Shino Cherian’s Souls of Someone: Myth, Magic and Mourning in Koovagam offers a deeply immersive look into one of India’s most remarkable cultural and spiritual gatherings—the annual Koovagam festival in Tamil Nadu, where thousands of transgender women come together in celebration, devotion and community.
Held over eighteen days during the Chithirai month of the Tamil calendar, the festival culminates in a powerful ritual at the Koothandavar temple, where participants symbolically marry Lord Aravan, the Mahabharata hero whose sacrifice is believed to have secured the Pandavas’ victory in the Kurukshetra war.
Blending photography, memoir and travel writing, Cherian takes readers beyond the spectacle of the festival to explore themes of faith, identity, belonging and self-discovery. Through intimate storytelling and striking visuals, the book captures both the joy and poignancy of Koovagam, while offering a nuanced portrait of a community often viewed through the lens of prejudice and misunderstanding.
Read excerpt from Souls of Someone: Myth, Magic and Mourning in Koovagam here.
