M. Palani Kumar

S. Senthalir

Editor

Binaifer Bharucha

Photo Editor

large_01-PAL_0283-PK-Theatre_of_the_trans_community.jpg

medium_01-PAL_0283-PK-Theatre_of_the_trans_community.jpg

small_01-PAL_0283-PK-Theatre_of_the_trans_community.jpg

thumbnail_01-PAL_0283-PK-Theatre_of_the_trans_community.jpg

01-PAL_0283-PK-Theatre_of_the_trans_community.jpg

The class is silent and attentive as the biology teacher explains how chromosomes determine sex in a human being. “Females have two X chromosomes while males have one X and a Y chromosome. If XX chromosomes pair up with a Y, then you get a person like the one sitting there,” says the teacher, pointing towards a student. The class erupts into laughter as the student stands up awkwardly.This is the opening scene in Sandakaranga (determined to fight), a play on the trans community. While the first part of the play talks about the humiliation and mockery a child is subjected to in a classroom for not fitting into the gender mandated roles, the second half recreates the lives of trans women and trans men subjected to violence.The Trans Rights Now Collective (TRNC) focusses on Dalit, Bahujan and Adivasi voices of trans people across India. They presented the first performance of Sandakaranga in Chennai, Tamil Nadu on November 23, 2022. The hour-long play is directed, produced, and performed by a group of nine trans persons. “November 20 is observed as International Trans Day of Remembrance, in memory of trans persons who have died. Their lives are not easy as they are often neglected by their families and ostracised by society and several are either murdered or die by suicide,” says Grace Banu, founder of TRNC.

“Each year, this number has been increasing. When there is violence against trans community, no one raises their voice against this. There is absolute silence in our society,” says Banu who is an artist and activist. “We had to start a conversation. That is the reason why we have named [the performance] Sandakaranga.”In 2017, this play was staged as ‘Sandakarai’ and later in 2022 the title was changed to ‘Sandakaranga’. “We changed it to be inclusive of all trans persons,” explains Grace Banu. The nine artists in this play narrate the pain and suffering and question the ignorance and silence surrounding the verbal and physical violence towards the trans community. “This is the first-time trans men and trans women have come together on a stage,” says Negha, writer and director of Sandakaranga.“We are always on survival mode. We are constantly working to pay our monthly bills or buy essentials. While working on this script, I was excited but also enraged that trans men and trans women never get an opportunity to act in theatre or cinema. I thought, we risk our lives to survive, why not take risks to produce a play,” adds Negha. This photo story captures the moments that bring alive the erased history of trans community, reclaiming their right to live, and respect for their body.

Unveiled: theatre of the trans community

تھیٹر کے ذریعے اپنی کہانی بیان کرتی ٹرانس کمیونٹی

ట్రాన్స్ సముదాయపు నాటకరంగ ఆవిష్కరణ

ਰੰਗਮੰਚ ਜ਼ਰੀਏ ਆਪਣੇ ਵਜੂਦ ਦੀ ਹਾਜ਼ਰੀ ਲਵਾਉਂਦਾ ਦੁਵਲੰਗੀ ਸਮਾਜ

ଉନ୍ମୋଚିତ ହେଲା: କିନ୍ନର ସମ୍ପ୍ରଦାୟର ଥିଏଟର୍

ट्रान्स समुदायाचं जग रंगमंचीय अवकाशात

ട്രാൻസ് സമുദായത്തിന്റെ അരങ്ങിന് തിരശ്ശീല ഉയരുമ്പോൾ

ಸರಿದ ಪರದೆ: ಟ್ರಾನ್ಸ್ ಸಮುದಾಯದ ರಂಗಭೂಮಿ

नाटक के ज़रिए ख़ुद के होने की गवाही देता ट्रांस समुदाय

ટ્રાન્સ સમુદાયના રંગમંચ પરથી પડદો ઊંચકાય છે

नाटक ले अपन होय के गवाही देवत किन्नर समाज

ट्रांस समुदाय संगे हिंसा पर चुप्पी के खिलाफ एगो नाटक

বেবাক, গোচর, অটল: রূপান্তরকামী জনগোষ্ঠীর নাটক

ৰূপান্তৰকামীয়ে গঢ়ি তোলা এখন মঞ্চ আৰু মনৰ কথা

திருநர் சமூகத்தின் நாடகக் குழு

Chennai

At present, we can only accept donations in Indian rupees by Indian citizens. All donations made to the CounterMedia Trust are eligible for exemption under Section 80G of the Income Tax Act, 1961. Here is a copy of our exemption certificate.


India is bigger than New Delhi. And people need to know more about the rest of this vast nation.


Younger, media-saturated generations are growing up knowing little about their country, but a lot about the elites of a few metros and towns. For a narrowly-owned, commercially-driven media, the dumbing down of a nation is part of standard operating procedure. The last available data of the Centre for Media Studies (CMS, Delhi) show us that reports from New Delhi account for 66 per cent of news on the front pages of major dailies. The CMS data also found that just about 0.24 per cent of front page news came out of rural India. The TV channels are not much better.PARI exists to change that.We are a non-profit organisation. We publish under creative commons, and do not charge readers a subscription fee or put-up advertisements. Nothing is behind a paywall and we are completely free-to-access by anyone. We guard our independence and receive no direct grants from governments and corporations, nor any funding that could dictate our content. So, we are dependent on volunteer labour, donations from individuals, foundations and institutions that see value in independent and free media.PARI is changing the way Indian journalism reports and documents the rural.India is more than the elite of a few metros and towns. We report on rural lives and livelihoods, languages, communities, migrants and more. We need your help to pull off this most ambitious of Indian journalistic endeavours. The scale of this effort costs money. Donate generously - and spread the word about PARI.&nbsp;

Donate FAQs


Let’s get you acquainted

Welcome to PARI

All our content is, and will forever be free to consume. If you enjoy our work, you can support us by becoming a volunteer or by donating to help fund our work.

Want to republish this article? Please write to <a href="mailto:zahra@ruralindiaonline.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">zahra@ruralindiaonline.org</a> with a cc to <a href="mailto:namita@ruralindiaonline.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">namita@ruralindiaonline.org</a>

Unveiled: theatre of the trans community

Trans people rarely get a chance to perform theatre. On International Transgender Day of Visibility, held on March 31, a photo story on Sandakaranga – a play about the lives of the transgender community and their struggles against discrimination

Related stories

A rain-scented walk in Sivagangai

Living on ravaged land

Biswas and the bamboos on his bike

Recycling energy, Godda style

Bhadels of Goa

Pookadai: still throbbing with morning life

Koli Kadlas

Malnourishment high among children of migrants: study

Wheels of the rural Indian West

Living Under a Red Cloud in Bellary

Vedla – earrings of the Maher community

Dreaming of water, drowning in debt

Kali: the dancer and his dreams

Farmer's diet worse than a convict's

In Yavatmal, life goes on

Suicides are about the living, not the dead

Death of a carpenter

Hoisa Shigmo!

Women farmers: weaving a life in Anantapur

Defiant in Dhinkia

Spice and all that's nice

Kerala's Green Army

The ‘jugaad’ not-a-mobile

Health as someone else's wealth

Calibrating in a Kudumbashree assembly unit