Later this month, thousands of Indians will attend the Koovagam festival, which celebrates an ancient Hindu myth and a community known as hijras. Often compared to transgender women, hijras don’t quite fit into Western notions of gender. Despite their role in religious rituals, they live on the fringes of society…as beggars and sex workers.
Michael Edison Hayden, journalist and grantee of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
Sami Siva, photographer and grantee of the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting
Koovagam Festival from samisiva on Vimeo.
