Source Name: Phoenix Marketcity

Sharanya Ruia Champions the Rights of the LGBT Community

Jul 15, 2019   16:52 PM 
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Sharanya Ruia, a student of The Cathedral and John Connon School has taken up the cause of championing the rights of transgenders in our country. With a mission to create gender inclusive spaces, Sharanya kick-started sensitization workshops in several corporate and retail establishments across the country.

 

Sharanya Ruia


She now partners with the country’s first gay, community based organisation, the Humsafar Trust to present a pioneering play at Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla. Titled 'Ek Madhav Baug' the play stars Mona Ambegaonkar in the lead and tells the story of a young boy coming to terms with his homosexuality and the resistance he faces from the community.

 

With a mission to create awareness, understanding and acceptance of the issues faced by the community Sharanya began this movement by working with staff members, retail workers, employees and security personnel across the malls of the High Street Phoenix umbrella to begin with and later will work toward spreading this across other establishments with a focus on hospitals.

 

Another powerful program Sharanya has initiated is to assist transgenders with a direct action campaign that aims to advocate for and secure fundamental rights for them a program to facilitate the process of changing gender status on government standard ID proof such as driving licenses and adhar cards.

 

She has conducted 4 gender sensitisation workshops with over 150 attendees so far and has 4 - 2 in Mumbai, 1 in Pune ad 1 in Bengaluru so far with more workshops in the pipe-line.

 

Sharanya is excited to be working for this cause. She says, “Transgender people face severe rejection and discrimination from people across the country. This day to day problem that they face is a very basic violation of a fundamental human right that every citizen of our country deserves as their birth right. They are often stopped from entering public spaces, shops, malls and other places. Most of this stigma has to do with unawareness of the impact of this negative emotion that is always meted out to them. I want to work with staff members at varied levels and sensitize them about the transgender people and about ensuring they are all respected the way any other person would be. I am certain more people will change their attitude towards transgender people and be more accepting, loving and respecting on the whole.”

 

With this play Sharanya brings greater attention to the discrimination and confusion faced by the broader LGBT community. Phoenix Marketcity Kurla supports Sharanya Ruia’s steps to make the world a friendlier place for the LGBTQ community.

 

About Phoenix Marketcity

Truly a shopper’s paradise, Phoenix Marketcity is a leading destination shopping, dining and entertainment in the city. The mall provides its customers the best international brands, offers, contests and a holistic shopping experience.

 

Phoenix Marketcity houses over 600 premium and high street brands sprawled across literally millions of square feet. These include international brands like Forever 21, Zara, H&M, Mango, Splash, Westside, Vero Moda, Bobbi Brown, Sephora, Hamleys, MAC, Brooks Brothers, Mothercare, Calvin Klein, Steve Madden, Charles & Keith, Superdry, Fossil, Swarovski, Adidas and many more. Elegant, thoughtfully placed seating areas have been created throughout the massive 2.1 million square footage of retail space to soak in the tranquil atmosphere.

 

Phoenix Marketcity also offers a variety of entertainment options such as Happy Planet, PVR Gold Class, P [XL] and 4Dx, Amoeba Bowling Alley, Snow World, and more. The mall houses over 100 eateries which cook up multifarious cuisines from across continents including Indigo Deli, Bombay Coffee House, The Market Project by Pizza Express, Punjab Grill, Chili’s and more. The massive entertainment hub - Dublin Square is the biggest indoor venue in the city with alfresco dining options where festivals, flea markets, concerts, and various other activities and cultural events that are regularly hosted. It’s accurate to say that Phoenix Marketcity offers an experiential adventure that you can easily spend days indulging in.

 

The destination mall is on LBS Marg, not too far from Bandra – Kurla Complex. It’s a quick drive from the domestic and international airports, and is well – connected by the Eastern Freeway, Eastern Express Highway, Western Express Highway, Santacruz – Chembur Link Road, and by the Mumbai metro. So what are you waiting for? All roads lead to Marketcity!

 

For more information, please visit: www.phoenixmarketcity.com/mumbai.