SAMBALPUR: While the participation of the transgenders in the baraat procession of Lord Shiva during the Sital Sasthi festival is an age-old custom, going a step further to set an example of inclusivity, two individual Sital Sasthi committees have organised fashion show for the third gender, ahead of the festival on Saturday. Participation in mass festivals like Sital Sasthi provides the transgender community with a visible and respected role in society. It is a way for them to engage with the larger community and assert their identity and significance.
Thus, the two Sital Sasthi committees have attempted to add a new dimension in that direction. A member of the Gupteswar Baba Sital Sasthi Committee in Daleipara area said, “The objective is to give the transgender community a better visibility. While people attend the procession of the major committees in large numbers, the transgenders coming to perform at procession of other small committees do not get the deserved visibility.
The fashion show is an effort to make them stand out from the usual crowd.” He further said it will be held in the form of a competition and around 100 members of the third gender from the region are expected to participate. They will show their own creativity in dressing up and the winner will be rewarded with a token of appreciation.
The show is scheduled on the evening of Sunday at Gangadhar Mandal in the city. “Though we are doing it for the first time, we aspire to expand it and make it wid.