Activist Kalki Subramaniam, a popular contemporary artist, poet, writer, filmmaker and actor, wants the masses, especially the youth, to know the pain that a transgender goes through. For that, she chose the medium of poetry, visuals, images, and sound.

In her poetry titled Kuri Aruthaen (Phallus, I cut), she expresses her pain, happiness and sorrow and has now adapted the hard-hitting poetry anthology into poetic short films, called Vadu- The Scar.

“The poetry was published a couple of years ago and I always wondered how they would be if they were adapted into a visual medium. Vadu is a compilation of six poems- Ongi Kai Thattu, Mahakali- Varam Kodu, Amma, Vithiye Ezhuthinen, Kuri Aruthaen and Eazham. It was a completely new experiment. The poetry was discussed only among the educated and I wanted to take it to the masses,” she explained.

Edited by Bharat Vikram, the short film has cinematography by Alice Priya and the music of Ken Lloyd, an American musician who gives his music royalty-free for projects like this.

Speaking from her own experience, she tried to give us a peek into the abyss of torture and ridicule transgenders go through. “Transgenders are often asked these questions- Why do you dress like this? Why are you a beggar? Why do you misbehave in public? Let me tell you, not all transgenders do this. Transgenders are constantly ridiculed and denied opportunities. They wage an inner war among themselves and when they finally come out, they are ostracized by the family. They take refuge in the streets. You see them begging on the streets but you do not know the pain they are in,” she said.

“Every ostracized community in the society, be it transgenders, dalits, refugees, victims in Syria or Sri Lankan Tamils are going through the pain of being rejected by the society. There are a number of stories that are not yet told,” she added.

And that’s the beautiful thing about them, as even when they lead a difficult life they do so with their heads held high. “Despite all the turmoil, we believe that life is to cherish and that we should not stop smiling. We don’t want anyone’s sympathy. We too have a responsibility towards the society- environment, economy politics and international affairs. We too see the strains caused by casteism and religion. I think it’s time transgenders came to political power. We don’t have any political heir and the transgender community will play a crucial role in working towards a better society,” she said.

H/T: The Times Of India