Camp artists' ephemeral professional life

Iboyaima Laithangbam *

Trans-Gender (Nupi Manbi) Community of Manipur at work in Imphal in March 2013 :: Pix - Deepak Oinam

The camp artists of Manipur's famous open air theatres have very short span of professional life in this highly competitive entertainment business. Once they reach the saturation point in their rock star popularity they plummet to the black hole of anonymity at dizzy speed basically due to age factor coupled with crow's feet, shrivelled skin and emergence of younger artists.

Other transgenders who had taken up other forms of livelihood like running beauty parlours, ladies only tailoring shops, hotels and eateries, training centres of beauticians are comparatively in a safe ground since age is not the debilitating factor for them.

A separation line is drawn between our transgenders and those of other states. Ours are not only beautiful but highly talented in the entertainment and other forms of business. There is no gainsaying the fact that ours are world class artists, beauticians and dress makers par excellence. They had completely monopolised these businesses.

The so-called video film artists in Manipur feared that sooner than later they would be pushed out by the talented camp artists. They are so lady like that an outsider shall never be able to know that they are in fact camps.

One elderly lady in a state frantically wanted an open air theatre camp as her daughter in law. A tendentious rumour was spread to the effect that camps cannot take part in the video film.

Manipur is such a land that nobody asked who had spread it and why. Suspicion is that some so-called actors whose chokehold on the film business was threatened had engineered it.

However it is gratifying to see that some camps had started acting in video films. The day cannot be far away when the camps will slowly push out the actors from the video film world also.

Being a medically backward place there cannot be sex change operations. In other parts of the world several transgenders had undergone successful operations. Apart from the entertainment world many camps are at the helm of affairs even in the Parliament. It was rather deplorable that some scheming sections had subjected these talented camps to discrimination and segregation for their own gains.

In other parts of the globe transgenders make their sexuality known and lead their own life style since law in their countries recognise and respect them. But in India the same sex relationship is illegal.

Besides social stigma among the unlettered persons may be a defining factor. It is no wonder that despite their well known sexuality many camps had married and are having blissful marital life. Recently one renowned camp had disclosed that he was having two wives at home.

The government and the human rights activists have completely side tracked the transgenders in Manipur despite their commendable role to the society and contribution to business. The government is parroting the union government in shouting from the housetop to save the girl child.

In other parts of the country new born girls are killed and sex determination to kill the foetus is a thriving business. However this is no issue at all in Manipur and all parents welcome the girl child.

Instead of wasting time and money on such non-issues it would be expedient to educate the people on the indispensable presence of the third sex in our midst. We need to accept them socially. They should be allowed to have their own life style based on their sexuality.

The unlettered and ill informed parents and family members ought to he enlightened that the psyche of these camps can never be changed. They are girls born in the bodies of boys and they will die so.

Recently my co-passenger to Delhi was such a camp doing beautician's job in Imphal. He got a lucrative job in Kerala and he was going there. Unless our mindset is changed to the tune of the civilized and educated world such talent drain will increase as facilities in Manipur are limited.