As a 19-year-old, Anshuman Sathe remembers attending a queer workshop for kids in Bengaluru. Trying to make sense of their own identity then, Sathe was amused when a question was thrown at the kids: “what makes you a boy or girl?” The older kids were reluctant to answer, but the younger ones gave animated responses: Scoring better marks, getting certificates, helping parents. The suggestions were varied, and not bound by gender stereotypes.

Sathe who was raised in a middle-class Maharashtrian household, and grew up in a Dadar chawl, says this incident led them to reflect upon their own childhood, when they were fond of exploring. “I loved dressing up, but surprisingly, no one judged me for that,” they share.