The Durbar Hall in Kochi is all decked up for the 10-day camp 'Samanwaya' that began on Friday. In the courtyard, a marquee is erected. All participants are present at the venue; among them 41 are transgenders. For them, participating in such an event is a new experience; something they seldom imagined would happen in their life. On one side of the venue, an artist is busy painting the portraits of all the transgender participants. In a way, the whole event is dedicated to them. None of them are artists. This is an effort by the Lalithakala Akademi to bring them to the forefront and introduce them to art.
"As children, we all wanted to be in different areas like others. But, the fear of being ridiculed for our identity held us back," says Renjini Pillai, one participant, who is the president of Oasis Cultural Society, Thiruvananthapuram. She is also a member of the Thiruvananthapuram district social justice board. As a child, her dream was to form an organisation for her community. "During my childhood, I had this feeling that I was the only transgender. It was later when I went to a temple in Kollam I met my community members," adds Renjini. She has played a crucial role in bringing her community members to this event along with the organisation Sexual Gender Minority Federation of Kerala.
"First, we were apprehensive whether everyone in the camp would accept us. That has changed after coming here. We are happy they treat us as one among them. They said they would teach us painting, hold an exhibition of the best works in Fort Kochi and donate the proceeds from the sale to our organisation," she says with a smile, before entering the gallery where canvases, paints, brushes and palettes are ready for them. The group, which has participants from all districts in Kerala, is divided into three and there are three mentors - Asha Nandan, Smija Vijayan and Sindhu Divakaran to navigate them. Every participant is quite excited and tense at the same time.
Some of them have painted as children. But, for most of them, it is a new area. Yet, they try their best to portray their thoughts on canvas. Like curious children, they cautiously take colours, squeeze them out and gently strike the canvas. Over time, lines take shape and images of trees, houses, clouds, lanes, people, peacock, rainbow and buildings appear on the board. Some are too quick with ideas, while others take time. One of the guides pacify them saying, "take your time; you have 10 days to complete".
For many, the event is an eye-opener, a platform to dig out their talent. Sreemayi from Thiruvananthapuram, who is busy with her pencil sketches, says, “I knew I could draw, but had no way to pursue it,” she says. Looks like, she has a forest in mind. “I don’t know. I am just trying. Initially, I was a little hesitant to take part in it. I thought why they needed us here. But, then my mind changed. Life is very short. If I wait to pursue something once every problem is settled, I wouldn’t get a chance like this. So, I joined,” she smiles and adds, “I love to draw Lotus.”
Transgender participants with other members attending Samanwaya
Sreemayi works as archive assistant at Centre for Development Studies. Aleena from Kozhikode is very careful with the flowers she paints. “I have a flower vase and bouquet in mind. Let’s see how it turns out,” she says mixing colours on the palette. “I am learning to mix colours. It is nice to see new shades emerging,” she says. Next to her stands Chinnu, a makeup artist from Thrissur. She attempts to depict a rainbow. “Rainbow is colourful, besides it denotes freedom. We are a group fighting for freedom and equality,” she says. A few moments later, the sky comes on the backdrop and trees on the bottom of the canvas.
In the next gallery, Padma is fighting with her thoughts. She wants to draw a trident. It is not coming out as she expected and she is nervous. “I don’t know painting,” she says shyly. For a while, she stands there wondering what to do and after some time, with the help of a guide, she finds a solution. She thickens the line and goes on. Outside the gallery, Salma from Thiruvananthapuram puts her work on hold to eat lunch. She is painting a forest. “I have to paint a lot of bushes and flowers. Forest is so thick, right?” she asks while Pramela, who stands next to her, is busy finalising her idea. Everyone is happy about the new step and believes the 10 days would be unforgettable in their life.
