“How did a community go from being respected and in culture and religion, to being discriminated in modern society?”
My 3 postcards titled “The Secret Lives of Hijra's" is about humans we encounter everyday, though visible in public, their world is often shrouded in secrecy.
As well-established as the Hijras may be, they are still regarded by many Indians with discomfort and derision.
Through my postcards, I intend on contributing to ridding society of stigmas and superstitions by depicting portraits of Hijra’s, with my illustrations I attempted to bring through; “their colourful saris, bright makeup, brash singing and loud clapping, they make sure their presence is noticed.”
Postcard 1
"A Hijra in the times of the Ramayana"
Postcard 2
"A Hijra in the colonialist times"
Postcard 3
"A Hijra in the 21st Century"
Process sketches
The backside of each postcard tells a tale about Hijra’s in India through a certain period of time, which may help others learn a little more about the transgender community and their strive towards equality.
If you look close enough to the illustrations, you can see the logo “Transparent” which reflects how despite the obvious presence of these people in our society, they are simultaneously made to feel transparent amongst us.
This project was made at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology.
It is a work in progress.
