Thanvi, Dhruv emerge winners at the Transgender Kalolsavam in Kerala

“It is lovely that we have a festival like this happening in Kerala. Members of our community often don’t get other venues to perform and present their skills,” said Druv, individual champion among trans men.
Druv and Tanvi
Druv and Tanvi
Written by:

Ignoring the afternoon heat of Thiruvananthapuram, participants of ‘Varnapakitu’, the Kerala Transgender Arts and Cultural Festival, could be seen crossing back and forth between the University College campus and the Ayyankali (VJT) hall across the road. It was Sunday, October 16, the concluding day of the two-day festival, and both venues were crowded with students from the University and friends of the participants, cheering them as chest numbers were called on stage. Comfortable in claiming the public spaces, unlike on other days when hostile glances keep them away, trans women and men gathered to cheer their friends and take home some awards. The host city, Thiruvananthapuram, was declared the overall champion. Thanvi Ragesh among trans women and Druv Liam among trans men emerged as the prathibha thilakams (individual champions).

“It is lovely that we have a festival like this happening in Kerala. Members of our community often don’t get other venues to perform and present their skills,” said Druv, who won first prize in both folk music and mimicry, and came second in national songs.

Thanvi won her prizes in Bharatanatyam (first), Kuchipudi (first) and folk dance (second). Several folk dance participants chose songs about a time when women of the oppressed castes were treated like slaves and had to boldly face their oppressors as they fought for the right to cover their upper bodies. The song that Thanvi danced to, ‘Kuthari chemba’, was about a slave woman who gets hurt by dominant caste men, and watches her husband being “offered” in sacrifice to the goddess.

“I have been trained in dance. Right now, I am a second year student of Bachelors of Arts in Bharatanatyam, at the RLV College in Tripunithura. I was also the prathibha thilakam (the title for the winner of an arts festival) at the MG University arts fest this year. So, I had learnt some of these performances earlier. My trainers are Pala Amal Prasad and Bhadra Amal,” Thanvi said.


Award winners at Varnapakitu

Even though Druv has not received training for the specific items that he participated in, he is trained in classical music. “I have always been interested in art. The script for the mimicry I performed is something I developed on my own. For my graduation I first went for Sanskrit in Kalady but later did my Bachelor of Physical Education in Chennai. I now work in a catering service in Kakkanad, Ernakulam,” he said.

This is the first time that both Thanvi and Druv have participated in the kalolsavam (culture fest). Both express joy in meeting old friends after a long time. “It was nice that many of us could come together again, especially after the Covid-19 lockdowns,” Thanvi said.

Druv said that he found participating in a culture fest to be a completely different experience from attending one. “You get to know firsthand what goes on the other side of the stage, how everything is organised and how the participants finally get on stage,” Druv added.

One could see the creativity and passion of transgender people for various art forms in the cultural competitions held as part of the fest, said social justice minister R Bindu, on the concluding day. She also said that the government will examine the possibilities of building community living centres for the welfare of the transgender community. Social Justice Director Anjana M, State Transgender Justice Board member Sheethal Shyam and University College vice principal Dr Subrahmanyam also spoke at the event.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The News Minute
www.thenewsminute.com