Twenty-six-year-old transgender Irfana Khan looked stunning in a black sari paired with silver jhumkas and high heels, as she attended a social event on Saturday for the first time in her life.
Pinky Sandil, 28, a resident of Birsanagar, started working as a maid servant after her husband died. She was often treated as a social outcast. On Saturday, she got to put bad memories to rest.
Like Irfana and Pinky, people from different social strata across the steel city gathered at Tribal Culture Centre in Sonari to take part in a cultural event on Saturday, ahead of Durga Puja.
City-based outfit People for Change with the help of Tata Steel Urban Services and Jusco held Maitri Parv where they invited transgenders, widows, destitutes, the differently-abed and visually impaired, as well as school and college children.
“We are never allowed to take part in any celebrations and are always stigamtised. I am just speechless to see amount of love we are getting. We just want to dance and enjoy with each other. After all Durga Ma is for everyone,” said Irfana, a former beauty pageant winner
“After my husband passed away I became a burden for the family. Today (Saturday) I really feel happy to be a part of the programme,” said Pinky.
The programme was filled with cultural performances to mark the beginning of Puja. From playing the dhak to taking part in garba and dancing to Bengali numbers, everyone thoroughly enjoyed the event.
The participants also received Puja gifts from organisers, which included notebooks, art books, colour pencils for underprivileged schoolchildren, toiletries for widows, senior citizens and transgenders and foodgrains for the destitute.
According to founder of People for Change Souvik Saha, Durga Puja shouldn’t be restricted to any particular community or set of people. “There are so many people in the society who doesn’t or are not allowed to take part in the festival. Often widows or trangenders are considered bad omens. That’s archaic thinking. Everyone should have the right to celebrate, So we thought of bringing people from different communities to take part in pre-Puja celebrations,” said Souvik Saha, founder of People for Change.
