Gender Benders

In a society still governed by caste and cultural identities,a unique music album by nine transgenders aims to spread the message of love and unity

Bangalore-based Akkai Padmashali was drawn to Carnatic classical music when she was 14. Her grandmother,a vocalist herself,taught music to the neighbourhood children. But when Padmashali wanted to learn,her grandmother refused to teach. She was slowly becoming aware of my transgender identity and forced me to play with boys. But I wanted to learn, says Padmashali. She went back to a recording that she had heard many years ago. It was MS Subbulaxmis recital of Bhagyada Laxmi,a Kannada bhajan written by saint Purandar Dasa and rendered in the legends euphonic voice. Her throaty alaaps paired with the gamaks (glides) and her trademark nasal twang had Padmashali hooked. The song was the embodiment of bhakti bhava for her.

So when Delhi-based Anubhav Gupta,director of NGO Jeevan Trust that works for the underprivileged,decided to give representation to the third gender through an album comprising songs by members of the transgender community and roped in Padmashali to sing she chose Bhagyada Laxmi. I felt really close to the song as goddess Laxmi is valued by diverse Indian communities, says Padmashali,who has sung in Songs of the Caravan,arguably Indias first album sung by transgender women,which not only celebrates the singing talent from the Indian transgender community but also allows the participants to put in their love and faith in the music. The album has 13 songs in nine regional languages.

According to Gupta,who has created this album in collaboration with Delhis Abhivyakti Foundation and PlanetRomeo Foundation,Netherlands,the project was essential. If you look at any mainstream music platform,transgenders are not represented. This will give them an opportunity to hone their talent, says Gupta,who began the project by writing to various organisations working to improve the third gender communities and conducted auditions over the phone. The singers in the album hail from diverse socio-cultural backgrounds. Having fought the stereotypes,they have now established themselves in their various fields, he adds. Many singers on the album are activists and have travelled across the world to promote transgender rights.

Interestingly,five out of the nine singers are trained in classical music,western classical and Rabindra Sangeet and Gupta has tried to include other regional folk forms. So there is Kolkata-based Amitava Sarkar,a post graduate in social welfare,singing Ekla cholo re,filmmaker-activist Kalki Subramaniam from Auroville crooning a breathy song named Walk away,Hansa from Rajasthan singing an upbeat desert folk song and Delhi-based Rani singing an ode to Lord Krishna. Her Yashoda Maiya is a folk song of UP sung by women to celebrate the birth of a male child. I have sung before on official functions but never in a studio. It served as a creative outlet for the seven years of training in Rabindra Sangeet, says Sarkar.

All songs were composed,recorded and mixed in the participants respective states followed by mastering and digitisation in Delhi. Gupta was working on a tight budget,so the recordings were done in the states these participants belong to. But Guptas search stuck a blindspot when it came to the transgenders from Punjab and Kashmir,where they are still in the closet. This album is like a journey of their struggles,not just about acceptance by the society but themselves, says Gupta.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram

Tags:
Carnatic classical music