Souls of Someone: Myth, Magic and Mourning in Koovagam

by Shino Cherian

English 1 edition

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.