Since gender and sexuality form the essence of one’s identity, it is important that people view inclusive words as more than just prescribed terms and instead understand their role in creating inclusive mindsets,” says Sharmistha Ghosh, vice president of social impact at integrated communications agency AvianWE. The agency is responsible for Satrangi Bhasha, a book on speaking consciously about gender, sex and sexuality in Hindi.

The book is a one-of-its-kind effort to reach out to people in one of the most widely spoken languages in the country and encourage them to incorporate the true spirit of inclusion in their communications. Intended for people who speak Hindi and whose understanding of LGBTQIA+ terminologies might be limited due to lack of information, Satrangi Bhasha, Ghosh believes, will be “a useful point of reference for any individual or institution that would like to learn to employ language as a tool to remove the biases that we unconsciously carry”.