Hyderabad: Feminist group Anveshi’s subgroup Queer Up organised a panel discussion on the legacy of civil rights activist K. Balagopal entitled ‘Let’s Get to Know K. Balagopal’ at Lamakaan on the weekend. The panelists were A. Suneetha from Anveshi, Vasudha Nagraj, lawyer practicing in Hyderabad and Dr. Satyanarayana of English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad.
A. Suneetha opened movingly recounting her introduction to the work and persona of Balagopal as she studied at the University of Hyderabad and developed her perspective through her work with Anveshi over the decades.
Advocate Vasudha Nagraj spoke of the last ten years of Balagopal’s work as a lawyer in Hyderaband and his unique lawyering which involved going out and gfinding cases of the most marginalised, the ‘last man,’ the Dalit, the adivasi, the wife of the man killed in the encounter.
Prof. K. Satyanarayana spoke of his long and intimate association with Balagopal, also like Suneetha, being politicised by his work.
Dismissing empty identity politics today that would dismiss Balagopal as Brahmin, he went on delineate his stellar contribution and also mark, in the best Telugu tradition, his differences from Balagopal, on the question of revolutionary violence and the idea of literature as a humanist category, or literature embodying ‘human nature.’’
Unfortunately, the room was not full of young queer people getting a chance to know Balagopal but old Balagopal stalwarts, come to pay their hero a tribute.
