Helping Rose
Donation protected
Hello everyone,
I was recently introduced to a young woman named Rose by my dance Guru in India, Deepak Mazumdar.
Rose is 22 years old and was disowned by her family a few months ago when she came out to them as a transgender woman.
A dedicated practitioner of dance, Rose received a scholarship to complete her Bharatanatyam Masters in Fine Arts at the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya - University of Mumbai, India. She lives in a small room in the area of Dahisar in Mumbai and was teaching Bharatanatyam dance classes to earn her living to pay for her room rent and groceries.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Rose has been unable to teach her students and earn a living. Rose is now running low on her savings and will not be able to afford her rent or food if she does not receive support soon.
As we know, so many people have been afflicted by the pandemic in so many ways. While Rose's situation has been amplified due to the pandemic, it would have been the same even if we were not in a pandemic. Unfortunately, for Rose to be her true authentic self is taboo in India.
Rose's story hits close to home for me because of my recently created dance-work-- Pad Yatra. This work was inspired by a week-long walking pilgrimage (pad-yatra) I participated in from my hometown in Khambhat, Gujarat to the temple of Goddess Bahuchara in Ahmedabad. Bahuchara Maa is the central goddess of the Indian transgender community in large parts of North India.
Pad Yatra is a response to the duality I experienced while on the pilgrimage. While a community gathered to pray to the Goddess to be included in her merciful glance, several members of the same community shunned my interaction with trans people on temple grounds, creating a separateness.
While I continue to research more into the history of the transgender communities of India and develop Pad Yatra, my dance work would not mean much to me if I did not advocate for them as well.
Any amount of support you can offer would be greatly appreciated by both Rose and myself.
Thank you so much,
Barkha Patel
I was recently introduced to a young woman named Rose by my dance Guru in India, Deepak Mazumdar.
Rose is 22 years old and was disowned by her family a few months ago when she came out to them as a transgender woman.
A dedicated practitioner of dance, Rose received a scholarship to complete her Bharatanatyam Masters in Fine Arts at the Nalanda Nritya Kala Mahavidyalaya - University of Mumbai, India. She lives in a small room in the area of Dahisar in Mumbai and was teaching Bharatanatyam dance classes to earn her living to pay for her room rent and groceries.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Rose has been unable to teach her students and earn a living. Rose is now running low on her savings and will not be able to afford her rent or food if she does not receive support soon.
As we know, so many people have been afflicted by the pandemic in so many ways. While Rose's situation has been amplified due to the pandemic, it would have been the same even if we were not in a pandemic. Unfortunately, for Rose to be her true authentic self is taboo in India.
Rose's story hits close to home for me because of my recently created dance-work-- Pad Yatra. This work was inspired by a week-long walking pilgrimage (pad-yatra) I participated in from my hometown in Khambhat, Gujarat to the temple of Goddess Bahuchara in Ahmedabad. Bahuchara Maa is the central goddess of the Indian transgender community in large parts of North India.
Pad Yatra is a response to the duality I experienced while on the pilgrimage. While a community gathered to pray to the Goddess to be included in her merciful glance, several members of the same community shunned my interaction with trans people on temple grounds, creating a separateness.
While I continue to research more into the history of the transgender communities of India and develop Pad Yatra, my dance work would not mean much to me if I did not advocate for them as well.
Any amount of support you can offer would be greatly appreciated by both Rose and myself.
Thank you so much,
Barkha Patel
Organizer
Barkha Patel
Organizer
North New Hyde Park, NY