One day early this year, two of my friends and fellow sisters Sowmiya and Reema went for begging, their regular livelihood day. I went with them too.This is their life in begging. Made as a documentary by me for the world to see.
I want to change the lives of Sowmiya and Reema. Sowmiya is such a darling to me. I wanted to give both the girls new lives. I have so much to do. I need tremendous strength and I will.
Sahodari Foundation and Alliance Française of Madras present ‘Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness’ - a poster exhibition on the life and times of Tamil transgender women (Thirunangaikal).
The Transgender community (known as Thirunangaikal in Tamil) is one of the most marginalised and misunderstood communities in our country. Though almost all of them suffer from stigma and discrimination from their childhood, their courage for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is amazing and unknown to the larger society.
Sahodari brings the life images of transwomen in frames. Designed and conceptualised by Transgender rights activist Kalki, these images talk about their identity, equality, unity, diversity and love.
Sixteen beautiful posters with photographic images each one carrying a positive message on transgender women’s lives in the larger society will be displayed at the exhibition.
Followed by the event, the launch of the postcards will follow. Eight select poster images have been made into postcards for the public. The sale of these postcards will go to the education and training of 25 poor transgender artists of the Liberation Performing Arts Troupe (http://liberationarts.blogspot.com" title="http://liberationarts.blogspot.com" target="_blank"http://liberationarts.blogspo...). Liberation Performing Arts Troupe trains talented transgender women from poor backgrounds to become world class performing artists.
In March, I was invited by CFAR (Center for Advocacy and Research) to be a community journalist and spokes person and talk to media at Coimbatore about the Red Ribbon Express campaign. The red Ribbon Express arrived in Coimbatore on March 24th 2010.
Red Ribbon Express Campaign is an a very innovative idea in bringing awareness to millions of people across India. I spoke to Radio City, a FM radio channel in Coimbatore and also to local television channels about the need to accept people living with HIV.
When we speak about prevention and protection from getting infected by HIV, it is also very important to protect the people who have been already living with HIV. These people should not be neglected and discriminated.
I am proud to be the spokesperson for the Red Ribbon Express. It is big campaign against HIV, conceptualised by Rajiv Gandhi Foundation and National AIDS Control Organisation. It aims at spreading awareness on HIV and promoting safe sex practices and fighting stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV.
Here is the New Indian Express Coimbatore's report and interview about my participation:
A longtime wish of mine was fulfilled this April with the first workshop for our Performing Arts Troupe which was held in Kattupakkam on 2nd April. Malini Kalyanam, pottery artist and my friend was gracious enough to get nod from her team mares and offer the Sai Krupa center absolutely free for our workshop. Aurelio, my long time friend and mentor, the musician/sound expert/sound magician came all the way from Auroville to offer us this workshop. It was a lovely moment for me to introduce my girls to Aurelio.
Very soon we all were enjoying great vibrancy. From 10 in the morning to 5 in the evening, we did several sessions on music, dance and theatre. The workshop was amazing with several planned and a few unplanned sections. The girls were introduced to more than 20 different types of musical instruments - from the flutes from Africa to the metal instruments from China - to South American Tribal instruments, we played all, we danced all. One of our team mate Kousalya had prepared lunch for us and it was delicious vegetarian lunch.
We also were divided into two different teams and each team played one small play and one music performance - spontaneously we did everything. I was happy I could invite Aurelio and give our girls world class opening on sound, music and theatre.
Now, they ask me very often, 'When is the second workshop Kalki?'.
I love to meet students. This time it was for Women's day celebration at the Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Youth Development at Sriperumpudur. I met many interesting students. The hall was packed with students from all over the country. I gave one of my best speeches in this institute. There were also many interesting question not only from the students but also from the faculties. Many students wanted to do internships with Sahodari Foundation. I am open to helping them.
I have formed one-of-a-kind arts troupe called Viduthalai Kalai Kuzhu (Liberation Arts Troupe). Twenty five underprivileged transgender women who have great interest in music,
dance and theatre have been chosen to be a part of this troupe. All of these women come from a very poor background. Most of them are still into begging and sex work. These are women who want to change their lives and the lives of others for good.
