For Poongodi Mathiarasu, documenting trans lives is not about focusing only on success or struggle. It is about recording everyday realities that are often left out. Coming from a folk arts background, Mathiarasu grew up around performance traditions. “My grandmother is an oppari singer, though not in a professional setup,” he says. This early exposure shaped his interest in both art and people’s lived experiences.
In 2019, while studying at Loyola College, he began working with rural trans communities. Mathiarasu travelled with them, spent time learning their art forms and understanding their lives. “Many of them were teachers of folk arts, but their work was not properly documented. Also, I noticed a pattern in how trans stories are usually told. Mainstream narratives either focus on achievements or on suffering. I didn’t want to do either. I wanted to show their everyday lives,” he explains.
In 2023, Mathiarasu and his colleague Akshara Sanal began documenting rural transgender folk artistes in Tamil Nadu as part of a PARI fellowship. They travelled across the state, meeting artists from different caste backgrounds and artistic traditions. “We met people practising different forms of folk art, each with their own stories. What started as documentation soon became more personal. We didn’t see them as subjects. They became part of our lives.”
After the fellowship ended, Mathiarasu decided to continue the work. In 2024, he started Thirunar Archives, a community-led, non-profit initiative focused on documenting the cultural labour of trans and queer communities, especially in rural areas. The archive includes stories of folk artists as well as people in other professions.
The initiative runs largely on support from the community and allies across the world. Mathiarasu, who is also a performing artiste, works in puppetry, folk forms and contemporary dance. This has helped him build connections with queer artists internationally, some of whom support the project. Over time, the work has expanded. “We are now also working with other marginalised communities, including people with disabilities. Recently, we organised a theatre workshop that brought together deaf and trans participants.”
This idea of inclusion continues in the Red Rainbow Festival, organised by the collective. The festival will be held on June 14 at Alliance Française Madras and will bring together art, performance and community. “The event celebrates transness, queerness and disability as part of everyday human experience. We don’t see this as something separate. It is part of human life. The festival also honours the work of earlier generations. It is important to remember the struggles and contributions of trans elders and queer communities who made space for us,” he adds.
Apart from Mathiarasu, the archive has three core members, Agni Pradeep, Shamala and Swetha, who continue to build the initiative. For Mathiarasu, the aim is simple. To document lives as they are, without reducing them to labels or stereotypes and to ensure these stories are not forgotten.