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Transwomen offer prayers to Pune’s Dagdusheth Ganapati
The group of 17 assembled and were granted entry through the exit gate after which they performed a customary pooja and paid tribute to the deity.
Transwomen from the city paid tribute to the Dagdusheth Halwai Ganapati on Sunday morning. A group of 17 transwomen, dressed in sarees of vibrant hues that matched the enthusiasm of thousands of people, gathered to pay tribute to the Dagdusheth Ganpati flooded with devotees during the ongoing Ganeshotsav.
At around 10am, Chanda, Pratiksha, Pavitra, Sanchita, Bipasha and Siya, who have all adopted the surname Patil, stood in sweltering heat and humidity; they managed their sarees and impeccable lip colours as they blended in with the onlookers.
“Everyone comes here rightfully, why not us? I started the initiative last year. Especially after the Supreme Court decision, we must do this,” said Sonali Dalvi, a transwoman and activist from Pune. “The Dagdusheth trust was very welcoming and helpful,” she added.
“She started the initiative last year and it looks like it will become an annual ritual for us,” said Chandani Gorhe, another a transwoman.
As they stood in front of the Datta temple, next to where Dagdusheth Halwai is on display for public viewing, waiting for the others to arrive, various families brought their children - from babies to young teenagers - to be blessed by them.
Sanchita, the senior-most among them, obliged each one of them with a smile. Even as the people approached them with ease, the social divide was visible in the lack of comfort of the younger ones in the group. The group of seven had travelled for hours from Shirur in order to reach the temple in sarees and heavy make-up.
The group of 17 assembled and were granted entry through the exit gate after which they performed a customary pooja and paid tribute to the deity.
