From fear and dejection to confidence and hope, these young transgender women walked out with pride of who they are. April 25th, 2019. Sahodari Foundation with aid support from Rotary Club of Coimbatore Texcity and Groupon India began a major step in reaching out to desperate and deserving young transgender people and offering them a very useful and powerful youth leadership workshop which will lead them to empower their lives. I conceived the workshop to identify and groom young transgender persons in India to pursue their dreams of living with dignity and happiness, a life away from the melancholy of begging and sex work.
My idea came to a reality when I was invited to speak at Rotary Club of Coimbatore Texcity for speaking at their weekly meeting to its board members where I met Rotarian Suji Somasudaram of Rotary Club of Coimbatore Texcity who introduced me to the president of the club Rtn.Phf. Senthil Kumar.K, secretary and Rtn. MD.Vijayakumar.S. My idea of a leadership workshop was immediately accepted as the club had the idea of conducting an RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) for transgender youth. Both the ideas were similar, just the names different.
In a week's time, it became a reality. All thanks to the Rotary Club which came forward to support 70% of the costs for conducting this event. The rest 30% was funded by Sahodari Foundation.
After quite a successful outreach, all the 20 seats were registered in a week's time. Participants came from Kerala and Tamilnadu, from places as far as Chennai and Kannur. The program was conceptualized by Kalki and each segment, its activity, and the invited speakers was carefully selected to give only the best knowledge and positive messages that will have a deep impact on the young trans people.
My purpose was to change their mindsets from desperation and fear to hope and confidence. Though she has offered several workshops for the transgender community, this was the first time a full-fledged leadership workshop was initiated.
Kalki Subramaniam speaks
Rotary Club of Coimbatore Texcity was so open and welcoming in conducting an RYLA for TransYouth. On April 25th, 2019 at 9.30 a.m, the workshop was inaugurated with Rtn. K.A Kuriachan as the chief guest of the event. The president of the Club, the secretary, and board members were present during the inauguration. Mr.kuriachan told the importance of equality, unity, strength, and believing in oneself, he guided transgenders towards confidence, self-love, and being strong. Special invitees A.Revathi and Olga Aaron were presiding the event. All the participants were excited about the day. Later the Rotarians of the club left wishing the participants their best wishes.
The workshop started with my speech on the purpose of the workshop and how it is meant to help, support, and empower the lives of participants. Though a one day workshop, I wanted to utilize every moment of time to its utmost potential. So I requested to participants to be conscious of time and give their focus 100 percent.
Hugs of Trust
After self-introductions of everyone and moved on to two groups, the young persons were grouped as four and were assigned to senior transgender leaders for trusting and opening their hearts to speak out their major personal hurdles and seek out advice from them. The mentorship started with trust-building, experience sharing and nonjudgemental genuine advice seeking. That was the most important opening session of the day since the participants spoke and we mentors listened.
In the next session, the participants present were seated in the circle they were encouraged to speak openly about their life backgrounds, giving us a picture in which ways each one of them needed help, support and guidance in shaping their future.
Everyone in the room hugged each other bringing an assurance that they were not alone and provoked unity in the trans community. The guest speaker of the afternoon first session Mr. Ramesh taught the participants on the art of living with clean mental and physical state through yoga and meditation practices. This session was directed to be a part of the powerful human change through discipline and yoga practices for better and conscious living.
Transgender activist, writer, and theatre personality A.Revathi narrated her painful yet inspiring life story and the oddities she faced and how it made her weak, and facing it with courage made her strong and a leader among the community. The next session was followed by Mr.Arun Balakirishna bringing the participants great fun and laughter with some amusing brain and physical games which made the participants bend their body and mind.
Bridget speaks on the power of creativity
Art curator and administrator of Art Houz Bridget Shibu Thomas of Jennys Club of Coimbatore gave a powerful talk about being non judgment about one's own creativity. She listed why self-criticism is useless and show the power of practice brings perfection.
I was constantly motivating the participants, encouraging them to speak out, address their issues, and inspired them not to think themselves as a victim of circumstances but to be strong, challenging, and design our own destinies with the right decisions and how to take that right decision.
The last session of the day was conducted by transgender youth and upcoming artist V.Kanchana. She asked the participants to dream of their ideas of themselves in five years. They were encouraged to visualize their life and dreams. some of them want to be a mother, a model, a dancer, a winner, a leader, and just like they all have their own ideas of love and life they can be human resources in society.
At the conclusion of the workshop, Ms. Olga Aaron shared her speech about how it is important for transgender persons to understand the rights and duties and to have dignity. She spoke on the importance of law in society, to create a secure place in workplaces including private and government sectors for trans people. She talked about the human rights and constitutional violations against the transgender community that has been in practice since the history of the community of transgender people.
