Dance of faith

`It was all very chaotic in the final act of the puja so I had to be at the right place in the right moment`

Silchar-based filmmaker Sourav Das remembers going to the annual Dance of Gods festival in his city every year with his father. His tells us how his photo series Gay Gods, on a group of men, children and trans men from the lower rungs of society gathering around the month of Chaitra of the Bengali calendar for a dance that celebrates the marriage of Shiva and Durga, grew almost accidentally. Drawn to the festival and its heady rituals, he almost instinctively took pictures on his film camera.

"When I got my developed rolls back, I found that a very constructive photo series could be formed with the pictures I had taken through the last two years," he shares. "There is a beauty in the imperfections when shooting analogue and I was manifesting that particular aesthetic for this series," Das adds.

The men isolate themselves for a month to prepare for the folk festival of Charak Puja, held also in parts of West Bengal and southern Bangladesh. During this time, they go to houses to collect essentials like paddy, oil, sugar, salt and money for their survival. The dance, which sees the men dressed as gods and goddesses, also involves rituals which include devotees piercing their tongues and bodies with iron rods, suspending themselves from hooks, sleeping on nails, walking over fire and machete games, among others.

Das's pictures capture the essence of the festival which blends culture, celebration and rituals. "It was all very chaotic in the final act of the puja so I had to be at the right place in the right moment," says Das. "My biggest learning," he adds, "was the way faith functions in society.

Sourav Das

For these people, it's their unshakeable belief in these rituals that keeps them going. They are very aware of the dogmatic nature of this worship and yet will continue these practices for generations to come. I believe it's also the only time these trans men can celebrate and wear their femininity with pride, and the society also, ironically, celebrates this with them."

WHAT: Gay Gods
WHERE: @chitrakar, Instagram