The Access India Convention at Purple Fest 2023 brought together activists, thinkers and entrepreneurs advocating for accessibility and progress from all over India. One of the panels organised at the Convention was ‘Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar’ by Rising Flame on 5th January 2023 around themes of disability, desire, love, romance, relationships, gender, consent and boundaries.
Our Founder and Executive Director Nidhi Goyal had a pre-recorded chat with PhD scholar and disability rights activist Tony Kurian, which was screened before kicking off the Question and Answer session with the audience.
It was a packed house, and had 150 people, mostly disabled people, in attendance. In the pre-recorded chat, Nidhi and Tony unpacked critical concepts around gender and sexuality with its disability intersections. They spoke not just about desire and romance, but also about how such desires can be consensually expressed while being respectful of boundaries, even within a relationship.
The value of independence, interdependence and nuances around rejection were explored in the warm and honest conversation. The Question and Answer session was interactive and lively, with Nidhi and the audience engaging in fruitful dialogue.