TimesOfIndia.IndiaTimes.com
Brightly coloured sarees, matching accessories and boxes of make-up litter the bed in the room. Sheetal, Sathya, Rambha and Maya chatter excitedly as they get dressed, fussing over saree pleats and doing each other’s hair. They are like any other bunch of young women getting ready for a festive occasion. Only that they are not women. Their deep voices give that away.
They are about to take part in the Kottankulangara Sridevi temple festival. The ancient temple in Chavara, Kerala, has a unique tradition. On the last two days of the festival, regular men, common office-going professionals, dress up as women for the chamayavilakku (chamaya is make-up, vilakku is lamp). Bedecked with flowers, lamps in hand, they wait patiently till the wee hours of dawn for the goddess to bless them.