QAMRA

QAMRA serves as a vital repository for activists and community members to sustain and build the movement by preserving and curating individual and collective memories. Our holdings encompass legal documents, books, clippings, photographs, audio recordings, letters, memorabilia, and moving images donated by various individuals and groups.

As of 2020, QAMRA operates as an independent initiative housed within the National Law School of India University library in Bengaluru, known as the QAMRA Archival project at NLSIU. While the University provides the necessary infrastructure, QAMRA is responsible for securing its own financial resources. This collaboration intends to enhance the preservation of and research conducted on our archival collections.

QAMRA is a living archive that aims to transform nostalgia into action. We seek to give active meaning to memories and grief, bringing them into the present. While documenting the public history of the movement, we place a significant focus on chronicling the lived realities and private lives of individuals, which often lack formal documentation.

The founding collection features a wide variety of materials - from raw footage and news clippings in multiple languages to personal artefacts. These items engage with history in unique ways, capturing more than just legal victories or narratives of violence; they record deeply personal negotiations of identity. These materials have been gathered over two decades by community members, activists, lawyers, and allies of the queer-rights dialogue.

• Gather, document, and protect multimedia records concerning gender, sexuality, and the legal aspects of queer life in India.
• All materials are acquired without cost from the public domain or private donors for the purpose of research, awareness, and education.
• Serve as a repository that enables conversations regarding the history and future of the Indian LGBTQIA+ community. We act as a resource base for students, artists, and scholars to aid in advocacy and queer rights activism.
• Function as a dedicated physical space for dialogues and practices surrounding the preservation of contemporary queer history in India.