Lawyers by day and drag queens by night, Ayush and Ikshaku have come a long way since they first discussed drag in law school. “We started with borrowing a friend’s wig for fun and watching online competitions on make-up,” Ikshaku recalls. He identifies his transformed avatar as Kushboo, a character he portrays as confident, fierce, challenging gender stereotypes and representing the young confident woman. Ayush, 26, takes the name of Lush Monsoon when he turns a free-spirited bohemian woman.
They are joined by their third “drag sister”, Prateek, 24, a Noida-based professional dancer and choreographer who performs as “Betta Naan Stop”, a character that plays different roles while serving as a reminder to him to keep going and become a go-getter. Known for his perfect dance splits on the floor, he found that his voice as Betta was too loud, but the persona came with feathers and glitter and he could not ignore it.
Their stage is a queer friendly club in Delhi, Kitty Su, where the three men cross-dressed as majestic queens put up an act. Inspired by the famous American drag queen RuPaul and his reality television show, RuPaul’s Drag Race, Delhi’s drag sisters are united by their passion for drag and self-designed, self-stitched outfits, often sharing green-room spaces before performances. The three help each other with make-up tricks and last-minute troubleshooting for costumes.
After three hours of make-up, they appear transformed, creating a persona larger than life. While most spectators assume that this is merely an act of cross-dressing, for the trio it is much more. It’s an art form that challenges gender construct at every step.
They have adapted drag as therapy, an exploration of an alter ego, where they are free to express themselves independently.
As beginners, they are navigating a tricky legal territory, but their passion for drag keeps them motivated and focussed. As they navigate a complex course, the drag sisters invite everyone to explore this art form. “It is such a confidence builder,” Ayush says.
Text and images by Sahiba Chawdhary
Fluid identities: Walking on the streets of Delhi and plotting their next act are drag queens Ayush, aka Lush Monsoon, left, and Ikshaku, aka Kushboo.
How he becomes she: Prateek, aka Betta Naan Stop, and Ikshaku apply glue-stick to flatten their eyebrows as they prepare for a performance at a queer-friendly club, Kitty Su, in New Delhi. The make-up and dressing usually take three or four hours.
The scent of a woman: Ayush looks into the mirror as Ikshaku (in the background) applies make-up before a performance. As he transforms into Lush Monsoon, it is ‘liberating and transformative’.
Bending gender: A close friend of the trio, Arpita, applies lipstick on Ikshaku . Ikshaku from Assam believes that drag gives him the power to break the gender construct and question the traditional view of femininity.
Light of the feet: Prateek brushes his faux hair as he prepares for a performance. With professional training in hotel management from Bangalore, Prateek returned to Delhi to pursue his love for dancing.
The stage is my world: A confident Lush Monsoon scorches the ramp in front of a full-house crowd at Kitty Su as people cheer her on.
The final act: Ikshaku, Ayush and Prateek (clockwise) stand in their final avataar as drag sisters of Delhi - Kushboo, Lush and Betta Naan Stop. The trio is unified by their passion for drag, with an aim to spread it as an art form expressing themselves and questioning gender conformity.
The men behind the women: Ikshaku, Ayush and Prateek stand for a chat along Connaught Place Circle in New Delhi.