AlmedaCheyne: added biography

2025-12-07T21:12:09Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=February 2019}}
{{Infobox person
|name = Shobhana S.Kumar
| occupation = Publisher, Producer
| known_for = Queer-INK.com
| website = www.queer-ink.com
| notable_works = Out! Stories from the New Queer India
}}
'''Shobhna S. Kumar''', an Indian female entrepreneur, established Queer Ink, India’s first online bookstore for the queer community. What started as an online bookstore has now evolved into an organisation that publishes works by queer authors, offers writing mentorship and publication guidance to queer authors, creates documentaries about queer lives and conducts events by and for the queer community. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://queer-ink.com/ |access-date=2024-07-29 |website=Queer Ink |language=en-AU}}</ref>

== Early life ==
Shobhna Kumar was born and brought up in Fiji. When she was 18, she along with her family left for Australia and spent several years in Sydney before moving to India. Shobhna studied in Sydney and later in the US. She then got in touch with her partner (who was in India) online and decided to move to India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/DCtallQG6i5qgvrumxzx5K/Queer-Ink--Not-just-straight-talk.html|title=Queer Ink {{!}} Not just straight talk - Livemint|website=www.livemint.com|access-date=2018-02-10}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.unmappedmag.com/issue-18/the-incredible-story-of-queer-ink/| title= The Incredible Story Of Queer Ink}}</ref><ref name="firstpost.com">{{Cite web|url=http://www.firstpost.com/business/living-business/shobhna-s-kumar-meet-a-female-entrepreneur-who-cant-think-straight-1962415.html|title=Shobhna S Kumar: Meet a female entrepreneur who can't think straight - Firstpost|website=www.firstpost.com|date=8 March 2014 |access-date=2018-02-10}}</ref> Kumar moved to India and has been living with her partner in Mumbai ever since.<ref name="firstpost.com"/>

== Career and activism ==
After moving to India, Shobhna worked for multiple [[Non-governmental organization|NGOs]] across states.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2015-10-19|title=Queer Ink: Of Unconventional Books and Out-Of-Box Stories|url=https://www.idiva.com/career/advice/queer-ink-of-unconventional-books-and-out-of-box-stories/15101930|access-date=2021-08-19|website=iDiva|language=en-IN}}</ref> She has extensively worked in the area of HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention at the grassroots level and brought about changes in the NGO policy.<ref name="firstpost.com"/> Kumar started India's first online LGBTQIA+ bookstore, Queer-ink.com in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://queer-ink.com/about-us/|title=About Us (Queer Ink) {{!}} Queer Ink|website=queer-ink.com|language=en-US|access-date=2018-02-10}}</ref> after seeing the dearth of books available on homosexuality back then. She along with her partner invested an amount of Rs 10 lakh, which happen to be their retirement funds, in the bookstore.

Apart from setting up the first queer online book store, she has got many firsts to her name. Shobhna is also the founder of UMANG group for LBT (lesbian, bisexual, trans) women, which is now managed by [[Humsafar Trust]].<ref name="firstpost">{{cite web|url=http://www.firstpost.com/living-business/shobhna-s-kumar-meet-a-female-entrepreneur-who-cant-think-straight-1962415.html|title=Shobhna S Kumar: Meet a female entrepreneur who can't think straight|accessdate= 17 June 2017}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/DCtallQG6i5qgvrumxzx5K/Queer-Ink--Not-just-straight-talk.html|title=Queer Ink - Not just straight talk|author=Arun Janardhan|date=17 September 2010|publisher=Live Mint|accessdate=3 July 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://getahead.rediff.com/report/2010/jul/02/online-bookstore-for-everything-queer.htm|title=Now, an online bookstore for everything gay|author=Abhishek Mande|date=2 July 2010|publisher=Rediff|accessdate=3 July 2017}}</ref> Shobhna happens to be India's first queer publisher as well. She is a pioneering publisher & producer (films, theatre and events) of exclusively LGBTHQIA+ Indian lives and stories. To address the issues faced by queer people in India, Shobhna has produced multiple short films on same sex love and acceptance - Any Other Day is one of them.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/nicola-desouza/gender-in-india-not-tomboy-lesbian-or-hijra-but-transman|title='Not a tomboy, a lesbian or a Hijra but a transman'|date=2016-10-13|website=openDemocracy|language=en|access-date=2018-02-10}}</ref>

