To be included is all that they wanted, and Kozhikode is doing just that. Transgender community in the city is in the limelight now as never before and will never have to look back. Chamayam 2017, a cultural festival of the TG community held here on Monday was just a pointer towards the path ahead for its members.

Organised by Punarjani Cultural Society, an NGO working among transgender individuals (TGI) in the district, and Snehatheeram, the first Kudumbasree neighbourhood group for TGIs in Kozhikode, Chamayam was an opportunity for members of the community to showcase their hidden talents. Throughout the day, they danced, sang and made merry at the Kozhikode Town Hall while the city watched.

Deputy Mayor Meera Darshak opened the cultural programmes. Corporation welfare standing committee chairperson Anita Rajan presided over the function. The colourful procession from Stadium Junction to the Town Hall in the afternoon was flagged of by P. Pradeep, Circle Inspector of Police, Kasaba, who has been in the forefront to help the TG community make a decent living.

Opening a public meeting in the evening, Thalassery Chief Judicial Magistrate R.L. Baiju said: “Our Constitution gives much importance to equality. This tenet cannot be fulfilled if we do not accept TGIs as part of our society and our siblings.” He added that several problems of the TG community like lack of toilets, hospital wards, and proper education were being addressed step by step.