Sara visualizes her dream of becoming a Television presenter
Participating in this workshop is a big step towards a good and healthy life they wish for, they take courage, hope, and leadership skills with them. Along with me, Mr. Kurianchan and Ms. Olga invited the participants and offered them certificates to recognize their participation in the workshop.
That evening they left with pride and lots of friendships to nourish and cherish their lives a very very long time. Bondings and inspirations that will inspire and uplift their lives.
Sahodari Foundation will reach out to more and more trans youth and support them through a series of these workshops in the future.
Our sincere thanks to Groupon and Rotary Club of Texcity Coimbatore for their support. Groupon's Aid will help us to do a series of workshops this year for the transgender youth to empower their lives.
Visit our website www.sahodari.org
Report: Kalki Subramaniam With inputs from Chinasha Notiya
The majority of Indian transgender population (census of India 2011 survery says 4.88 lakhs, but it could be 5 times higher) is not educated, mostly ostracised by the family, thrown out of our homes and have lost the opportunity to study at school or college. This rejection makes us disqualified for well paid jobs and pushes us into the street for begging and sex work to make money to meet all their needs.
While food and shelter become a priority, education fades away as a distant dream for us, and art is something not in our priority and needy list at all, we see it only in films or occasionally in newspapers and ignore. But I, being a transgender woman who was one of the lucky few to be accepted and adored by my family, had the privilege to get educated and to travel the world, and as well be an artist, knew the importance of art in our lives, the transgender people’s lives.
When you can’t write what you think, when you can not wisely express the issue that is bothering you and bothering others, when you have an urgency to speak out a need or burst with happiness and euphoria, but don’t have words, or ears to listen to your words, art comes as a powerful medium to express.
Our Art show at Central University, Thiruvaroo
Art comes to heal you. To balance, to pacify and bring out those emotions exactly as they are. Raw, colourful, abstract, bizarre and bursting as much as we, the transgender people are.
It began as a personal journey for me at the age of 13. I used to draw, paint and write poetry when no one could understand the gender non conformity I was going through. The internal struggles could not be expressed in sounds and speech. I wrote poetry and made art to live myself, my self. Art was a therapy, I had no doctor to help me, no psychiatrist to counsel and guide me, and I found great solace in painting and poetry. Years later, I published my poetry book in Tamil and began my career as an artist besides the other identities I don.
Making art heals me from the wounds and scars of the past, art heals the pain I had to go through of who I wanted to be and how the world perceived it and shamed it. For thousands of transgender men and women in our country and around the world, art could mean so much. Indeed, art can change our lives for better, make us healed healthy human beings. Make us the healers.
Transwoman Vinitha in Sahodari's art workshop
I became more balance after I started to paint. I wanted to give that wonderful experience to my sisters. Recently, we at Sahodari Foundation held an art & healing workshop for 10 transgender women from underprivileged backgrounds. It was a three days workshop held in Satdarshan, a serene quiet holistic centre in the middle of forests of Western ghats near Anaikatti hills, Coimbatore.
From day one, all the ten women participants were passionate about learning, drawing lines to circles and shades to shadows, they learnt the basic with attention and focus. We did not miss to play and have fun in between. The first two days were the basics, on the second day in the after noon, the girls began to sketch their art on canvas.
Kalki breaks the stereotypes on art and creativity and prepares them to learn
That evening, the magic began to manifest. Colours began to flow, shapes began to fill, emptiness began to vanish and creativity was bubbling in the room. There were smiles, sizzling chats and each participant was constantly going to the art teacher requesting help to help, asking him doubts and questions. The canvases began their journeys filled with joyful colours there. One by one, the women were completing their first art on canvas in life. There was excitement. That night we had bon fire and danced till we ached.
The third and the final day of the workshop was buzz with activities, time was too short and those who had done their first art pieces started to do their second, those who were in the middle of making their first art work were a little concerned if they could finish it in time. Some even forgot their breakfast and were immersed in their canvas. Between breaks, we had games and dance performances too. Our art teacher and friend, Hariparthan was full of patience, instructing and guiding them all one by one, supervising their art, giving ideas and helping with brush strokes. The final output of the girls were spectacular. See for yourself their patience and hardwork and some of their art. The amazing workshop ended with wonderful pieces of artworks created by people who have never touched an art brush in their life. I was totally happy to see their excitement. Soon, Sahodari Foundation will be organizing an exhibition to showcase their talents to the worlds. Any sale of artworks will completely go to the artists who created it. The time came to go our ways, to our places and once again face the world. The girls took with them the joy of creating, the experience of peace and togetherness, an unforgotteable gift of art making.We packed our bags, got into the tempo traveller waiting for us and reached Coimbatore. We hugged and kissed and almost were in tears and said good bye to each other. Yet, the excitement was there in us throughout.