These 25 women will undergo training in Tamil folk music, dance and theatre along with African and South American tribal aboriginal music. The teachers who would train them are some of the best sound and music gurus from India, Europe, Africa, USA and other parts of the world. This has been possible through my friends in Auroville. After an intensive training, the troupe will perform at events in different parts of the country. We already have invitations to perform in different mega events. This project will not only provide careers for transwomen but also bring them respect as artists. This will change their lives and open them a new world of opportunities and possibilities.
Our music troupe will not play any electronic instruments. We play only wooden, bamboo, clay and stone instruments. The ministry of Social Welfare of Tamilnadu has encouraged us by donating 15
Thappu drums worth Rs.25,000. However, we need the following 20 more musical instruments:
Metallophone(2)
Xylophone(1)
Tubalophone(1)
Glassophone(1)
Lithophone(1)
Bamboo shakers(2)
Full set of body and dance rattles (10 sets)
Palmyra nut shaker(1 set)
Bamboo bongos(1)
Bamboo scraper(2)
Overtone bamboo flute(2)
Overtone copper flute(1)
Ocarina(2)
Ocean drum (2)
We also are in need of:
1. Venue for practice in Chennai
2. Sponsorship for training (food, travel costs and other expenses of the students and the honorarium for the music gurus)
My dear friends, I request you all to help and support me to make this initiative a success. This project will change 25 people's lives and inspire hundreds of transwomen to follow these 25 role models.
You can sponsor any number of instruments or if you have a space for practice, let me know. The sponsorships for all the above requirements will bring media's attention and good will for the sponsor.
Sahodari Foundation received Kokilavani Memorial Award for our work on social and economic empowerment of transgender people. An organization called KGH Trust, a trust set up by an alumni student community presented the award to us. Every year, the trust selects one social organization and three outstanding people in different fields and presents three different award.
Sahodari received Kokilavani Memorial Award this year at a simple event in Chennai Press Club in the first week of February. Along with me was our Sahodari team - Monal, Anandhi, Sowndharya, Priyanka and Sandhiya.
I feel good about this recognition, we still have a very long way to go. Our team was so happy and we celebrated the whole day going for dinner and movies.
I participated as a panelist and a guest speaker in two national seminars in January this year. The first one was the National Seminar on Human Rights, Ethics and Criminal Justice Administration held at Madras University and the second one was National Seminar on Sexuality and Psychology.
Here are the photos from the Madras University Seminar:
The second one was a National seminar on Sexuality and Psychlogy held at SDM College in Ujire, near Mangalore, Karnataka. I was a panelist in this seminar. I took Sowndharya with me to Ujire. Ouch.. it was a looong train trip from Chennai to Mangalore, very tiring one. Neverthless we had good fun. Sowndharya is one of my promising future activist whom I am grooming and training. She is a fast learner, an amazing girl and one of my best friend.
This January our team receives a grant of Rs.1,68,360 as a grant from the Deputy Chief Minister for our Butterflies project which is an entrepreneurship programme for the economic upliftment of transgender women. The Deputy CM was very sweet to all of us.It was a prestigious moment for all of us to meet him.
The Butterflies team from Sahodari participated in the Chennai Trade Fair Pongal season to sell our jewellery. The Directorate of Social Welfare asked us to set up a small stall in the Social Welfare section in the Trade Fair. They helped us so much. We did a total sale for 5 days and made around three thoudsand rupees profit. Not bad because we spent only 3 hours per day in the evenings at our stall.
Our girls also did a skit, a small theatre performance on the domestic violence on women and how the law can help them. They were paid by the Directorate for their performance. Our butterflies project is slow but steady. Thanks to the Directorate of Social Welfare, Tamilnadu for their continued support.
The year 2010 is here and Sahodari works harder than ever and I need to work the hardest. The challege is I need to manage my profession and I need to spend my energy on our Sahodari as well. I am working 16 hours everyday. Our work is being recognized not only by the Government officials and the Media, but also by the public, by students and by other institutions as well. January had been a great month to begin with. Sahodari formed a unique Music Troupe of under prileged transgender women. It has been a long term dream project of me. Atlast it is becoming a reality.
