Shilajit records unique Bengali song on transgender community

Kolkata: Popular singer-actor Shilajit Majumder is happy to have lent his voice to a unique track on the transsexual community, following the appointment of a transgender as the principal of a Bengal college.

"I had never heard any song entirely based on the community in Bengali ? not by me of course or by any other singers or music bands. So far I know no other song had brought forth their pain and angst in this fashion," the singer told PTI after recording the number in a studio here.

Titled "Lukochuri", the lines of the song read ? 'Purush kimba stree kimba clib manush bhison lingopriyo jib' (be it man or woman or a worthless person - all humans are obsessed with gender).

"More than my commitment, it is my concern for the community, as expression of my wish that they should have same equal rights like us in every sphere of society. I have many friends from this community who have made it big in different professions, They are like you and me, they talk like you and me. Then why this segregation?" he wondered.

"I know many transgenders at traffic crossings who wave at me when my car stops. And when I don't carry cash, I at least exchange pleasantries with them. This song can be a tribute to all these people, across different segments," he said.

Music director Chirantan Banerjee said the song dwells on how people can be insensitive towards fellow humans and should be more considerate. The lyrics are composed by Akash Chakroborty for the film on transgenders, "Conditions Apply".

"It is a welcome development. It shows the attitude of society towards the third gender is changing. There has to be acceptance to the issue," Teesta, a transsexual activist, said about the song, when contacted.