Landmark Durga Puja for transgender community

2022 marks the fifth year its members in Kolkata will be holding their own festivities

Kolkata’s transgender community is gearing up to celebrate its own Durga Puja for the fifth consecutive year.

“During Durga Puja, transgender people prefer to remain hidden for fear of being ridiculed and bullied. They are never included in the celebrations, but targeted when spotted. It has become a mental health issue. That is why we decided to have our own Durga Puja,” Ranjita Sinha, director, Association of Transgender/Hijra in Bengal, told The Hindu.

“During this period, we try to enjoy as much as possible — we pray, cook, eat and get other marginalised people to enjoy the festival too. People who have been thrown out of their homes for being transgender can take refuge at the feet of Mother Durga,” Ms. Sinha said.

The community’s puja lasts all nine days of Navaratri and the idol that is worshipped is that of Ardhanarishwar — a fusion of Shiva and Durga — which is not immersed once the festival is over. For the first three years, the celebrations were held at the association’s office on Gokhale Road, under the banner of Gokhale Road Bandhan, but last year the venue shifted to a new Central government-built shelter in Mukundapur.

“Even the priest is always one among us. He or she is trained in the conduct of rituals for 15 days before the festival begins. Those participating in the rituals include street children, acid attack victims and people living with HIV,” she said.

According to Ms. Sinha, since 2022 marks the fifth year of their Durga Puja, a new idol is being made to be worshipped alongside the existing one. After the festival, the old one will be preserved at its office on Gokhale Road.

“This year, the State government has increased the grant for puja committees by ₹10,000 (from ₹50,000). This should make things easier for us, but we mainly rely on donations from our own community members — the people you see begging at traffic signals. They too want to be a part of the joy that grips the city during Durga Puja, just that nobody includes them,” she said.