The Monk & Alexander is about clashes in culture through colonization and queerness. It uses theatrical and non-dramatic text, folk dance, song and traditional performance to weave a complex view of Queer India, it’s history and relation to western ideals. Pre-colonial Indian traditions were rich in gender diversity and transformation. Trans heroes in myth are worshiped. The gods trade genitalia with mortals. Kings gave birth to sons. Performance forms reflected this flexibility through cross-dressing and gender performance. British colonization silenced what it could and encouraged the homophobia and transphobia that proved effective in their own country and previous colonies. Fast forward a few hundred years and drag culture is taking off in India. Ru-Paul and The Fab Five are “making India queer again”. What does this influx of western queer culture mean for the people who have been carrying on the old stories, dances and traditions of queer culture past?