Teaming up with author and writing coach [[Minal Hajratwala]], she published a collection of short stories [[Out! Stories from The New Queer India]], all from Queer India. It had 30 contributing writers, some of whom are Amit Mirchandani, Sandip Roy and Kama Spice. It was stocked in New Arrivals section at [[Crossword| Crossword Bookstores]] along with independent stores.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/books/out-of-the-closet/article4229375.ece|title=Out of the closet|website=[[The Hindu]] |date=24 December 2012 |accessdate=17 June 2017}}</ref>

== Queer-ink ==
After the [[Supreme Court of India]] recriminalized same-sex relationships in 2013, Queer-ink needed to rework on their communication strategy.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.idiva.com/news-work-life/queer-ink-of-unconventional-books-and-out-of-box-stories/15101930|title=Queer Ink: Of Unconventional Books and Out-Of-Box Stories|work=iDiva.com|access-date=2018-02-10}}</ref> As a result of this, she launched a queer festival QFest, Digital Library have been launched. The store showcases a lot of Indian Queer stories, including, You Are Not Alone by Arun Mirchandani and a number of magazines like [[Bombay Dost]] and Swikriti Patrika.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=http://www.openthemagazine.com/article/books/making-a-queer-pitch|title=Making a Queer Pitch|author=Madhavankutty Pillai|publisher=Open Magazine|date= 17 July 2010|accessdate = 3 July 2017}}</ref>

== InQueerable Happenings ==
A platform for queer content and a drama production house, which is an idea of Shobhna S Kumar and Vikram Phukan, a theatre commentator and curator of Short+Salty.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Vohra |first=Saumyaa |date=June 14, 2022 |title=7 events to help you celebrate Pride in an authentic way this year |url=https://www.gqindia.com/get-smart/content/7-events-to-help-you-celebrate-pride-in-an-authentic-way-this-year |access-date=July 7, 2024 |website=GQ India}}</ref> It is the probably the only theatre group focused exclusively on queer theatre.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-20|title=InQueerable Happenings' Short and Salty plays showcases diverse LGBT experiences|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/sex-and-relationships/inqueerable-happenings-short-and-salty-plays-showcases-diverse-lgbt-experiences/story-QAxnqHl82apoeQX3wQ7zhO.html|access-date=2021-08-19|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2019-09-18|title=InQueerAble Happenings' theatre presentation Short+Salty looks at queer lives outside identity politics|url=https://www.firstpost.com/living/inqueerable-happenings-theatre-presentation-shortsalty-looks-at-queer-lives-outside-identity-politics-7347741.html|access-date=2021-08-19|website=Firstpost}}</ref>

On September 6, 2019, the group staged the collection of short plays at The Five Senses Theatre, is a studio theatre in Lokhandwala, Mumbai.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dattani|first=Mahesh|title=How theatre bade farewell to Section 377|url=https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/watch/queering-the-stage/article29654877.ece|access-date=2021-08-19|website=@businessline|date=11 October 2019 |language=en}}</ref>

'''Some of their plays:'''

* ''Two Soldiers, written and directed by Prajesh Kashyap, Dusha Nandu, and Apeksha Vora''
* ''Graduation Day, directed by Lakshvir Singh Saran''
* ''Pehli Shaadi, a poem written and performed by Trinetra Tiwari''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-21 |title=Pehli Shaadi, an audio play about a trans woman seeking acceptance |url=https://lifestyle.livemint.com//how-to-lounge/art-culture/pehli-shaadi-an-audio-play-about-a-trans-woman-seeking-acceptance-111658325191106.html |access-date=2024-07-08 |website=Mintlounge |language=en}}</ref>
* ''Kiss Of The Spiderwoman''
* ''Best Man’s Kiss''
* ''Rapunzel 2.0''

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{official website|http://www.queer-ink.com/}}
*{{IMDb name|nm6756236|Shobhna S Kumar}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kumar, Shobhna}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Mumbai]]
[[Category:Indian publishers (people)]]
[[Category:Indian women publishers]]
[[Category:Indian LGBTQ rights activists]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]

Shobhna S. Kumar - Revision history

AlmedaCheyne: added biography