The Koovagam Festival is an important occasion for transgenders across the country and even from other parts of the world. While focus has been on the high risk behavior that prevails during this festival, TAI has been using the events around the festival as an opportunity to create an enabling environment and mainstream the community.
This year, the theme of the festival was “We were born to Achieve” – and community members took on the organizing of the various events on their own. The CBO TAI Vizhudugal that was given a small grant for making the various arrangements, took up the theme in a novel way; through a colorful rally to showcase their talents besides a public meeting.
The highlight of the progam was the chief guest, Tmt Rajathi Ammal Kalaignar the wife of the Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi. The lobbying towards inviting the chief minister’s wife had been taken on by the community members themselves.
On April 21st and 22nd TAI conduct various events to spread some messages among the members of the general public. On 21st April, there was a rally to thank the state government for their consideration to the community in passing a government order for basic rights such as ration cards, voter ID, education rights besides counseling for boys who wished to undergo a sex reconstruction surgery. The announcement of a social welfare board exclusively for transgenders that came on the eve of the Koothandavar festival was a huge boost to the enthusiasm of the community members.
In this background, over 250 community members participated in the rally and showcased their talents in a dozen folk arts like Oyilattam, Karagam, Kolattam, besides holding placards announcing the various talents they had such as beauty skills, video camera skills and culinary skills. The rally was flagged off by Dr. N. S. Murali Secretary of VHS and Mr. Dakshinamoorthy, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Villupuram.
The Chief Minister’s wife who had readily accepted the community members’ request to be present was accompanied by Dr. Poonkothai, Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Minister. More than a talent showcase, this event proved to be a showcase of the advocacy efforts of the marginalized community. The chief minister’s wife who addressed the transgenders as sisters made an impact with her presence and simpler remarks.
Other events over the next day included the Best Aravani contest to assess the contribution of transgenders to their own community besides their communication skills and talents. Malavika from Salem was judged the winner. Another contest that was on theme based dance-drama, and a Bharatanatyam performance by the Chennai based theme on dowry won.
There was also an effort to address violence against the community at the temple site through advocacy with the police. The festival was an occasion for community members to prove that they were indeed born to achieve.
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