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Namma Pride and Karnataka Queer Habba is organized under the banner “Coalition for Sex workers, Sexual & Sexuality Minorities’ Rights (CSMR) – Bengaluru” which is a coalition of many LGBTQI organizations, allied groups, collectives,activists, individuals residing in Bengaluru and across Karnataka.
The first Bengaluru Pride was held in the year 2008 and later in 2010 it was renamed as Bengaluru Pride & Karnataka Queer Habba. In 2016, the Bengaluru Pride & Karnataka Queer Habba was re-branded as Namma Pride and Karnataka Queer Habba. Namma Pride and Karnataka Queer Habba, more than just a pride march, is a festival that is more inclusive and definitive of Bengaluru and its mother state Karnataka.
The term “Namma” means ours in Kannada. It can be described as a call to ownership, to identification, and pleas for oneness, something the LGBTQI community in Bengaluru and across Karnataka increasingly craves for and needs.
Year after year, the Pride committee manages to somehow put together the Namma Pride on measly donations and funds that trickle in. Lots of personal contributions and slashing of event costs (thereby reducing quality) eventually allow us to put together a decent Pride. The same tale has been narrated over and again since 2008.
This year, we decided instead to take our fundraising beyond our traditional methods and allow ourselves access to more funds — so we can spend judiciously (without wasting) and also (hopefully) manage to put away some funds to help us when we need to kick start the festival next year.
