ALLAHABAD: Wrapped in an apron, fingers dipped in different shades of colours and giving final touches to the picture with the strokes of her brushes, 23 year old Abigail Aroha Jensen of Auckland (New Zealand), is one of the number of artists—pursuing different hobbies—who are nowadays flocking the camp of Kinnar Akhada at sector number 12 of the Kumbh mela area.They are not just the curious and the devout but also lensmen, play writers folk artists , painters, documentary makers etc from India and abroad for whom this akhara has become a ‘paradise’ to peep into the inside world of this community so closely.Several of these artists, who belong to LGBT community , are not only camping in the akhara but are also contributing to the ‘Kala gram’ (art village) located within the akhara.Moreover, many of these artists, especially the eminent international lensmen, are getting the chance to profiling the community and watch them in different moods and in their new avatar i.e. as religious seers.“I have photographed different communities of number of countries including the transgender of several cities around the globe but India stays way ahead as this country has given them the respect by giving them the status of ‘third gender’ which is commendable”, said Guillaume Ziccarelli , a French lensmen, now shifted to New York, US.“I am a painter, play writer and a DJ back at my hometown of Auckland but here at this akhara, things are so vibrant and ‘free’ and when I witness the community closely, I find more similarities than differences as compared to common man as this is just the colonial terms superimposed on us”, said Abigail.Likewise, Benoit Feron of Belgium, is a lawyer back in his city but here he was at the akhara, clicking photos and meeting the member of the kinnar community with the same warmth as if he had been among them since several years.Similarly, Christopher Singh is a practicing artist born and based in New Zealand with residencies in China and during his stay at the Kinnar Art Village, he has merged his practice with recyclable materials to create and reuse many of the discarded artefacts and waste distributed amongst Kumbh Mela.Not far from his tent was that of Nadia Zoubenko, a multimedia artist based in Israel. Participating in the art village for Kinnar Akhara, she was seen using soil, acrylic, natural fibers, plaster and many more tools to craft her vision. “My works capture scenes from the Mughal era, the life of ancient kinnars, existing within the space of kings and harems, playful as entertainers, artists and sex workers. These works bring visibility to the kinnar community from times long before”, she said.The akhara has also given platform to local talent like Shubhangi Chaurasia, a BFA student. “For me, art is an energy within us along with emotions which bust out on canvas here in the Kinna art village, the culture and atmosphere we get is totally liberating towards art and ourselves”.

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