On the morning of Chitra Poornima, May 1, on the streets of Villupuram you could see only Aravanis dressed in garish clothes, horrible wigs and loud and gaudy make up. Even when they wandered around the streets talking loudly and occasionally passing lewd comments among themselves, not one in the town paid any attention to them.
The people of Villupuram know these people descend on their town once a year on their way to Koovagam village.
Many non-governmental organisations that work to curb HIV/AIDS were also present at Villupuram, using the occasion to educate trans-genders on the risks of the deadly virus. Prominent among them is the Tamil Nadu AIDS Initiative, or TAI, funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
According to 2003 data, there are 40,000 Aravanis in Tamil Nadu. TAI is working with 10,000 Aravanis in 14 districts of the state.
"Though the Koovagam festival has been happening for several decades, for the last few years, the number of people coming here has increased tremendously. So also the risks of HIV/ADS," said Jayashree of TAI.
"As a group, Aravanis are more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS than even female sex workers because they are marginalised and do not receive medical care. It is also very difficult to work with this group. So, we use this festival as an opportunity to enlighten them on the risks of HIV/AIDS," Jayashree added.
The beauty contest organised by TAI for Aravanis had a question and answer session to decide the winner. The questions quizzed them on their knowledge of HIV/AIDS. TAI had also organised a cultural fest where a wing of TAI called TAI Kavya comprising only Aravanis performed dance and music programmes. The message in all of them was prevention of HIV/AIDS.
Also see: India's ambitious plan to battle AIDS
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