Art opens us a new world of possibilities, it heals our wounds and scars of the past and balances us, it playfully takes us to the colourful path of the future. Making art is a sacred experience for the transgender community of India, like dance and music, art will become an important part for celebration and healing oneself. Art can also help our livelihood too, we need to tap our talents with focus and dare to experiment boldly. I thank our friends Matilda, Elin, Cris Cyders for immense support.
I thank my friend artist Hariparthan for teaching art in a friendly way. I thank Anand and Satdarshan for the place. I thank our friends Prema and Heena for the wonderful food preparations and looking after us like mothers. I thank Sadhu the little puppy who played with us through out our stay and mama who was very supportive.
I heard Viji speaking to other girls :
When I go back home, I will go to a store and purchase art materials and canvas, I will practice more and make more artworks. I am astonished to discover that I could make art”.
Support Sahodari Foundation's initiatives. Please visit www.sahodari.org to know all our work for the transgender community.
Story First Published: April 16, 2014 10:14 IST the next day of the Supreme Court of India's verdict recognizing transgender people as third gender.
Tuesday will be remembered forever as an important day for the transgender people of India.
Non-heterosexuality
and transgenderism are not new in our society and the history of our
country has recorded transgender people's presence all over.
The
transgender community has been listed as a criminal tribe since a
century ago during the British empire and since then has been
misunderstood, ostracised, marginalised and discriminated till today.
This
ignorance has driven us out of our homes and families and till today,
the transgenders of India have remained as beggars seeking their rights
and have been exploited sexually.
Though abandoned by our
families, we are embraced by other transgender people in the hijjra
community. For a transgender person, it is really hell of a life to live
in a society that completely misunderstands that because of the social
ignorance and prevalence throughout.
The historical Supreme
Court judgment will pave the way for social recognition and family
acceptance which is very important for any transgender person. At this
moment, I salute my fellow activists who joined hands with me in the
battle for equality.
We have been fighting for so many years now.
It is a very proud moment for this handful of educated and
not-so-educated people from the community who broke the barrier and
continued their life with courage, and rose up to voice their rights.
If
we talk about India's laws today, Article 21 in our Constitution
already ensures right to privacy and personal dignity for all citizens
including transgenders. Article 23 prohibits trafficking human beings
and beggars, forced labour etc.
Three Transwomen - an art by Kalki Subramaniam
There are many such articles,
especially article 14 and 15 that prohibit discrimination on the grounds
of religion, race, sex or place of birth.
These laws are not
only for men and women. They also talk about a person, a citizen of
India, and transgender people are citizens of India. These laws protect
all people including transgenders, but they have been doing so only in
books
Practically speaking this judgment will be an important
one and it will pave the way in the future for recognition at various
levels for right to education, employment, speech, housing, family,
marriage and adoption of children. All this will be possible for
transgender people through this historical and wonderful judgment.
For
many years now, transgender activists from across the country have been
sensitising the judiciary of India and also advocating with the policy
makers of the country for recognising our rights and also for including
us in all welfare measures. It is our right to live a dignified life.
No
one wants to be a beggar. No one wants to be exploited sexually. We
want to live like any other human being in this country. We deserve a
family. We also deserve happiness. We also have the social obligation
and thirst to contribute to the country's welfare - for the civil
society.
And abandoning or ostracising us will make us live a
nightmarish life. This judgment has shown us hope for our future and for
generations coming up. At least the next generation of transgender
people will not be begging or doing sex work because this legal decision
has paved the way for us.
Transgender teenagers can now continue their studies...dropouts will reduce enormously.
Most
transgenders today are begging and doing sex work because they are
school dropouts. They are not qualified to get a good job.
This
judgment will ensure that they get good education which will result in a
well-qualified job. Even if a family abandons them, they can choose to
live an economically independent life.
I personally welcome this
judgment because I wanted to have a family. I wanted to marry and
though I can't bear children, I wanted to adopt and marry the person I
love. This judgment shows me hope that it is possible to have that
life.
The original article can be found at NDTV blog here
April 25th, 2019. Sahodari Foundation with aid support from Rotary Club of Coimbatore Texcity and Groupon India began a major step in reaching out to desperate and deserving young transgender people and offering them a very useful and powerful youth leadership workshop which will lead them to empower their lives. I conceived the workshop to identify and groom young transgender persons in India to pursue their dreams of living with dignity and happiness, a life away from the melancholy of begging and sex work.
My idea of a leadership workshop was immediately accepted as the club had the idea of conducting an RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) for transgender youth. Both the ideas were similar, just the names different.
