“My childhood was quite atypical. In school, most of my friends were girls. I used to wear my sister’s lehengas and dance to Madhuri Dixit’s Mera Piya Ghar Aaya. And my parents always celebrated this spirit of mine and never subjected me to any traditional gender norms. But back then, it wasn't easy – there wasn't much awareness. Throughout, I was torn and confused about my identity. It wasn’t until I moved to Hyderabad at 21 for a job that I heard of terms like bisexual, pansexual, and gender fluid. The more I read about it, the more it blew my mind. Then, the day article 377 was decriminalised, a reporter interviewed me asking about my orientation. That was when I said it out loud for the first time – I am Pansexual! My parents called me the next day. They were confused. Still, my father just said, 'We might not understand what it means, but you can come to speak to us anytime. We will never judge you.' His words meant everything to me. They made me feel more confident and so, that year, I went to my very first pride parade. And that is where I saw drag being performed for the first time. I was do in awe of that kind of expression that I wanted to do it too! But back in Hyderabad, there was no drag scene, so I decided to create it – I began performing drag. On my first show, I expected 20 people to show up, but 500 did - old, young, couples, queer, straight, EVERYONE! It was surreal. But of course, not everyone was happy – uncles and aunties started questioning my parents – ‘What is your son doing?’ and ‘Is he even a boy?’ But my parents didn’t let it bother them – their love for me didn’t waver. And then, when I got married to a woman, a lot of people had a lot to say. But my wife was clear – ‘As long as you love me, I don’t care,’ nothing else mattered. Today, I’m a proud drag artist who performs like no care in the world, because I know ki koi ho na ho, my family is there, cheering for me in the audience! In fact, my wife even helps me with my makeup and Maa lends me her sarees! My family helps me be, me....And that’s all that matters!”