Neville Bhandara

MA (Arts & Culture) Journalism, Columbia University, New York

Previously: Copy Director, Vogue India | Senior Features & Lifestyle Editor, ELLE India | Senior Writer & Copy Editor, Homegrown | Writer, Condé Nast Traveller India

Vogue India •

The queer heartbreak of wedding season

Almost every other week since the start of November, I’ve come home to find a wedding invitation slid under my door. And I’ve RSVP’d ‘yes’ because it’s the right, polite thing to do. A college friend I haven’t seen in a decade, a friend’s cousin, a cousin’s friend, a work colleague…the combinations are endless. The only constant? You guessed it: man weds woman.I’d banked on being somewhat buoyed this wedding season, coasting on a high after praying and wishing for a favourable Supreme Court deci...
Vogue India •

What blonde hair taught me about myself

I’ve wanted blonde hair for over a decade. My hairstylist friend—whom I’ve followed across Mumbai from salon to salon over the course of his career (there’s no one else I trust with my hair)—and I have discussed this time and time again. Despite that, it’s taken me this long to do it. Do I have any regrets? Not a single one. Do I wish I could keep this up forever? Absolutely. Sadly, my scalp and my bank balance would protest: bleaching and dyeing your hair is an intensive and expensive process....
Vogue India •

From sit-down discussions to inclusive story books, here’s how to talk to your kids about all things LGBTQ+

In June 2020, Bengaluru-based organisation Pride Circle announced its #21DaysAllyChallenge, a global D&I initiative which saw 88 entities take part. Tagore International School was the only Indian school that participated. Says Saxena, “The biggest reason no [other] school participated was the fear of backlash. It takes courage to stand for what you believe in, and we did that. The challenge helped people across countries learn more about how to be LGBTQ+ allies, which books to read and movies t...
Vogue India •

Why legendary gay photographer Sunil Gupta will never stop doing what he does

Gupta has always been drawn towards documentation, towards observing and chronicling aspects of life, both his and others, in an enmeshing of the private and the public. In his work, one sees the constant exploration of what it means to be queer in India as well as what it means to be Indian in the queer context. For the ever-growing public visibility enjoyed by the queer community in India, and a hopeful shift to more positive stories in the pop-culture space, tribute must be paid to Gupta. Wit...
Vogue India •

Driving around Portugal made me realise how much I had missed road trips

When I was a child, my grandparents would pop me into the backseat of their Contessa with a packet of wafers and a bottle of water and we’d set off on an adventure. I’d watch the landscape change from tall buildings and dusty streets to open stretches of highway and rolling hills, feeling lighter and lighter the farther we got from the city. And with some good tunes on the radio, the three of us would sing along as the kilometres flew by.As life got in the way, road trips became less frequent—my...
Vogue India •

Vogue Warriors: Meet Grace Banu, the transwoman fighting to ensure the safety of India’s trans folx through this pandemic

Grace Banu is a warrior in every way. At present, the powerhouse activist is on the ground in her native Thoothukudi fighting to keep the trans community safe, healthy and fed. She says, “The situation here is terrible, there is a lot of struggle. Because of the lockdown, everyone is confined to their homes, which means there is zero earning potential.”  She might be fighting for the rights of the oppressed, but her homeland hasn’t always been as kind to her. Growing up as a Dalit in Thoothukudi...
Vogue India •

LGBTQ+ Indians on navigating self-isolation, love and mental health in the time of the coronavirus: Part I

A photo that did the rounds recently on social media said, '2020 is a unique leap year. It has 29 days in February, 300 days in March and five years in April.’ It’s funny, sure, but tragic too. Thanks to COVID-19, we’re in lockdown till May 3 (for now at least). And between our stopgap scrolling on Instagram, experimenting in the kitchen, Marie Kondo-ing our homes, attempting to stay fit via Zoom, and losing track that this is a pandemic and not a productivity competition, we’re casually yet com...
Vogue India •

Your guide to LGBTQ literature to read this Pride Month

This book is the closest you’ll get to a modern-day gay fairy tale (yes, it even has a prince!). It also scores on representation. The protagonist, Alex Claremont-Diaz, is the swooningly handsome First Son (his mother is the US’s first Latina president) whose dating life is splashed across tabloids, much like that of his nemesis’ across the pond, the more reticent Prince Henry of the UK. They’ve always had a bit of a rough-and-tumble relationship, but when their latest social meeting ends in a f...
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