Presenting the story of Amrut in our #RiseWithPride series which celebrates the inspiring spirit of our associates who are a part of the LGBTQIA+ community.

“While growing up, I always knew that I was different. I was an effeminate kid who would rather spend time in the kitchen helping my mom than playing cricket with my cousins. I loved dancing and playing games which boys, my age would find “girlish”. My relatives and my classmates would call me names at times, but my struggle with masculinity was internal.

Until my early 20s, I thought that if I did not blend into the heteronormative society, I would be crushed and thrown out.

After graduation, I got time to reflect and understand who I am. I saw “Romil and Juggal”, a show which was my gay awakening. The hate and guilt of being who I am started to diminish slowly as I started loving myself.

I've always been passionate about making a positive impact on society. So, I joined an independent forum of LGBTQIA+ community as the Director of Advocacy to create awareness on HIV/AIDS, mental health, substance use, and homophobia.

I believe that we must advocate for our colleagues to love whomever they want, irrespective of their gender or sexual orientation, and create inclusive opportunities for our trans siblings.

Today, I work with the Sales Governance team at Mahindra. I am a part of the IDEA council at MLL which recommends strategies for inclusion and diversity and creating safe spaces for diverse employee groups. I am also a part of the Rise with Pride ERG which focuses on supporting the LGBTQIA+ talent at Mahindra. It gives me immense joy and pride to work for an organization that is forward thinking and actively works for the community.

Let’s work towards making our workspaces more inclusive, respectful and one that doesn’t deny a person their self-expression, but one that celebrates it to #RiseForAMoreEqualWorld.”