DEFdialogue with Anwesh Sahoo

To celebrate the resounding Supreme Court ruling on Section 377, one welcomed with pomp and tears across the country, Digital Empowerment Foundation invited Mr. Anwesh Sahoo to serenade us with his empowering words as part of our DEFDialogue series. In its 7th edition, held on 15th September at DEF headquarters, Delhi, Anwesh spoke about art, expression, identity and the facades of internet. Speaking about how internet helped him reaffirm his identity, provide to his work and words – an audience and also helped him to connect people of diversity and power. Having awarded the title of Mr. Gay World India 2016, Anwesh has been a vocal, exuberant member of the LGBTQ community. A man of many experiences, ranging from his TED talks, to pageant days, to his artistic pursuits bringing him fame and respect or his NIFT days, Anwesh has essayed various roles and shared space with many prominent artists and speakers. But what hasn’t wavered is his unfettered and unabashed style and support to freedom of expression. In this dialogue we all discuss what it means to be ‘oneself’ with constraints. Speaking about Internet, Anwesh also shares, “When you are on the Internet, you have access to information of all kinds. I came across some extremely inspiring stories and I learned a lot that led to me put my work on the Internet…”. Watch his dialogue for more.