Nationality Indian Died 2003, New Delhi Name Nishit Saran | Known for Summer in my veins Other names Nish Saran Education Harvard University | |
Born 21 May 1976 New Delhi, India Occupation Filmmaker, gay rights activist | ||
Nishit "Nish" Saran (21 May 1976 – 23 April 2002) was an Indian gay activist and filmmaker. He is best known for the 1999 documentary film Summer in My Veins which screened at a number of film festivals.
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Early life and education
Saran was born and raised in New Delhi to Lieutenant Colonel Raj Saran and Minna (a.k.a. Mina) Saran. He completed his education at Army Public School, Dhaula Kuan and scored first on India's Senior Secondary Examination. He had a brother, Mohit.
In 1994 he enrolled to study filmmaking at Harvard University, having received a full scholarship. He was active in Harvard’s Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Supporters’ Alliance. In 1996 he was one of 123 sophomores awarded a Detur Book Prize, Harvard's oldest academic honor presented to sophomores for receiving the highest grades during their first year. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa Society. Before Saran graduated summa cum laude in 1998, he was also a teaching fellow for an intermediate film class.
Career
Saran was both an essayist and an activist. In India he campaigned for LGBT rights, lecturing at colleges and contributing news articles, reviews, and essays to a number of Indian newspapers. His writing included the 8 February 2000 The Indian Express piece "My sexuality is your business" attacking Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code. Section 377 then included a provision criminalizing same-sex sexual activity that was stricken down in 2009.
His best-known work was his film Summer in my veins, in which he captured his coming out to his mother on film.
Personal life and death
Saran lived in Noida.
Saran was killed in a 2002 car accident caused by a drunk truck driver (a hit-and-run incident) at Lodhi Road near Connaught Place, New Delhi. He was 25 years old. Five people were killed, including Channel V VJ Pooja Mukherjee.
Following his death, his mother Minna Saran established the Nishit Saran Foundation. She campaigned for the decriminalization of homosexuality in India, becoming a prominent gay rights activist.