An openly gender fluid tribal person from the north-east of India recently became the president of the student body at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in Mumbai. Pratik Permey, 23, has been elected to lead what is being touted as the most diverse student body in the history of the institution. The winning team is made up of representatives from Ambedkar Students Association, Fraternity Movement, Northeast Students Forum, Adivasi Students forum and Muslim Students Federation.
We spoke to Pratik about their plans for the student body at TISS, and what this win means for them and for persons at the intersection of marginalised identities. Excerpts from the interview:
What does this win mean for you as a gender fluid, tribal person? What do you think this means for persons at the intersection of marginalised identities in the country?
When it comes to electing a queer, tribal, north-eastern person, it is a big deal. For me, it was completely about representation. I did not know if I would win or lose, but I contested for the sake of representation. During the election, when my campaign video went out, it reached not just the people in TISS, but also people from various locations, in various colleges, various parts of the country, and even outside the country. Most interestingly, many people, especially from the community, and tribal people who are from marginalised communities who watched the video — they got a positive feeling looking at that video. They felt good that a person they could somewhat relate to was contesting.
I remember one non binary person seeking me out, they said that they have contested in their college twice for a specific position, but they lost. And the fact that they said that we don't think we could win, so my winning was a huge moment of pride and joy for them was a lot. So when it comes to the election of a person from the intersection of margins, I think that it definitely has an effect, not only for student politics but also giving options for where people can pursue their education. Some people reached out to me saying that seeing me rock inside TISS, it gave them hope that they too could study at TISS. Many queer and tribal persons reached out to say this. And that is actually extremely important.
What are the areas you're going to be focusing on during your term? Is there a plan for the things you want to achieve in the next six months?
The prime reason why I got the motivation to contest is I want to promote inclusivity. My focus will be on building and creating infrastructure for gender neutral spaces on campus. Many times, whenever we walk into the academy, most spaces are very gendered. Attempts have been made to make certain changes in the past, but I want to take that to the entire campus, the entire infrastructure.
The other thing is redrafting the constitution of TISS. In many spaces, there is no provision for ‘they’ and ‘them’ — it is only ‘he’ or ‘she’. We are in the process of forming the redrafting committee, and the committee will look at special provisions for queer people, people with disabilities, people from neglected identities in the society. We want everyone to have a say, and we will ask everyone to put across their points of view on how they want the constitution to be.
Another thing that's going to be done — it's called the Dream Project. When it comes to the narrative of the education system and how people have perceived education — it’s only for a career. Pick a subject to study, go earn money for food — and that’s the end of their dream. We want education to be pleasing to students. Many people come in here who want to become writers, who are very good artists, who have a certain talent, certain dreams that their loved ones have decided that they are not allowed to pursue. The Dream Project will help students follow their dreams other than academics.
We will also be restructuring and strengthening the existing system. There are mechanisms already in place but there is no proper monitoring and assessment done. For instance, there is a grievance redressal system but it’s not being used because people don’t feel welcome to use it. We will ensure that every student voice is highlighted.
And while I come from an intersection of marginalised identities, I am not enough to represent everyone. I am not enough to represent all of the margins. My attempt during my tenure as president will be to help all communities to feel welcome on campus.
LGBTQIA+ persons in public life are usually activists — or have to end up becoming activists — or we have some visibility in the entertainment sector. In mainstream politics, we have seen a couple of people becoming spokespersons of some parties, but there isn't really a political movement for visibility and representation. Do you see that changing in student politics?
There are lots of closeted people in the world, and many of them have expressed to me, especially after my victory, that they feel better represented. According to one of my friends, seeing a person like me — an out queer person — as president means a lot because it is a wave of change.
When it comes to politics, queer persons are usually viewed as tokens. I’m happy that some trans women have been spokespersons, but even then there are always restrictions. I’m sure there may have been queer people who have become student presidents before, but they may have been closeted. I’m pretty sure I’m not the “first” queer student body leader. But they may not have felt safe coming out. I hope my victory encourages others to contest, and that politics goes beyond tokenistic representation.
My next question is about that. While visibility is extremely important, representation is important — is it enough? We are seeing many right wing movements, and parties, co-opting the language of representation. There’s a brown Prime Minister in the UK right now — which is being seen as a win for diversity. We have an Adivasi woman President in India, who is from the BJP. Is it enough to have people who visibly belong to certain identities occupying positions of power?
I believe that it's very complicated, it’s an extremely complicated topic. Representation can only contribute towards some kind of visibility, but in politics, I believe that revolution is necessary. I believe that representation can be used as a tool to create some change. However, it's not enough.
What are you studying right now? And what are your plans for the future?
I'm doing my MA in Social Work with a specialisation in public health. So that, by default, makes me a social work student. But before TISS, I’ve been an actor, I’ve modelled for Getty Images. So there is this artistic aspect of me which is currently helping me pursue my livelihood.
Like you said, queer people, somehow, end up becoming activists, although that may not be the agenda. I actually have the dream of being a pop star, singer, dancer, actor. Someone who would use art as a tool to empower people.
This interview first appeared in TNM’s Here’s the Thing newsletter on November 4, 2022.