Korou Khundrakpam

The Green Rooms

This is an excerpt from a project documenting the everyday realities of a group of young transwomen in Imphal. It follows some of them engaged in performing arts as they prepare for public performances. In a society yet to come to terms with the nuances of human gender and sexuality, they tend to converge around these practices esp. Sumaang Lilaa. It is a traditional form of theatre usually with an all male and trans-female cast which the people of Manipur has come to accept and love. Apart from helping in securing a livelihood, this practice brings about an assertion of their gender identity on a public platform. Onstage they live the lives of magnificent heroines as an audience, who is willing to accept them in this limited context, watches on in awe.

January 26th 2014, we got married. Kundo and I.

As the song goes Bãwre se is jahãn mein bãwrã ek sãth ho