Patankar

If that question had unnerved him, Patankar says in retrospect, he would have exposed a big weakness.

To Be Gay In Indian Business 2011

At one of his previous jobs with a Korean multinational, 36-year-old Pallav Patankar vividly remembers a pesky boss who repeatedly inquired why he wasn't married.

To Be Gay In Indian Business 2011

Patankar spent more than a decade working as a sales executive at various private sector companies in India and overseas before joining Humsafar Trust in 2009.

To Be Gay In Indian Business 2011

We went with PoP's on the ground team, who are all Millennials: Noah Marwil, Latin American Director, 28 years old, and PoP Fellows Appy Patankar, 23 years old, and Marina Yalon, 24 years old, to witness how PoP works with local communities.

Kassidy Brown: On the Ground With Pencils of Promise (Video) Kassidy Brown 2011

"Who you break up with could eventually be responsible for writing your performance appraisal," says Patankar.

To Be Gay In Indian Business 2011

When Patankar shook his head, the adamant boss lobbed another curveball question: "So do you have a boyfriend?"

To Be Gay In Indian Business 2011

At one of his previous jobs with a Korean multinational, 36-year-old Pallav Patankar vividly remembers a pesky boss who repeatedly inquired why he wasn't married.

To Be Gay In Indian Business 2011

If that question had unnerved him, Patankar says in retrospect, he would have exposed a big weakness.

To Be Gay In Indian Business 2011

"I hear gay men on this subject all the time," Patankar says.

To Be Gay In Indian Business 2011

We went with PoP's on the ground team, who are all Millennials: Noah Marwil, Latin American Director, 28 years old, and PoP Fellows Appy Patankar, 23 years old, and Marina Yalon, 24 years old, to witness how PoP works with local communities.

Kassidy Brown: On the Ground With Pencils of Promise (Video) Kassidy Brown 2011