-will-ever-fall-in-love-with-them-state-of-uk-men-study\"><span class=\"title\">1 in 4 men believe no one will ever fall in love with them<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"read-more-item vertical-life-culture\">\n<div class=\"read-more-item-link\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/68795\/1\/is-inconvenience-the-cost-of-community-friendship-relationships-loneliness\" class=\"article-list-item-image\"><span class=\"image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"everything_i_know_about_love\" class=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1425831-12.jpg\" title=\"1425831-12\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"read-more-item-content\"><a class=\"category\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\">Life &amp; Culture<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/life-culture\/article\/68795\/1\/is-inconvenience-the-cost-of-community-friendship-relationships-loneliness\"><span class=\"title\">Is inconvenience the cost of community?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div class=\"article-body wrapper\">\n<div class=\"dazed-gallery has-26-images \">\n<div class=\"inner\">\n<header>\n<div class=\"info\"><span class=\"heading\">India\u2019s drag scene<\/span><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"gallery\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumbs\">\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/gallery\/36339\/0\/india-s-drag-scene\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF1954\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1431083.jpg\" width=\"2000\" title=\"1431083\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/gallery\/36339\/1\/india-s-drag-scene\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF2180\" class=\"img\" height=\"1332\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1431084.jpg\" width=\"1998\" title=\"1431084\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/gallery\/36339\/2\/india-s-drag-scene\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF2504\" class=\"img\" height=\"1332\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1431085.jpg\" width=\"1998\" title=\"1431085\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/gallery\/36339\/3\/india-s-drag-scene\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF2792\" class=\"img\" height=\"1332\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1431086.jpg\" width=\"1998\" title=\"1431086\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/gallery\/36339\/4\/india-s-drag-scene\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF2833\" class=\"img\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1431087.jpg\" width=\"2000\" title=\"1431087\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-thumb\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/gallery\/36339\/5\/india-s-drag-scene\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF2867\" class=\"img\" height=\"1332\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1431088.jpg\" width=\"1998\" title=\"1431088\"><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"gallery-footer\">Gallery \/ 26 images<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/drag\">queens<\/a> walked into a bar \u2013 in this case, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/halloween\">Halloween<\/a> gala. The midriff-barring green floral dress immediately signposted Jennifer Lopez, who was walking arm-in-arm with a punk rock goth in a black shirt which simply said, \u2018<\/span><em><span>I don\u2019t know her<\/span><\/em>.\u2019 <span>\u201cIs that supposed to be Mariah Carey,\u201d someone whispered as low \u2018oohs\u2019 went around the crowd. This is not Hollywood but a club in Lower Parel in Mumbai the night before Halloween where drag mothers, queer kids and allies had gathered from around India to celebrate the day of the dead \u2013 the drag way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Riffing off of the Met Gala \u2013 which took until 2019 to have a drag artist on the carpet \u2013 32-year-old Glorious Luna, mother of the House of Luna, started the Death Gala two years ago. \u201cHalloween isn\u2019t really an Indian festival,\u201d she says, \u201cbut it feels like we <\/span><em><span>need<\/span><\/em><span> to celebrate it as today, queer people can be whoever they want to be \u2013 like at least put the red lipstick on that they so desire, in the name of being Dracula.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Crossdressing and drag have had a long history rooted in the country\u2019s performance traditions, but when the illusion continues offstage to personal expressions of gender and sexuality heads can turn. Although a colonial code that criminalised gay sex was overturned in 2018, a sensitive bill for protection of trans rights and same-sex marriage is still being hotly debated \u2013 and legal change has never implied societal change. \u201cWe often carry our lipstick or earrings in a purse and glam up at the venue,\u201d said Humhu, who was our punk rock Mariah. \u201cSo at least we can escape some of the judgement, and feel safe.