We had just about got done applauding Kerala for hosting the country’s first transgender athletic meet when news came in of auditions being held in the state for its first transgender pageant.
As reported by Times of India (TOI), auditions were taking place in Kochi recently, where a turnout of over forty transgender people - only nine of them were selected. Organised by the Dhwayah Arts and Cultural society, an association of transgender individuals in Kerala, the event is focused on the inclusion and empowerment of India’s third gender in reality, not just by having laws on paper.
Speaking to TOI, celebrity makeup artist and an organiser of the pageant Renju Renjimar stated,”“The idea is to give transpeople more confidence, to be active in the mainstream. Though Kerala has become more trans-friendly on paper, we are still discriminated against. We hope this pageant will help transpeople come out of their shells.”
Further, Renjimar added that the event is modelled around the rules and regulations of the Miss India contest, “especially that of the 1994 pageants,” although what sets this pageant apart from the others is the focus on personality and confidence as a major criteria for judging the participants, as explained by former Miss Kerala Elizabeth Thadikaran.
As reported by The News Minute, the auditions are being judged by Elizabeth Thadikaran, Renju Renjimar, along with fashion choreographer Sunil Menon, and in the final round by Parvathy Omanakuttan and Ranjini Haridas.
Tripthi Shetty, one among the nine participants selected in Kochi, tells TOI, “I view this beauty contest as an opportunity to fulfil my dreams. We are told that the winners will be featured as cover girls for a popular magazine. I am working hard and hoping for the best.” The entire transgender community eagerly awaits the pageant, as do we.
Click here to read the complete report by Times of India
Feature image via The News Minute