a user gets, and these users get pushed.
Our moderation teams ensure that underage
users are minimum—while we have various
automated algorithms that continually weed
such users out, we also have a manual process
in place to catch anyone that slips through
the cracks. Other features like no screenshots
allowed on Android (95 per cent of our users)
ensure people feel safe sharing their pictures.How has life changed in India for
the LGBTQ community after the
decriminalisation of homosexuality?
Legalisation is one thing, social acceptance is
another. Decriminalisation is the first step on
the path to equality, and that fight will go on.
We need to create interventions in early stages
to create support networks for queer youth and
sensitise future generations to issues of gender
and sexuality as a whole. This is the only way
to raise kids who celebrate diversity rather
than fearing it. Creating networks of medical
professionals (mental and physical) who are
adequately trained to deal with LGBTQ-centric
issues is important. It makes me happy to see
younger kids coming out today because they
have role models to look up to. I mentor a lot of
youth, and seeing a 14-year-old who loves and
embraces who he is, and is unabashedly proud
of himself fills my heart with joy.What was it like growing gay up in India
in your school days?
Terrible! I attended a conservative school
which was incredibly stifling in terms of
self-expression. It was an environment that
was more like a factory—you were told to
think a certain way and stick to the norm. It
was a place where anything sexual or even
romantic was considered taboo. Think about
it this way—at a time when a guy and a girl
would get suspended for holding hands and
conversations about sex or sex education were
entirely non-existent or even shunned, the
idea of even mentioning ‘homosexuality’ was
a distant dream. I was surrounded by peoplewho mentally and physically bullied me for
being different. I had no one to talk to—no
counsellors, no teachers, no support groups.
These experiences led me down a path of
mental hell. I was depressed, anxious and
started living a lie—dating girls to avoid the
bullying and what not. The effects were
far-reaching for me. It took me over a decade to
unlearn these things and accept myself for who
I really am.Did your experience at Brown University
help you become more confident in your
sexuality?
Completely. Brown was the blessing I didn’t
know I needed, but had. I was finally a part of
a community where differences were
celebrated, diversity was embraced. I saw
LGBTQ people out and about everywhere—
from students to professors. Access to support
and groups made me comfortable with myself
and finally even made me love myself. I credit
so much of my journey of self-acceptance to
Brown. I understand that few people here have
such an opportunity. This was another reason
behind creating Delta—you shouldn’t have to
leave your home country to love yourself.“I WAS SURROUNDED BY
PEOPLE WHO MENTALLY
AND PHYSICALLY BULLIED
ME FOR BEING DIFFERENT. I
HAD NO ONE TO TALK TO.”
PHOTOGRAPHS BY: RAHUL CHATKARA