Solidarity of the Soul: How a food stall became a pathway to dignity, independence and queer livelihood

As I stand by the river Brahmaputra, I think of those days when my dreams were dreams and not a shape of my future. Back in December 2025, I thought of a life where solidarity doesn't come with my gender; solidarity directly comes because I am human. Ever since my college I always wanted an independent way of earning a livelihood that supported my dream and my family's well being. I come from a very lower middle class family. After my father's death my mother saved up every penny to support me and my brother's education. At the age of 15, I started taking tuition to support my education as well without being a burden to my mother who had to run the house. 

Time passed by and I completed my masters from Guwahati University and landed up a high paying job but the job took everything from me, my gender myself, my identity, my confidence. I worked for 4 years in the development sector thinking that everything that I preach for the world will be true but reality was different. I had to leave the job because I was a misgendered person almost everyday. My identity became a question for everybody else but not me and then I decided to leave but when I left I thought what could be the other way that I could support myself. I spent 6 months without any employment just writing a few articles to make a recharge of my data plans for my mobile. And one day I reached out to Rituparna Neog, the director of Akam foundation. I told her that I have been going through this problem and I need to be independent enough in a world that is facing so much an economic crisis and unemployment whether youth, especially people from queer circles in Assam. 

Time went by and I connected with the team and they helped me get all the machinery for my stall. I view the dream of my mother's authentic peace of Litti Chokha and my childhood innovation of Momo called Soya smoked momo. Since the day of launch both online and offline Draco in the Ox the name of my stall went viral and people loved the food. This time when the people passed by I remembered and I realized that these people who came to my stall to eat the food never really care about my gender or what I look like tonight. They cared about the food, the hunger game. For the first time nobody was misgendering me to put me into a box of blue and pink.

It was only the connection of food, culture, custom and love. As I got a gift of the opportunity to have my own stall now I think of extending it, extending it to a way that it becomes a business and it runs even if I am not there one day.  A business that supports local queer people. A business supports dreams like mine. Someday I want to return the same thing that I have got as hope from Akam foundation. Dreams that come independently, dreams that support one queer mother and a queer family are beyond the norms of concept note and policy making because reality comes in different shapes and sizes and lived experiences go beyond coping with measures. 

- Prasant Meera, Livelihood Champion