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Taking as a point of departure the edited collection Yaraana (1999), ostensibly the first mainstream publication on gay writing from India, the purpose of this article is to trace the way Indian authors have dealt with the growing visibility of nonnormative sexualities. It suggests that from the start this debate has centered on a dyad between local and culturally specific sexual identities vs its globalized opposite, which is held to threaten regionally specific expressions. The continuing struggle for recognition and equality is revealing for a growing divide between those whose sexuality can rely on growing representation in Indian popular media, and those who feel increasingly marginalized.

This article revisits important texts that were published and publicly accessible in India from 1999 onwards. All the text considered and discussed were accessible outside academic networks and thus, available in mainstream bookstores, produced by Indian authors or long-term residents and available in English. Considering the vast language diversity of India as well as the complexity of gaining access to locally published materials, the analysis does not include texts that are only available in a vernacular language. Besides this, the article benefits from the direct input of key activists and scholars from India working on this topic.

Even if homosexuality has now been decriminalized in India, what emerges from the writing is a concern that globally hegemonic expressions of alternate sexualities might impact, homogenize and eventually eradicate locally specific expressions. Considering socioeconomic equality in India, this raises serious questions about those whose precarious positions may see them further marginalized because of this.

While there have been various overviews and analyses of the fight for decriminalization of homosexuality in India, so far there has not been an analysis how this benefited from a growing awareness and discussion in popularly accessible texts. This analysis also raises concerns that the fight for decriminalization might have negative consequences for those in marginalized positions.

Over some 20 years, the popularity of competitive bodybuilding has increased significantly in India, along with an increase in sponsorship and professionalism in the organisation of events. Multiple competitions are now held at city/town, state, and national levels, organised by a vast range of organisations. The popularity of the sport follows the arrival of muscular bodies in Indian cinema and the attendant rapid growth of the country’s fitness industry. However, what is required for a bodybuilding competition on-stage is not necessarily the same as what actors showcase in movie scenes, specifically orchestrated to underline bodily accomplishments. Nor may it be what clients are after when they enter a gym. This chapter examines how Indian bodybuilders who often make a living as personal trainers navigate different bodily ideals. It foregrounds the notion of ‘muscular capital’ to deepen the understanding of what value a bodybuilder’s body might hold on and off stage and how it is perceived by others. Building on extensive fieldwork in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, this chapter seeks to move beyond the mere economic dimensions of bodybuilding and instead gives prominence to the sociocultural aspects of the body as they reflect an array of different (post colonial) demands and expectations.