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Shaleen Rakesh is an Indian author and poet whose work attempts to blend lyricism, philosophical inquiry, and an intimate attentiveness to the natural world. 

As an activist, he played a leading role in India’s sexuality movement and was the primary petitioner who filed the landmark 2001 legal challenge against Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, the colonial-era anti-sodomy law. This sparked a legal journey that eventually led to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in India. 

Beyond his foundational activism, he built a career in international development, working with organisations including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), FHI 360 and VSO, and as a literary writer concerned with themes of ecology, intimacy, and human vulnerability.

His books include the novel Madness; a work of philosophical non-fiction titled Constellations ; the poetry collection The Lion and the Antler; and An Equal Indian, a study of sexuality, identity, and cultural change.


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