Amid the hectic election work going on at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for Karnataka in Bengaluru, a group of transwomen are silently doing their bit to create awareness about voting.
Based on the theme of ‘democracy, the idea of the murals is to create awareness about voting and to drive home the message that it is the right of every citizen to exercise his/her franchise. | Photo Credit: Ravichandran N
Shanti, engrossed in painting a sketch on the theme “Of the people, for the people and by the people” on the main wall in the quadrangle of the CEO’s office, is part of the Aravani Art Project, an art collective founded by Poornima Sukumar, a multi-disciplinary artist. The collective is run by trans and cis women.
Colourful murals depicting an election scenario at a polling station, the process of voting, people getting inked or a person being assisted to reach a polling station adorn the walls of the CEO’s office.
Transwomen and cis-women artistes of the Aravani Art Project, an art collective, at the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) for Karnataka in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: Ravichandran N
The murals are based on the theme ‘democracy’. The idea is to create awareness about voting and to drive home the message that it is the right of every citizen to exercise his/her franchise.
The CEO Karnataka’s office is working in coordination with the BBMP to provide Aravani more space at strategic locations in the city to create further awareness about elections and voting. | Photo Credit: Ravichandran N
“The wall that we are painting depicts people from different walks of life who have the right to vote, the power of change in voting, how important it is to be the person bringing about the change and the freedom to choose while you vote. Our murals symbolise the power of ‘of the people, by the people and for the people,” said Rajeshwari, another artiste.
Jump in enrolled transgender voters
Nandini, a cis woman, who is also part of Aravani, said another important aspect the art collective wanted to showcase was the importance of transgender votes.
According to data, transgender voters have increased from 4,552 in 2018 to 42,756 in 2023 in Karnataka. While a mere 9.8% of 4,552 enrolled transgenders voted in the 2018 Assembly elections, 11.49% of the registered 4,839 transgenders turned up to vote in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
More locations in the city to be identified
According to data, transgender voters have increased from 4,552 in 2018 to 42,756 in 2023 in Karnataka. | Photo Credit: Ravichandran N
A wall painting by the Aravani Art Project depicting people from different walks of life who have the right to vote and the power to bring about changr through exercising their franchise. | Photo Credit: Ravichandran N
Work on the murals began on March 15 and seven of the eight walls in the CEO’s office have so far been completed. Apart from Shanti and Rajeshwari, three other trans women — Noushad, Purushi and Jyothi — are involved. A supporting team comprising Nandini, Murugan and Pradeep is assisting them.
Manoj Kumar Meena, CEO for Karnataka, said, “When we got to know about the art collective’s work on different art projects to raise awareness and create a voice for the community, we involved them in our awareness activities. These murals are being appreciated widely.”
“We are working in coordination with the BBMP on providing them more space at strategic locations in the city to create further awareness about elections and voting,” he added.
