Saleem Kidwai


Saleem Kidwai is a medieval historian, gay rights activist and a translator. Born to family of Sufi saints, Kidwai was a Professor of History at Ramjas College, University of Delhi until 1993 and is currently an independent scholar. He was one of the first academics to speak publicly as a member of the LGBT community. His other academic areas of interest are Mughal politics and culture, the history of tawaifs, and north Indian music. With Ruth Vanita, he is co-editor of Same-Sex Love in India: Readings from Literature and History, a pioneering work documenting and exploring the indigenous roots of same-sex desire in South Asia. Kidwai has also translated singer Malika Pukhraj's autobiography, "Song Sung True."

Publications