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Every April-May, hundreds of trans women throng a quiet village in Tamil Nadu to turn into brides for Mahabharata martyr Aravan. These spell-binding images from photographer Shino Cherian’s new book on the Koovagam festival show how they find divine love for just a day, before mourning the hero’s death

Updated 3 days ago

On the final day, the Aravanis go from brides to widows, take the flowers out of their hair and wipe off their make-up. “They cried loudly in groups, hugging each other and expressing their sorrow in the form of an oppari, a traditional Tamil funeral song. While they did indeed grieve the death of Aravan, their voices also seemed to rise in a lament for the pain of every loss, every rejection, every oppression they had ever endured,” writes Shino Cherian. Pics/Shino Cherian

PM Modi extended his best wishes to Satheesan and said the Union government would cooperate with the new administration in fulfilling the aspirations of the people of Kerala

Updated 9 days ago

On the final day, the Aravanis go from brides to widows, take the flowers out of their hair and wipe off their make-up. “They cried loudly in groups, hugging each other and expressing their sorrow in the form of an oppari, a traditional Tamil funeral song. While they did indeed grieve the death of Aravan, their voices also seemed to rise in a lament for the pain of every loss, every rejection, every oppression they had ever endured,” writes Shino Cherian. Pics/Shino Cherian
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