Transgenders dress up as Bollywood stars for Bhopal fest

Transgenders impersonating Bollywood stars Sunny Leone, Katrina Kaif and Kareena Kapoor lit up the thoroughfares of Bhopal on Wednesday as traditional fervour and gaiety marked the celebrations of the annual Bhujria festival, a transgender carnival, in Madhya Pradesh’s capital.

Hundreds of transgenders, dressed in designer saris and other fashionable dresses, danced to the tunes of Bollywood numbers while participating in the carnival.

The transgender carnival, which originated during Nawab rule in Bhopal, attracted thousands of revellers from across Madhya Pradesh and neighbouring states of Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. The festival is believed to have taken birth when the city faced severe drought in the early eighteenth century.

Transgenders had started visiting temples and mosques in the city during the time of the drought, vowing to hold an annual festival if the gods showered blessings on the inhabitants of the city and open up the sky, said Nikki Nepalan, a member of the transgender community.

“The festival has undergone radical transformation from being a traditional form of celebration to modern entertainment. The key feature is the third sex members dress in costumes of their choice,” Nepalan said.

Transgenders carried earthen pots with wheat seeds, symbolising peace and prosperity, while marching in the carnival.