They are a normal fixture at weddings and births dancing, clapping, singing and forcing money out of hapless souls. They can even be spotted at traffic intersections begging for alms. Of course, it?s all accompanied with the traditional song-and-dance-routine and that trademark clap. Unsurprisingly then, the popular perception of transgenders in our country is that of an ?unwelcome guest?. But Anubhav Gupta, director of the NGO Jeevan Trust thinks otherwise.
His NGO will soon release a music album called Songs of the Caravan, which has 13 songs in nine languages, all sung by transgenders. ?The album is about giving transgenders a chance to find their voice, showcase their talent to the world and break the social stereotyping that transgenders can only sing in a particular fashion,? says Gupta.
A brainchild of Gupta?s, the idea of the album was born last year. Gupta was in Kolkata working for HIV awareness when a chance meeting with Amitava Sarkar, a Kolkata-based transgender working in trans-activism, led to the idea. Trained in Rabindra Sangeet, Sarkar helped Gupta get in touch with other musically trained transgenders from the community. Gupta then scanned the length and breadth of the country looking for singers and sponsers. ?We met a number of people and after a tedious process of auditions, the artistes were selected,? says Sailendra Singh, general secretary, Abhivyakti Foundation. In Gupta?s words, the album ?is a way to bring upfront the issues faced by transgenders and move towards a more equal society?.
Songs of the Caravan contains a rich collection of folk, traditional, devotional, even pop and blues music. It also has poetry. Sarkar has recorded Jodi tor dak sune keu na aashe, a popular Bengali classic by Rabindranath Tagore, for the album. The reason behind choosing this classic was her inclination towards Tagore and a wish to share the message behind the song that says although we are alone in the world, we have to keep moving, says Sarkar. ?It was a wonderful experience singing for the album. I have sung before on official functions but never in a studio set-up. It was a welcome break from our routine lives and served as a great creative outlet for the seven years of training in Rabindra Sangeet that I have had,? says Sarkar.
Akkai Padamshaili, a human rights activist from Bangalore, wanted to learn Carnatic vocal as a child but was turned away by her teacher who felt her presence would make other disciples uncomfortable. Later, she found a guru in Chitra Chidambaram. Padamshaili has recorded the Lakshmi stuti Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma. ?It has been sung by MS Subbulakshmi but my rendition is very different. While she sings in a low voice, I sing on a high pitch,? she says.
Ankur Patil, a 40-year-old diploma holder in Hindustani classical music from Mumbai, has recorded a self-written and self-composed song in Gujarati called Hu Pankhi banine udu. ?I opted for this song because till date I have lived a life that society has expected from me. Now, I want to feel liberated. The struggle to get my identity recognised has been quite painful.? Patil wants to open a music school for the poor and
provide them free training.
Apart from professional singers, there are also contributors who have had no formal training in music, such as Hansa, Kalki Subramaniam and Kalyani.
Hansa, who has sung Bhaker main, a Rajasthani folk number, helps her family in their safety-pin manufacturing business. Bhaker main talks about the relationship between a daughter-in-law and her husband?s brother. Recording for the album was her first experience of professional singing. Tamil Nadu-based transgender rights activist Kalki Subramaniam, a double post-graduate in media and international relations, has sung Walk away in English. Kalyani, a Mumbai-based research assistant, underwent only two weeks? training before recording a Marathi folk song depicting the state of a woman waiting for her beloved to come back home. ?More than acceptance from other people, I want my community to rise up and
focus on individual development, thinking and standing,? she says.
Gupta and company are looking for sponsors to raise funds for the album, which is almost ready, with digitisation to take place soon. ?We are looking for a late-July or early-August launch. However, we are short of funds as no one apart
from our donor agency Planet Romeo Foundation have come out to help us,? says Singh of Abhivyakti Foundation. The album is
being released in collaboration with Abhivyakti Foundation and Jeevan Trust?s main supporter, Planet Romeo Foundation, Netherlands, which works for LGBT rights. They are planning to release the album, to be categorised under world music, on digital and hard copy formats that will be available in various stores, as well as on websites like Flipkart.