50 transgenders gather to paint on umbrellas in Mumbai

Not one to restrict the Pride Month to June alone, a 15-year-old artist, Raynah Hazari, is organising an event that will bring around 50 members from the transgender community together. Keeping the ongoing monsoon in mind, the event, titled Falak, will see participants paint umbrellas. “The idea behind this event is to enable people to celebrate themselves through art while also finding respite from their own concerns. It will be a platform for people to paint their worries away, allowing them to have fun and let go,” says the ninth standard student from the city.

But why art? “I believe art is not just about creating visually appealing pieces, but also about conveying emotions, telling stories, and making a lasting impact. Art is a powerful means of communication and through this endeavour, I hope members from the transgender community get to convey their raw emotions and stories that words alone may not be able to express. So we can get a clearer insight on their realities to hopefully bridge the societal divide they experience every day,” says Hazari.

Every transgender artist will take their artwork home. With this event, backed by Sahayog Art Foundation, Aabha and Alert Citizen Forum, Hazari is also looking at creating work opportunities for the transgender community in the future. “I want to establish personal connections with individuals from this community and eventually assemble a team of talented individuals interested in the field of art. In the near future, I wish to engage with them in more art-related projects on a larger scale. This event could hopefully be a stepping stone for them to earn a livelihood though the medium of art in the future. I am also open to potential collaborations with other members of the LGBTIQA+ community,” she says.

Transgender activist and participant Shreedevi Londhe is excited about painting an umbrella as she’s “an art lover”. “It’s the rainy season and what could be more beautiful than painting on umbrellas! We, as a community, look very bold to the world outside. But our lives are indeed black and white. I hope this event helps bring some colour into our lives. I urge society to look beyond our gender and not judge us for the same,” she says.