Claiming their space with song, dance

The colours were loud and the music even louder. The movements had vigour beyond the ordinary, each step almost marking out a space that had remained foreign to them for long. At the Hassan Marikkar Hall in the city on Monday, there was dance and music that spoke of a new-found freedom. It was a day for transgenders to celebrate their identity.

Organised jointly by the Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) and the Rotary Club of Travancore, the festival saw Rajagopalan, Shyam, Rajesh, Suni and many others drawn from different parts of the capital city perform to their hearts fill and feeling nice about it. Attired in colourful costumes and their eyes darkened with thick kajal, they performed individually and collectively.

A rare platform

“This is a beautiful concept and a significant gesture to create a platform for these dancers and singers,” says ward councillor Mary Pushpam who inaugurated the programme.

“I was the most beautiful among the 11 children in my family. Thick black kajal, red shades of colour on my lips, powder and my long hair made me more beautiful when I danced. I was also a good singer and dancer and I could mimic singers such as S. Janaki and P. Susheela. But my father would not let me sing in female voice or dance. So, I left my home when I was 12,” 63-year-old Rajagopalan from the western parts of the city, whom everybody present addressed ‘Amma,’ says.

Leading role

Kajal, who performed ‘Thiruvathira,’ has been playing a leading role in organising transgenders. Kajal had participated in the World Social Forum (WSF) in Mumbai. Rajesh, who assumed the name Sandhya, has also been playing a similar role.

Rajesh says, “I used to wear my sister’s clothes, apply make-up and walk in public places and perform so that people appreciate me. Now I am living my dreams as I perform wherever I get the opportunity.”

Shyam says, “four of us here are postgraduates. Dancers like us cannot hide the expressions that come naturally to us and for the same reason we have been rejected by many who interviewed us.” Dr. Shobha Mathew of the FPAI says, “all of them have a passion for art but are deprived of the opportunity to perform or be appreciated. That is why we thought of this initiative.”

Neethu Sabu