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"368189bf-789a-49c1-803d-b39a00d31e36\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/1\/1431100.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"1.5\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"landscape\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF4886\" class=\"img\" height=\"2000\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1431100.jpg\" width=\"3000\" title=\"1431100\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Yash Sheth<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>At the Death Gala, everyone performs on the carpet as judges honour the best dressed at the end of the night. Host Pratul Narang had thrifted the highest pairs of platforms in the room, while his House of Luna sister Nin Kala recreated the iconic Galliano glass look to embody marble statues of Mary in churches around Bombay. 28-year-old Vellvet Vortex, from Haus of Spice, portrayed a punk Elvira with face piercing doubling as beauty spots, while her sister Sisssy Nova sashayed down as a dragged-out version of the Bride from <em>Creature Commandos<\/em> in a stacked beehive and teal eyeshadow. \u201cMy make-up took months to reach a stamp but I\u2019m still the hair queen of my haus,\u201d smiles Sisssy. \u201cIt was five sleepless nights of making a hair cage, along with a lot of hairspray and patience!\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>This DIY spirit of drag is something that gives joy to many like Humhu, who would make looks together with Luna and his queer friends during COVID. \u201cWe would play 80s Bollywood or disco music to feel free, and make looks, model and then get back to boy clothes to return home.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Bollywood remains a realm to draw from for Desi queers, even further north in Kolkata where 27-year-old Ahon Gooptu\u2019s drag persona Xenia Fauxbia Darling fondly recalls learning to dance watching the Bollywood choreographer Saroj Khan during his one-woman show <\/span><em><span>Item<\/span><\/em><span>. Last month as an opener to the show, he hosted performances by first time baby drag queens \u2013 including performer Sasha G who paid tribute to Khan through a pun in her name, and roused the building as she shimmied among us to RuPaul\u2019s \u201c<\/span>Covergirl\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><span>For others its channeling sharp-witted female actors who fly in the face of conservatism like Meena Kumari, who was the figure who held together the annual \u2018Gham Bar\u2019 last month organised by Gay Gaze Bombay to celebrate the community through their struggles. \u201cMeena Kumari was the queen of tragedy,\u201d says co-founder Gurleen Arora. \u201cConstantly under the microscope like us and shamed for having multiple lovers. She wrote poetry and sang songs no one ever knew about.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"dac808c8-ab38-4f9a-b65d-b39a00d30290\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/1\/1431093.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.67\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF3338\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1431093.jpg\" width=\"2000\" title=\"1431093\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Yash Sheth<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Performing was House of Luna\u2019s Rayyan Monkey, 30, who wore a red <em>anarkali<\/em> as a foil to Humhu\u2019s goth Meena Kumari with scleral eyes and golden jewellery that had been dyed black. \u201cMy reference was her song \u2018Inhi Logo Ne\u2019 from her film <em>Pakeezah<\/em> where she\u2019s a <em>tawaif<\/em> (courtesan),\u201d says Rayyan. \u201cI have been doing <em>tawaif<\/em> drag, let\u2019s call it that, for a while. There\u2019s a lot of historical overlap between the <em>tawaif<\/em> and the <em>hijra<\/em> (transwoman or intersex) or <em>khawaja sara<\/em> culture, but we\u2019ve consistently seen that Bollywood erases the latter. I\u2019m a Muslim woman and I grew up thinking there was no place for trans identity in Islam, but <em>khwaja sara<\/em> is predominantly seen from a Muslim lens. That\u2019s why I did Meena Kumari in drag, to rewrite this cinematic language.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Gurleen herself created Rayyan\u2019s <\/span><em><span>anarkali<\/span><\/em><span> \u2013 like she continues to do for many queer people as an act of care. Donning a thin Dal\u00ed-esque moustache and a Pisces fish on her tie, Gurleen is a drag king called the Mermellian. \u201cI\u2019ve made it a personal mission to bring out as many drag queens as possible,\u201d she says. \u201cSo that more AFAB, transmasc, non-binary identities can come out with their drag personas \u2013 as many people associate drag with queens. Before our first drag ball, I worked with the kings to curate their act, help with their make-up and costume based on what they felt comfortable in, rather than just glamorous.