After the Seat belt Crew's commendable effort of bringing the transgender into limelight, here is Anubhav Gupta who has collaborated nine transgender for a music album titled ‘Song of Caravan'.
This album is a collection of 13 songs sung by 9 transgenders reflecting their angst, yearning, ambition and love they crave for.
Though transgender are officially being given the status of the third gender but practically they are treated as nobody in the society. Once their blessing was considered as sacred as the blessing of ‘God', but now they are nowhere to be seen!
And this album is a unique effort towards giving a voice to the unheard - the people who have been living in the dark since existence.
Even today, whenever we hear the word transgender, the very image that strikes our mind is of someone exhibiting loud and bizarre behavior or gate-crashing weddings or homes after the baby birth or someone begging at traffic interceptions.
However, society is changing gradually and is changing for good.
The man-behind the album - Anubhav Gupta runs a NGO named Jeevan Trust for underprivileged and fighting for the rights of LGBT community.
His meeting with Amitava Sarkar, transgender from Kolkata proved out to be turning point which pushed him to come with this one sort of thing.
This initiative has certainly given the wings to the community (transgenders) who were thriving to get recognition amid the suppression, ignorance, hatred being given by the society throughout their lives.
Even the people from minority or backward class strive hard for tasting success, forget the ‘transgenders' who are yet denied the family support and backing.
Transwoman, Ankura Patil or Ankur who has lent her voice for the album is a trained artist from Gujarat. She recalls how badly she wanted to learn dancing in childhood but could not as her father said ‘boys don't learn dance in our family'.
Her poetry ‘Hu pankhi banine uddu' (flying like a bird) is there in the album.
Listeners would find a great platter of folk, traditional, devotional, pop and blue music in this album. Moreover, rich Hindustani to Carnatic classic and Rabindra sangeet is a perfect mix to mesmerize the audiences.
Interestingly, this album was recorded two years ago but due to lack of funds its release was postponed. Now it is out with the funding from Planet Romeo Foundation and support of United Nation Development Program and Abhivyakti Foundation.
