Chef Devan's Elephant Tattoo: Channeling Success through Ganesh [Source: Instagram post at Chevdevan]
Devan Rajkumar is a relatively famous Toronto chef. He was on the Toronto morning show City Line recently. He had a tattoo on his right arm, which extends all the way up to the shoulder (see above), framed by his parched white chef's jacket.
On Cityline, with Tracy Moore, 2018
He was demonstrating a barbecue dish, as were the two other chefs. They were less radical looking than he was. Both have short hair, styled "conservatively." Rajkumar, on the other hand, has the sides of his head shaved, although the hair is beginning to grow a little. It looks like a variation on the "punk" hairstyle.
On Cityline, 2018
Punks are no longer around. And Rajkumar looks gay to me.
Cooking demonstration at the Viavai Pizzeria (now closed) in Toronto, 2015
I looked at his various "social media" platforms and there is nowhere AT ALL where he shows us some interest in the opposite sex. He has posted a bunch of photos with women, but about 90% of them are his "cousins," which in Indian family tradition really does mean cousin. The responses of these women are purely platonic. None are his girlfriend.
The one woman with whom he could be linked looks like a lesbian, with her Instagram photos showing her in close body contact with another woman.
But he has plenty of photos with other men, and of other men including male couples.
And looking at Rajkumar's expression in the Cityline photos, he has a wimpy look compared to the other chefs, who stand assured and confident. They have pleasant and friendly smiles whereas Rajkumar seems slightly out of place, intimidated even.
But these two chefs are also genuinely confident. They seem protective of Rajkumar. During the cooking sessions, they readily stood in the background, happy to help this co-chef with the food chopping and other menial chores. They wanted him to shine. Contemporary homosexuals often cause the people around to behave effusively. No-one in this liberalized world wants to be called a homophobe. But it is more ingrained, and genuine, than that. All people deserve a chance, and especially immigrant gays.
And Rajkumar comes with a triple whammy. He is gay, he is of immigrant background AND he is non-white. Plus there's also Tracy, the show's black hostess. The whole show demands their conviviality.
Straight white men learn to be extra cautious (and extra nice) around "diversity," especially when there's so much of it around.
But despite all the support and "inclusiveness" that the Canadian society gives Rajkumar, moments of multiple vulnerability like this one expose his true emotions. His reticent expression tells us all. As a dark-skinned, immigrant, gay man, he's out there. He does NOT belong.
Rajkumar has posted photos on his Instagram site with his mother and father and his siblings. He has brought his mother on cooking episodes at Cityline. All look uncomfortable in their photos together with Rajkumar, but his mother was in her element during her cooking demo with Tracy.
Baking Mom's Banana Bread on Cityline (2015)
Why is his family so accepting (on his Instagram comments - see below - Rajkumar writes "unconditional love")?
Perhaps the answer lies here:
Rajkumar has a huge tattoo (hidden on the Cityline shows by his chef's jacket) of an elephant's head and trunk.
Indians have a different atttude towards homosexuality. Traditonally, they may have heterosexal expentancies (for family cohesion), but a homosexual "artist" son might be an incarnation of a god, or a gift from a god.
“Homosexuality has never been considered a crime in Hindu culture. In fact, Lord Ayyappa was born of Hari-Hara (Vishnu & Shiva). It is not a crime in any Smriti. Everyone has male & female elements. According to their dominance, tendencies show up & may change. Nobody should face discrimination because of their sexual preferences. To be branded a criminal for this is absurd.” - [Quote Source: H.H. Sri Sri Ravi ShankarAnd
[The] sacred text, the fourth-century Kama Sutra, emphasizes pleasure as the aim of intercourse. It categorizes men who desire other men as a “third nature,” further subdivides them into masculine and feminine types, and describes their lives and occupations (such as flower sellers, masseurs and hairdressers). It provides a detailed description of oral sex between men, and also refers to long-term unions between men. Hindu medical texts dating from the first century C.E. provide taxonomies of gender and sexual variations, including same-sex desire. [Source: Hinduism and Homosexuality]Rajkumar falls under the "feminine type" with his aesthetic-seeing occupation of "foodie chef."
There is nothing in Rajkumar's religious and social background which prohibits homosexuality. The repulsion is pure instinct, a way to preserve family through the generations. And add that to the immigrant ethos where all "discriminated" groups lump themselves together, then it is no surprise that Hindu families readily associate with the homosexual movement and happily proclaim a gay son on Canadian television. Getting rid of, or diminishing, the prominent and historical "racist" white culture and society takes priority.
Let Raj cook his Frozen Pink Cheesecake and display his homosexuality with Western flair (and shaved head). But he wll always be a Hindu at heart.
Welcome to Multi-culti Canada.
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