'Lallan Ms': Play to bring alive story of transgender Rajkumari

A new play will bring to life the story of transgender Rajkumari, fondly called Lallan Hijra, and how she worked against all odds to come up with a school for the slum children in Patna.

The production "Lallan Ms", presented by Rama Theatre Natya Vidya (RATNAV) Foundation in collaboration with Ganga Dhar Shukla Drama Festival, will be staged at the Shri Ram Centre here on December 5.

Based on Rajkumari's real life story, the play talks about the struggles of 44-year-old Lallan and how she overcomes them to successfully open a school for the poor in a slum in Patna, only to be burnt down 15 years later by the land mafia.

But, even that didn't bog down her feisty spirit, said play director Rama Pandey and added that Lallan, with the help of other eunuchs, re-built the school from scratch.

"This play is a salute to Lallan's never failing spirit which challenges and encourages us to achieve things in life. Making it was the toughest challenge of my life.

"... I have woven Lallan and other transgender lives in my own life experiences. I have taken the challenge of depicting serious storytelling in an interesting drama style, for which I am also using old folk medium of 'Bhapang' (a single stringed percussion instrument)," said Pandey, who is also the narrator, writer and producer of the play.

It will be followed by Purvanchal's famous folk dance "Jhangiya" and singer Bajinath Yadav's performance of folk songs.

RATNAV, a foundation for the preservation of traditional oral arts of India, works for the livelihood of artistes and promotes their art through theatre performances.