Through Sahodari, I will be providing them opportinities to learn not only Tamil folk music and dance but also train them to play ancient and aboriginal musical instruments from South America, Europe, Africa and other parts of the world. My music knowledge on these instruments comes from my living for two years in Auroville. I will be using my rich experience in forming the music troupe and making it a world class one.
This troupe will be a unique one in the country. We requested the Directorate of Social Welfare, Tamilnadu to provide us 14 Thappus (Parai Drums). Our proposal was sanctioned by the Social Welfare Ministry in a month. We received the instruments from the hands of the Minister of Social Welfare at her office at the Secratariat, Chennai.
A week after that, I travelled to Auroville with my friend to purchase more instruments. This time through our available funds, we purchased Overtune flute (Africa), Tongue Drum (Africa) and some local kilikilipai instruments.
For 3 days, our I and the team girls Monal, Sandiya, Sindhu and Thenmozhi practiced these drums. Thenmozhi already has had lessons in Thappu and she taught us the basics. With in days, we got a call from the Directorate of Social Welfare. They requested us to perform in the republic day parade. That means being in the Republic Day Float and playing our music infront of Chief Minister, Governer, Ministers and other dignitories! Our were excited by this news, but they were very nervous since they aren't professionas in music.
That didn't stop our team. Anandi, Kanjana, Chandru, Divya and Varsha joined our team and these girls were young and totally commited. With a new verve, I and Sowndharya began to relentlessly teach them to play the instruments. Three days later, Thenmozhi whom I had sent for a meeting to Mumbai was back and she orchestrated the drums to the flow of my flute music. Yes, I was playing the Overtone Flute. I had become almost an expert in it now. We didn't have a proper place to practice. We were using the space from SWAM Chennai, but the neighbourhood couldn't tolerate the sound of the drums. So we went to the Corporation public ground at Ragava Reddy Colony which was near by our place. We didn't know what was waiting for us there.
It was a big sports ground. When 8 of us, entered it there was a huge excitement, noise and some passes from the boys. But we didn't care, we began to practice. Within ten minutes, boys gathered in big and small groups to watch our rehearsal. Some guys made passes at us, while most of them were watching us. Out of the blue, suddenly two men in their thirties who are supposed to guard the sportsground. They stopped us and asked us to get permission from the police or the ward councellor before practising rehearsal in the ground. There was this drunk boy who was constantly maing passes and disturbing. What can you advice a drunkard? Nothing. We had only one day for the performance, so we chose not to waste our time on the formalities. We left the place. Deccan Chronicle newspaper which came to do a story on our troupe, wrote about this harassment by local boys in the next day's issue. It was an unexpected story yet a true story.
On 25th evening, our music troupe went to Lady Wellington grounds where the floats were parked for the next day's program. It was a pleasant surprise to see the float. On all four sides of the float we could see the pictures of our project photos. On both sides were the photograph banners of our team receiving the grant for our jewellery project from the Deputy Chief Minister. In the front was the pictures of me receiving musical instruments from the Social Welfare Minister and at the back of the float was the picture of us selling our jewellery in the island exhibition stall. It was a proud moment for all of us.
We did a rehearsal performance and the Commissioner and the public applauded and cheered us. That night, we stayed near the goverment home for the rescued women. It was a moving experience for each of us because we saw the women who were rescued from trafficking. They were so happy to see us. We couldn't have any personal interaction with them. We smiled at them and showed our love and concern for them.
The next morning we got up at 5'0 clock, prepared and dressed up for the performace in the float. We did a couple of rehearsals. We climbed into the float and when the actual performance started, there were thousands of people cheering from both sides of the Marina beach. Our jewellery products were also on display at the back of the float. Ours was the only musical float and I am sure Chief minister and other dignitaries were enjoying our music. From the moving float I saw many dignitaries cheering at us. Truely a proud moment for our team:).
