LET TOMORROW BE ANOTHER DAY
Nestled amidst sugarcane and paddy fields, Koovagam village off Villupuram-Madurai highway, comes alive during the Chitrai Purnima festival at the ancient Aravan temple that gives the village its name and fame. Dedicated to Aravan, the son ofArjun, one of the five Pandavas of the Mahabharata, the temple hosts what is perhaps the largest congregation of transgenders from across the country and abroad during its annual celebration of third genderhood.
The story goes that during the battle of the Mahabharata, Aravan asked Krishna for a single wish — to enjoy the pleasures of a conjugal life for one night before he sacrificed himself. Krishna took the form of a woman to marry Aravan and be his bride for the night and then embraced widowhood the next day as Aravan is killed in battle. Transgenders who believe in this particular community origin myth gather here every year to re-enact the event and marryAravan before being widowed the following day. This year, though, there was a marked difference with the transgenders’ talking about their aspirations for a better life. This is so especially after the Rajya Sabha passed Tiruchi Siva’s private member bill according benefits and rights to the community, “We are here to pray for the bill to get enacted into a law so that we can live with dignity,” says 25-yearold Aishwarya from Salem. She and her friends plan to write to the Prime Minister in support of the bill.
The growing awareness of the need to fight for their rights has transformed the Koovagam festival that features a ritualistic ceremony from being a mere congregation of transgenders with religious connotations into the venue of a reformist struggle; a place where transgenders meet to demand their right to dignity, respect, equal opportunities in education, jobs and an end to discrimination and social rejection. Praveena, a qualified engineer, who won the Miss Koovagam title this year, puts it best: “I want an IT job, just like any other engineer. We are second to none, just give us the opportunity and we will show you what we can do.”