IPG Mediabrands India, Humsafar Trust launch Pride-themed National Anthem

When the Supreme Court repealed Section 377 on September 6^th 2018, it delivered the truest sense of freedom to millions of LGBTQIA+ people in India. It finally granted them constitutional equality. This year’s Independence Day may be the nation’s 73^rd, but it is the Pride community’s first. To commemorate this, prominent community members and a few of the petitioners who worked towards this landmark judgement have come together to present their own rendition of our nation’s National Anthem.

To celebrate this, Interactive Avenues – A Reprise network Company, which is the digital arm of IPG Mediabrands India, joined hands with The Humsafar Trust, one of Asia’s first and the largest organisations working for LGBTQIA+ health and rights, to create a special National Anthem film.

The film which has been scripted, conceptualised and created by Interactive Avenues features prominent LGBTQIA+ advocates and activists from NGOs and advocacy bodies like The Naz Foundation, KASHISH Mumbai International Queer Film Festival, Sweekar – The Rainbow Parents, Umang LBT Group, and The Humsafar Trust, amongst others. The video’s narrative presents a colourful and artistic interpretation of the most popular symbol of India’s unity and diversity – the National Anthem penned by Rabindranath Tagore.

On August 15, India’s largest cinema chain, PVR, will be playing this national anthem film across 250 screens in 8 metros during every movie show in these theatres.

This collaboration between The Humsafar Trust and IPG Mediabrands India is the first of many steps that India’s second largest media agency network is taking to achieve a lasting culture change across its holding companies.

“People are our biggest asset and therefore as a network, collectively we have fostered a culture of diversity and inclusion. We are India’s only advertising network which has 50% women representation in its executive council. And through this film, we want to tell our employees and to the larger society that that we welcome everyone and we embrace everyone.” Savita Mathai, Group Chief Talent Officer, IPG Mediabrands India.

"This is the first year we LGBTQIA+ are really free and the Independence Day anthem will bring this poignantly. We thank IPG Mediabrands India for recording this happy moment and being part of this celebratory event in a meaningful way. Thank you all for being an active part of the first anniversary of our real Azaadi". Ashok Row Kavi, Founder & Chairperson, The Humsafar Trust

Ashok Row Kavi (HST Chairperson & Founder), Suhail Abbasi (Co-Founder & Trustee), Vivek Anand (CEO & Board Member), and HST’s staff members Yashwinder Singh and Gautam Yadav were petitioners before the Supreme Court advocating the repeal of Section 377.