For eighteen days during the Chithirai month of the Tamil calendar, Koovagam, a sleepy hamlet in central Tamil Nadu, hosts one of the most extraordinary festivals in the world in which thousands of transgender women gather to participate.
While beauty pageants, sexual health awareness workshops and travelling markets define the first sixteen days, the festival crescendos over the final forty-eight hours when countless transgender women enter the Koothandavar temple in the village to marry Lord Aravan, whose sacrifice played a crucial role in ensuring the victory of the Pandavas in the Mahabharata.
In this stunning photobook, Shino Cherian guides readers into the heart and legend of Koovagam and allows them to witness its magic with their own eyes. Part memoir, part travelogue, Souls of Someone not only compels one to look beyond prejudice but also serves as a poignant odyssey of an artist's self-discovery.
About the Author
Shino Cherian is a travel photographer and aspiring filmmaker. After completing his Engineering degree from SRM University, Chennai, he studied Cinematography at Neo Film School, Kochi.
Cherian spent the first few years of his career working in the film industry and advertising firms in Chennai. He filmed a documentary in the Western Ghats, Patterns of Life: Prana, which won critical acclaim and was released on Mubi India and Amazon Prime in 2020.
His arduous journey to the Koovagam festival, which celebrates the transgender community, paved the way to his debut photobook, Souls of Someone.
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