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Sounds like the duties of a drag mother, but Gurleen personally doesn\u2019t adhere to ideas of matriarchs or patriarchs or the idea of a drag house. \u201cI only come with a certain level of privilege to ensure someone who doesn\u2019t have enough can have a bit more,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While ball culture might be new among the urban queer community, haus culture in India is embedded in <\/span><em><span>hijra<\/span><\/em><span> culture, according to Humhu. \u201cQueer individuals from nearby towns, villages and cities who had been ostracised by their community would come and stay with a <\/span><em><span>guruma<\/span><\/em><span>,\u201d he says. \u201cLuna has created this queer utopia and it\u2019s a liberating feeling for a queer kid who might arrive from a far-off station, stay at a friend\u2019s place, get ready together and go see a drag queen or king perform.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"inline-img expandable dev-view-hide\" data-img=\"ed510f6a-0471-4f18-a6f0-b39a00d30d34\" data-src=\"https:\/\/images-prod.dazeddigital.com\/2000\/azure\/dazed-prod\/1430\/1\/1431096.jpg\" data-img-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\" data-img-aspect-ratio=\"0.67\"><span class=\"has-css-custom-props image-container\" data-aspect-ratio-type=\"portrait\"><span class=\"preserve-aspect-ratio\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"DSCF4456\" class=\"img\" height=\"3000\" src=\"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1431096.jpg\" width=\"2000\" title=\"1431096\"><\/span><\/span><figcaption class=\"img-caption\"><span class=\"credit\">Photography Yash Sheth<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"embed-content\" data-embed-type=\"raw-html\">\n<p><span>Elton J Fernandez, part of the judging panel, who dressed up as a shimmering Ursula with a hand-encrusted shell helmet shimmering with golden baubles at the Halloween gala, recalls when he was a teenager, queer elders \u2013 mother or not \u2013 would provide a safe space. \u201cAs a mother you\u2019re truly their nurturer and comforter, and that\u2019s what Luna is for everybody \u2013 her house is a refuge for anyone who wants to come and spend time when they can\u2019t do it anywhere else.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>In Kolkata, Ahon is starting House of Darling headed by Xenia, a lightly-bearded performance studies scholar with sparkling eye glitter. \u201cI think what\u2019s missing in Kolkata is an understanding of drag and I\u2019m envisioning this house as a community of people with a safe space to collectively celebrate this form of performance and expression \u2013 which has been used as parody in the mainstream for far too long,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Part of the house is Meowhisasur, 20, whose paper-thin moustache is taken from the marginalised demon figure of <\/span><em><span>Mahisasur <\/span><\/em><span>in the Hindu pantheon. For them, performing for the first time was an extension of their activism and a source of deep gender euphoria. Also rising in the city is House of Oleander headed by Sandeepta, who let it all out on the death carpet in a velvet gown dancing to Gaga\u2019s \u201cBloody Mary\u201d. At the gala, Luna herself was a blushing bride singing Radiohead\u2019s \u201cFreak<\/span><em><span>\u201d<\/span><\/em><span>. \u201cI\u2019m wearing a thrifted 80s gown,\u201d she smiles. \u201cWe can\u2019t marry in this country so it\u2019s nice to live that fantasy and say fuck that. That\u2019s the real horror, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<footer class=\"article-footer\">\n<div class=\"wrapper\">\n<div class=\"article-series\">\n<h4 class=\"heading\">More on these topics<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-series\"><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\">Beauty<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty-feature\">Beauty Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/feature\">Feature<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/drag\">Drag<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/india\">India<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/lgbt\">LGBTQ+<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/queer-culture\">Queer Culture<\/a><a class=\"series\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/tag\/ballroom\">ballroom<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<div 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UK<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p> Source URL: https:\/\/www.dazeddigital.com\/beauty\/article\/69106\/1\/inside-india-s-shimmery-and-glitzy-drag-scene<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photography Yash Sheth November\u00a0 19,\u00a0 2025 BeautyBeauty Feature Inside India\u2019s blossoming drag scene While ball culture might be new among the urban queer, haus culture in India is quite embedded in hijra culture November\u00a0 19,\u00a0 2025 BeautyBeauty Feature TextUpasana Das Read More Life &amp; CultureCould \u2018Bricking\u2019 my phone make me feel something? 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