CHENNAI: When events, rallies and speeches pack Pride Month, the idea of doing something different to create awareness while connecting with the people urged Swetha Sudhakar C, the founder of Born2Win and other members of the organisation to start their storytelling session, Kadhaipoma Vanga, last year.
In their second edition and the 15th year of Chennai Pride, the organisation is back with the stories from the members of the trans community to provide a deeper insight into their daily struggles. “Members of the community conduct a lot of programmes during Pride Month for creating awareness. I feel like there is always a need to share personal stories as that will bring people closer to reality. Through the event, we are focussing on the experiences of young people from the community in the working sector,” says Swetha.
Advocate Kanmani, entrepreneur Nazeer Mohammed, actors Sadhana and Niranjana, GCC worker Trisha, senior trans social worker Sheela James and celebrity make-up artist Yesuraja will be speaking at the event. “Through a lot of stories, people will come to know that the preconceived notions and stereotypical beliefs about the community as a whole are not true. If one trans person commits a crime, people blame the whole community. This should change.
People should realise that there are members of the community who are trying to fight against all the odds with what they have. We have included stories of trans people and other members of the queer community,” says Swetha. The event, conducted in collaboration with Rotary 3232, will also feature a gana performance from Gana Vimala, a dance from Kali Veerapathiran and a Tamil poetry reading from Sandhya.
Born2Win is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to the education, empowerment and employment of the members of the trans community. In their tenth year of establishment, they hope to reach more people with the communities’ stories.
Swetha says, “When people hear the story of an entrepreneur, they will get to know how to run a business despite the struggles in society and the internal conflicts. From a senior trans person’s life, people can understand the struggles of the past years and how they built the resilience to keep moving forward. Checking to see if the reality of the life of a trans model is similar to what is portrayed is important. Apart from these, the speakers will also provide an insight into employment opportunities, difficulties in the work sector and gender affirmation surgery.”
Kadhaipoma Vanga Season
2 will be held at Hotel Malaiyappa, Guindy from 3 pm onwards on June 23. For details, visit @born2winsocialtrust on Instagram.