KOCHI: Dhwayah means dual, a term that beautifully captures the essence of transgender life. When Renju Renjimar founded Dhwayah Arts and Cultural Society, all she wanted was to create a space for her community members, and now, the society is all set for its biggest event so far- the first ever transgender beauty pageant in Kerala to be held in Kochi on June 15.
“There are many extremely talented individuals in our community. But they are often denied access to beauty contests because of their TG identity. They lack a platform to showcase their talent and Queen of Dhwayah 2017 offers exactly that. It’s also an attempt to integrate them into the mainstream,” says the celebrity make-up artist.
Fifteen contestants from various parts of Kerala will be vying for the crown of Queen of Dhwayah 2017, a gala event expected to feature a string of celebrities. “We conducted auditions in Kollam, Kochi and Kozhikode. 25 participants were selected and from them 15 contestants will be shortlisted for the final,” she says. The grand finale will be a star-studded affair to be graced by celebrities like Bollywood actor Madhubala, Shweta Menon, Parvathy Omanakuttan, Mamta Mohandas, Bhavana, Remya Nambeesan, Prayaga Martin and Rimi Tomy. “Shamna Kasim, Mukta and Krishnprabha will be performing at the event,” she adds.
Renju says Queen of Dhwayah 2017 is not just a beauty contest, but a venue for transgenders to come out and claim their space. “There were grooming sessions after each auditions and the contestants say it immensely helped to boost their confidence levels. There are participants from remote parts who are normally denied all opportunities to come out and be independent,” she says.
The pageant is a platform to motivate the community members to come forward, she adds.“Lack of formal education and one factor that prevents transgenders to make it to mainstream. There are colleges with a column for transgenders in their application forms, but the students have to face a lot of harassment and they are not very comfortable in such institutions. Dhwayah 2017 is also an attempt from our part to spread an awareness, to sensitise the society,” she says.
Queen of Dhwayah will follow all the rules of regular beauty pageants and have eminent personalities as judges. “Apart from the winners, there will be a number of other titles as well. Getting any title like Miss Beautiful Hair or Miss Beautiful Eyes will be a great motivation to the participants,” she says. Though there has been great support form the celebrity community and public, the event has no sponsor so far. “Amidst all the happiness it’s something that bothers us. Hopefully we will get a good sponsor soon,” she winds up.