It would be great if a Bollywood celebrity joined the Hindustani people participating in this year’s Amsterdam Gay Pride event. At least, that’s the wish of Shanta Bhikharie, who co-runs the Dutch Hindustani organisation SaVo (from Samen Vooruit or Forward Together).

This year, for the first time, Hindustani gay men and women and their heterosexual friends will hit the water as part of the popular Canal Parade, which is held this Saturday (6 August).

The Parade, which many see as the Gay Pride's pinnacle, features dozens of boats, often themed or representing a particular organisation, such as political parties, companies or (gay) action groups.

The Parade usually attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Dutch capital.

Gay Hindustanis
So far, there are no Bollywood stars on the passenger list of the SaVo boat. But Shanta Bhikharie is happy that - for the first time ever - there will be a boat especially for Hindustani gays and lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and their relatives, friends and supporters.

Ms Bhikharie told RNW that the idea for the boat came about because homosexuality is still very much taboo within the Hindustani community in the Netherlands.

Discrimination
Originally from Suriname (see below), she has lived in the Netherlands for more than 30 years. Through her work for SaVo and in Amsterdam’s social care sector, she has heard some very depressing stories about discrimination against gay people in the Hindustani community.

One of them concerns a young man whose mother beat, burned and verbally abused him after he came out.

Although there are examples of gay people who’ve been supported by their families, Ms Bhikharie says the reactions tend to be negative, even angry. "People often become depressed or suicidal," Bhikharie says, "as a result of the Hindustani community’s widespread negative attitudes towards homosexuality."
 
Breaking taboos
Such attitudes, along with domestic violence, led Shanta Bhikharie and her colleagues to set up SaVo in 2009. The organisation aims to break open taboos within the Hindustani community, opening the topics up for conversation and, perhaps, resolution.

Ms Bhikharie hopes the Gay Pride boat will help break the taboo about homosexuality and sexual diversity in general. Despite the prejudice that still exists within the community, there are enough openly gay and lesbian Hindustanis to fill the boat.

They’ve been working on costumes, rehearsing Bollywood-themed dance moves, and paid 65 Euros for the short trip.

Ms Bhikharie says she hopes the boat will be all “glitter and glamour” even though its actual theme - Hindustani acceptance - sounds slightly more formal.

Can't join in
Although gay Hindustanis seem to be queuing up to get on board, Ms Bhikharie would have liked to see more prominent members of the Hindustani community joining the 'crew'  to show their support.

She says a number of celebrities have expressed their support, but “a lot of them are on holiday, or say they think it’s a great idea but that they can’t join in”.

Does she really believe that? “I’m not in a position to say either way. I have no reason not to believe them, but I think it’s still difficult for some people to make a public display of their support.”

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Surinamese roots
The Hindustani community in the Netherlands is small, but not tiny. It numbers at least 120,000 people, some of whom have come from South Asia. Most, however, have their roots in the former Dutch colony of Suriname in South America. Many Surinamese came to the Netherlands when their country gained independence in 1975.