Chennai's first trans woman gana singer’s tale of ache and agony for upliftment

CHENNAI: Vijayakumar realised that he was a trans woman in Class 6 but remained quiet because of fear. At one point in time, he decided to face the fear and revealed his gender to his family. He underwent surgery at 17. Vijayakumar, now Vimala, is India’s first trans woman gana singer from the streets of Chintadripet. “I have reached a level where my name appears in Google search. I have been singing from 13 years of age and I am the first transgender to be a part of Coke Studio,” starts Vimala, who has sung in Sean Rolden’s music in Keerthy Suresh-starrer Raghu Thatha. She is also acting alongside Vijay Sethupathi in Train. “All these opportunities knocked on my door because of my voice and gana,” she adds.

When Vimala’s family opposed the revelation and beat her black and blue in fear of losing respect and honour, she ran away to a transgender’s house. “From there, I tried convincing my family that their non-acceptance could ruin my talent and future. This could take me in the wrong direction and people will use me for money-making activities like begging and sexual work. My parents gradually understood the reality and started accepting me, which is now the backbone of my success,” recalls the 29-year-old.

Vimala affirms that society’s acceptance will help the trans community lead a more peaceful, successful and meaningful life. “If parents accept the kids’ identity and keep the children with them, we will focus on our lives rather than thinking about getting into wrongdoings. I wish the coming generation would live in an environment where their gender is embraced. This will help them in showcasing their skills to the world without any fear of being judged,” she hopes.

Achieving in the field of gana singing was not a bed of roses for Vimala. “Since my childhood, I wanted to reach the peak in gana music, but that came to me with loads of struggles. People used to humiliate me saying that I have various other options to earn my living. To achieve what I want, I faced the humiliations with confidence and never gave up as I am representing a community,” shares the Chennai-based gana singer.

A negative feedback that Vimala would never forget in her life is after one of her performances, a man approached and asked her to not waste her time performing on stage. Instead, go to beaches to earn money. But, a few positive comments keep her going. “I sang an emotional Amma song. One person commented saying that I should be a woman at my next birth. Initially, I felt bad thinking that he was bullying me. But he said he wishes to enter the world from my fetus and hear the same song as my son. That moment was emotionally touching,” Vimala says with a content smile.

After enduring tormenting pain, Vimala got the opportunity to sing alongside her role model Gana Ulaganathan in Coke Studio Tamil. “I was able to reach all these stages in my life because of my identity,” shares a proud Vimala, whom Sean Rolden approached to sing in his tunes for Raghu Thatha.

Vimala marched forward to the next level by attending a workshop, conducted by actor Neha on how to learn cinema. Filmmaker Mysskin visited the workshop on the last day to select artistes for his next film, headlined by Vijay Sethupathi. Along with Vimala, four transgenders are acting in the upcoming film.

Breaking the stereotypes about transgenders that are rooted in society, Vimala states, “Earlier, trans people chose the wrong path because they were misled. As society still refuses to change its perspective about us and there is a lack of opportunities, the mindset is continuing. We need platforms to showcase our skills and grab opportunities to uplift our community.”

She recommends that the pattern can be broken if transgenders, who have succeeded in their respective fields, take the initiative to provide space for people from their community. Practising what she preaches, Vimala is training 13 trans children, who are working hard to improve their musical skills. She uses her earnings and perks to buy instruments to enhance the students’ skills. “My ultimate dream is to start a transgender gana band,” she adds.

Following BR Ambedkar’s footsteps, Vimala strongly believes that education and the right platforms, where their skills are valued, will empower the community. Giving an example of the only transgender student, Nivetha, coming out with flying colours in Class 12 board exams, Vimala shares that only they know the challenges they faced to get their basic needs sorted. “Our responsibility is to train our children to face the world and society’s responsibility is to give us space and opportunities we deserve,” she remarks.

There were times when Vimala felt tired of constantly fighting for basic requirements like education, shelter and opportunities. “I started my career with Rs 50 and tea for singing the whole night. All my sufferings resulted in fruitful reaps as I am getting Rs 10,000 to 20,000 now and also performing on International stages. I used my hardships as my trigger point,” recollects the gana singer.

“Compared to previous years, many transgenders are confidently coming out of their shell without the fear of acceptance and are open about their gender. I trust that they will slowly start achieving in various fields,” she reflects.

Vimala wishes to sing in the music of GV Prakash Kumar and Vidyasagar, as she is fascinated by the uniqueness of their works.