Festivity mood spoilt by RG Kar tragedy, says Bengal transgender organisation

Garima Griho (Home for pride), a shelter home for homeless people of the transgender community and Kolkata’s only transgender-organised Durga Puja, said on Thursday that this year the festivity mood has been spoilt by the horrific RG Kar tragedy.

The head of Garima Griho and a leading face of transgender rights activism in West Bengal Ranjita Sinha told IANS that although they had mega plans of festivity this year - considering that it is the seventh year of the Puja organised by them - the festivity mood was spoilt to a great extent because of the RG Kar tragedy.

“When we think of the parents of the victim’s parents, who are staging a sit-in protest in front of their residence remembering their daughter, the general festive mood vanishes. We are organising our Puja following full traditional rituals but without the mood of festivity,” Sinha said.

The people of the transgender community are taking lead roles in the protests as people from different walks of life and professions throughout West Bengal have been organising protest rallies during the last two months against the ghastly crime.

The transgender community either organised rallies of their own or sent their representatives to the rallies organised by people from different professions on the issue.

Goddess Durga is worshipped as “Ardhanariswara” here, which symbolises the combination of the strengths of “Shiva & Shakti (Goddess Durga and Lord Shiva in a single body and soul).”

While this is the mythological concept of “Ardhanariswara”, there is also a social definition of this form of goddess. “Ardhanariswara” means the symbol of universal motherhood, where the concept of motherhood is not limited within the boundaries of the concept of just biological females.

There is a unique point of the Garima Griho Puja. Unlike other Pujas, the idol is not immersed on the occasion of Vijaya Dashami rather it is restored throughout the year at one corner of the shelter home.

“The concept of immersion involves the pain of separation from Devi Durga and her family for a full year. As for us, we are isolated from society to a great extent. So, we do not want to burden ourselves with the additional pain of separation through immersion,” said transgender rights activist Ranjita Sinha.