‘Hijada', a photographer's travelogue by news photographer P. Abhijith on the world of transgenders, was released at the Sports Council Hall here on Wednesday. A. Revati, a transgender activist from Tamil Nadu, accepted the first copy of the book from writer Subhash Chandran.
In his inaugural address, Mr. Chandran said the book would be an eye-opener to the Malayalees and would wipe out their stigma against the transgender community. The initiative was laudable as the photographer spent three years to complete the work, he added.
Delivering the presidential address, writer Civic Chandran said the book would secure a space in history for its role in informing Keralites about the grim lives of transgenders. The work, published by Prasantha Books, was also an expression of solidarity to the members of the community who were being sidelined, he added.
Expressing gratitude to the photographer's initiative, Ms. Revati said people from her community were being sidelined because of society's ignorance of their plight. “We are glad to learn that there are compassionate persons in Kerala who can realistically portray our trauma,” she said.
Addressing the gathering, Akkai Amma, another transgender activist from Bangalore, said the transgenders' community never wanted to confine their lives under the tag ‘third genders' as fixed by the government. She urged the government to use the word ‘transgender' instead of ‘third gender' in the coming gender census.
Mr. Abhijith prepared the travelogue—comprising 90 exclusive pictures and captions unveiling the customs and practices of transgenders—by visiting a number of destinations in Tamil Nadu. He said he could interact with hundreds of transgenders in Tamil Nadu to understand the discrimination and challenges they faced.