Miss Transsexual Australia bats for Indian transgenders
Laeticia Phylliscia Raveena, Miss Transsexual Australia 2017, and one of the judges at the recently held Miss Transqueen India 2017 in Gurgaon, was amazed to see the grace and power of Indian transwomen. Raveena is a model and a chef who believes that one should utilise one’s potential to the fullest and make efforts to get recognised. “My philosophy is that a single organisation can’t make the difference. We can’t blame society for everything. It is also on the part of transwomen that they make efforts,” says Raveena, insisting that transgenders should live a normal life.
Raveena, who has an Indian connection, says, “I was born in Malaysia, and I am a fourth generation Malaysian. But my roots are from South India, Madurai. I’ve never lived here but I am aware of my Indian values. I believe in goddess Lakshmi and I am what I am because of her grace only.”
Talking about the recently introduced fundamental law, Right To Privacy, that has been passed by the Supreme Court of India, she says, “I don’t live in India so I don’t know how this affects the populace. But, what I have learnt from the girls I met here was that life here is a bit difficult when it comes to college education and jobs. They face discrimination and, I believe, this needs to stop,” she says.
“We are moving to 2018, and being an open and broadminded society, we should accept them as what they are. If they are transwomen, they should be treated as such. No one has the right to comment on their attire and voice (or for that matter, anything else). They should also be given the opportunity to live like any other human being,” she adds
Bollywood buffs might know about actor Salman Khan’s flair for painting. But for an upcoming event in the city, it’s actor Shah Rukh Khan who has dipped his hands in colour. At India on Canvas 2017 — an initiative by Delhi-based NGO Khushii — some of the biggest names from the film and corporate worlds have collaborated with renowned artists to create artworks, which will be auctioned in Delhi, today.
Among the 59 pairs, the highlight was introduction of youngsters to art. Singer Ananya Birla, who associated with contemporary artist Anjolie Ela Menon, says: “I hadn’t painted since preschool. I learnt a lot from her, especially when she said that mistakes can be beautiful.” Menon had collaborated with Ananya’s father Kumar Mangalam Birla earlier.
Businessman Rajan Kapoor, who partnered with artist Sanjay Bhattacharya, says, “Creating an artwork with him was like one artist collaborating with another.”
Khushii chairperson, former cricketer Kapil Dev was elated to see the artworks that emerged. “If an artwork gives me happiness, I like it,” says Dev, who teamed up with artist Michelle Poonawalla.