Third sex searches for hope in beauty pageant

Kolkata: This was perhaps the first of their many forays in the glitzy world of film and glamour. Sujoy Debnath aka Suzanne, Tanmoy Chakraborty aka Tamanna, Jagannath Debnath aka Jaya, together with 27 other transgenders, participated in the first Indian SuperQueen contest held in the city on Friday.
It was the qualifying round from where Biswanath Nandi from Barasat, Arpan Banerjee aka Aparna and Bhane Butak aka Bhanupriya won the regional finals to compete in the semi-finals to be held in Mumbai.Finally, 15 participants will compete in the finals to be held in Delhi on February 21. The first, second and third prizes are Rs 10 lakh, Rs 8 lakh and Rs 5 lakh respectively.
Most of the participants dreamt that the platform which the first ever transgender beauty pageant offered them would make them achieve greater heights and recognition. When asked to introduce themselves in the second round, which reflected their personality, many of them spoke about their singing abilities, dancing interests and even the fact that they did community service as a hobby.
Anirban, who mentioned that singing was her passion, even sang a few lines of Rabindrasangeet Ektuku Choa Laage. The participants enthralled the audience, among whom many were transgenders themselves, with their speeches, ramp walk, dancing and singing skills.
When asked about how they can use the platform provided by Indian SuperQueen, Suzanne, a participant said, "Society always tries to dominate our community. This beauty pageant could be one of the first steps towards eradicating the humiliation which my community constantly faces, and its poverty."
As the contestants lined up on the centre stage of RangaMancha at Swabhumi, it was a riot of colours, with each dressed up in gorgeous Indian and Western outfits, displaying fine jewellery and funky hairdo. The first round was the ramp walk, which gave the judges an idea about whether the participants were comfortable with their sexuality. The second round was a personality judging round, while the final round was a question-answer session.
When asked what she would tell if she met the Prime Minister someday, contestant no. 4 was prompt in her reply: "I will urge him to ensure that our community receives more independence and respect. I want to narrate to him our existing plight."
One of the contestants even expressed her desire to start her own beauty salon if she clinched the Indian SuperQueen crown.
Among the three judges were Pawan, country head, Saathi, Anisray Choudhary, a gay activist and Agniva Lehri.
Laxmi Narayan Tripathi, CEO of Twelve Noon Entertainment, which is organising the pageant, said, "We have offered this platform to all those who want to bring a change. No more will the society look at them with pity, trying to take advantage. Rather, this pageant will ensure that transgenders can mix with the mainstream society freely."
When the names of the winners were declared, many broke into a jig, cheering and hoping that this pageant would be the first step towards a new beginning".